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). 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. 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. 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 a 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).
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