Biography.guide
Home › People › Classical philologist › Herwig Görgemanns
Portrait of Herwig Görgemanns

Herwig Görgemanns

b. 1931

German classical philologist

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Herwig Görgemanns

Born 1931. Herwig Görgemanns is a German classical philologist, university teacher and hellenist, known for Atlantis.

Herwig Görgemanns (born 2 September 1931) is a German classicist, former professor and emeritus of classical philology at Heidelberg University.

In Würzburg he presented his dissertation in classical philology: contributions to the interpretation of Plato's Laws (1959). With an analysis on Plutarch's dialogue "De facie in orbe luna" he habilitated in 1965 in Heidelberg. His teacher was Franz Dirlmeier. In 1967/1968 he was a Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University. In 1972 Görgemanns became Professor for classical philology at Heidelberg University. In 1997 he retired.

His focus was on Greek philology, especially Plato. In this context he presented a hypothesis on a possible historical core of Plato's Atlantis story.

Together with church historian Heinrich Karpp (1908–1997) he translated Peri archon/De principiis by Origenes.

One of his students is the Plutarch researcher Rainer Hirsch-Luipold, Göttingen.

Partial bibliography Beiträge zur Interpretation von Platons Nomoi (= Zetemata. issue 25). Munich 1960. Untersuchungen zu Plutarchs Dialog „De facie in orbe lunae“ (= Bibliothek der klassischen Altertumswissenschaften. Bd. 33). Heidelberg 1970. Origenes: Vier Bücher von den Prinzipien (= Texte zur Forschung Vol. 24). Darmstadt 1976. . Platon. Heidelberg 1994. . Platon und die atlantische Insel. Die Entstehung eines Geschichtsmythos, in: Hellenische Mythologie: Vorgeschichte. Die Hellenen und ihre Nachbarn von der Vorgeschichte bis zur klassischen Periode. Tagung, 9.–11.12.1994, Ohlstadt, Oberbayern, Deutschland. Altenburg 1996, pp. 107–124. Wahrheit und Fiktion in Platons Atlantis-Erzählung, in: Hermes No. 128 / 2000; pp. 405–420.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Known for
Atlantis
Education
Heidelberg University
Employers
Heidelberg University

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Herwig Görgemanns's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Herwig Görgemanns?

German classical philologist

When was Herwig Görgemanns born?

Herwig Görgemanns was born on 2 September 1931 in Alpen.

What is Herwig Görgemanns's occupation?

Herwig Görgemanns is a classical philologist, university teacher and hellenist.

What is Herwig Görgemanns known for?

Herwig Görgemanns is known for Atlantis.

What nationality is Herwig Görgemanns?

Herwig Görgemanns is German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Herwig Görgemanns

· Wikidata: Q1614875

· DBpedia: Herwig Görgemanns

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Herwig Görgemanns. https://biography.guide/herwig-gorgemanns/

MLA: "Herwig Görgemanns." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/herwig-gorgemanns/.

Chicago: "Herwig Görgemanns." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/herwig-gorgemanns/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:02 UTC