Heyne

Heyne, Christian Gottlob (1729-1812), German philologist and antiquary, was born at Gottingen. His parents were poor weavers, and he suffered much from poverty during his university career at Leipzig. He made great progress in law and the classics, and was appointed librarian to Count de Drdhl, going to Dresden, where he came in contact with Winckelmann. The Seven Years' War brought him misfortune, but in 1763 he received an appointment at Gottingen as professor of eloquence. He founded a Society of Sciences, and managed well a philological seminary. He illustrated grammar and criticism by means of archaeology and history, and both his teaching and his writings had great influence upon classical studies in Germany. He read the classics not as an end, but as a means of understanding ancient life and history. He issued no great original works, but many good editions of classical authors, notably Virgil.