Gottfried Sellius

Gottfried Sellius (real name Gottfried Sell) (1704?–1767) was a German academic and translator. He is known for his work on Teredo navalis. and to be one of the three original initiators of an encyclopedia project, which subsequently turned into the Encyclopédie.

Life

He was born in Danzig. He studied at the University of Marburg and then at the University of Leiden, where he took a law degree. He then moved to Utrecht, and married. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1733.

Sellius was appointed to chairs of law, at the University of Göttingen, and at the University of Halle. He taught experimental physics at Halle, but money troubles caused him to move away. A valuable library was auctioned off in 1737.

In Paris Sellius took on translation work, in particular of the Cyclopaedia of Ephraim Chambers.

Sellius died in the Charenton Asylum on 25 June 1767.