MÜLLER, Karl Otfried. Brieg, Silesia (now Brzeg in Poland) 28.8.1797 — Athens 1.8.1840. German Philologist. Professor in Göttingen. Son of Karl Daniel Müller (1773–1858), a chaplain of Prussian army, and Juliane Linke (1774–1858), a pietist home. After gymnasium in Brieg studies from 1814 at Breslau: classical philology, philosophy, history, Hebrew, Syriac, etc. From 1816 at Berlin under Boeckh. Ph.D. 1817 Berlin. For a while schoolteacher at Magdaleneum in Breslau, from 1819 eo. Professor at Göttingen teaching classical philology and archaeology. In order to be also capable of representing archaeology, he was allowed a few months of study in Dresden. From 1823 ord. Professor at Göttingen and member of Göttingen A.W. He was sympathetic towards the “Göttinger Sieben” and after their dismission gave together with five other Professors a similar statement, but was not dismissed. In August 1839 left for Italy and, after a visit to Sicily, proceeded to Greece. He intended to prepare his planned great Greek history and started intensive work in excavations, but got an intermittent fever and died soon. Married in 1824 Pauline Hugo (1804–1847), three daughters and two sons. Father-in-law of —> B. W. Leist.

Publications: Diss. Aegineticorum liber. 8+206 p. Berolini 1817.

– Much on classical (especially Greek) philology

– Articles (mainly reviews) on Indo-Greek and Iranian numismatics, e.g. GGA 1835, 1761-1783; 1838, 201-252; 1839, 281-325 (on the works of Lassen & Prinsep).

– Edited by Eduard Müller (his brother, 1804–1875, also a philologist): Karl Otfried Müller’s kleine deutsche Schriften über Religion, Kunst, Sprache und Literatur, Leben und Geschichte des Alterthums gesammelt. 1-2. Breslau 1847-48, 2nd ed. 1857

Sources: *A. Baumeister, A.D.B. 22, 1885, 656-667; K. Fittschen, N.D.B. 18, 1997, 323-326 (with further references); *O. & E. Kern, Carl Otfr. Müller. Lebensbild in Briefen an seine Eltern. B. 1908 (with portrait, also in Pedersen 1959, 81); Wikipedia with portrait and bust (also German version, with further references).

*S. Reiter (ed.), C.O.M. Briefe aus einem Gelehrtenleben, 1797–1840. 1-2. B. 1950.