# Bruno Snell
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{{Short description|German classical philologist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Bruno Snell
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1896|06|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = [Hildesheim](/source/Hildesheim), [German Empire](/source/German_Empire)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1986|10|31|1896|06|18|df=y}}
| death_place = [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg), [West Germany](/source/West_Germany)
| fields = [Classical philology](/source/Classical_philology)
| workplaces = [University of Hamburg](/source/University_of_Hamburg)
| alma_mater = [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh)
[University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford)
[University of Göttingen](/source/University_of_G%C3%B6ttingen)
| doctoral_advisor =
| academic_advisors = [Hermann Fränkel](/source/Hermann_Fr%C3%A4nkel)
| doctoral_students =
| notable_students = [Joachim Latacz](/source/Joachim_Latacz)
| known_for =
| awards =
}}
'''Bruno Snell''' (18 June 1896 – 31 October 1986) was a German [classical philologist](/source/Classical_philology). From 1931 to 1959, he held a chair for classical philology at the [University of Hamburg](/source/University_of_Hamburg), where he established the ''[Thesaurus Linguae Graecae](/source/Thesaurus_Linguae_Graecae_(Hamburg))'' research centre in 1944.
==Biography==
After studying [law](/source/law) and [economics](/source/economics) at [University of Edinburgh](/source/University_of_Edinburgh) and [University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford), Snell gained interest in [classical studies](/source/classical_studies) and finally changed his major to [classical philology](/source/classical_philology). He earned his [Ph.D.](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy) from the [University of Göttingen](/source/University_of_G%C3%B6ttingen) in 1922.
Snell served as the inaugural president of the [Mommsen Society](/source/Mommsen_Society) from 1950 to 1954. In 1953, the [Europa-Kolleg Hamburg](/source/Europa-Kolleg_Hamburg), an institution promoting research and postgraduate education in the field of European integration, was founded on Snell's initiative. Since 1989, the Mommsen Society has awarded the [Bruno Snell Prize](/source/Bruno_Snell_Prize) to young classical scholars.
His book, ''[https://archive.org/details/discoveryofmindg00sneluoft/page/8/mode/2up The Discovery of the Mind: The Greek Origins of European Thought]'' (''Die Entdeckung des Geistes'', Hamburg, 1946, trans. T.G. Rosenmeyer, 1953) argues that the development of Greek literature from [Homer](/source/Homer) to [Aristophanes](/source/Aristophanes) and [Plato](/source/Plato) shows a gradual self-discovery of an inner mental life. It argues that the Greek culture developed a unique and individual inner world of thought for humans, which did not exist before. This is similar to later [psychological theories of the development and evolution of human consciousness](/source/Bicameral_mentality).
==Decorations and awards==
Snell was a member of the Academies of Sciences of [Göttingen](/source/G%C3%B6ttingen_Academy_of_Sciences), [Munich](/source/Munich_Academy_of_Sciences), [Vienna](/source/Vienna_Academy_of_Sciences), [Copenhagen](/source/Copenhagen_Academy_of_Sciences), the [German Academy for Language and Literature](/source/German_Academy_for_Language_and_Literature) as well as of [PEN International](/source/PEN_International).
* 1970 [Hegel Prize](/source/Hegel_Prize)[{{Cite web |title=Hegel-Preis der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart |url=https://www.stuttgart.de/kultur/kulturpreise-und-stipendien/hegel-preis.php |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart |language=de-DE}}]
* 1976 [Austrian Medal for Science and Art](/source/Austrian_Medal_for_Science_and_Art)
* 1977 [Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences](/source/Pour_le_M%C3%A9rite_for_Arts_and_Sciences)
==Further reading==
* {{Citation |last=Moore |first=Scott |date=October 28, 1973 |title=Scholar Brings Past Into Present |newspaper=[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times) |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/643215092.html?dids=643215092:643215092&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604235258/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/643215092.html?dids=643215092:643215092&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{DNB portal|118797786|TYP=}}
* [https://europa-kolleg-hamburg.de/en/bruno-snell-2/ Europa-Kolleg Hamburg profile of Bruno Snell]
{{Sigmund Freud Prize}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snell, Bruno}}
Category:1896 births
Category:1986 deaths
Category:People from Hildesheim
Category:German classical scholars
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford
Category:University of Göttingen alumni
Category:Academic staff of the University of Hamburg
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Category:Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art
Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Category:Members of the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin
Category:Corresponding fellows of the British Academy
Category:20th-century German philologists
{{Germany-scientist-stub}}
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bruno Snell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Snell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Snell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.