Herman Gummerus
| Herman Gummerus | |
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Herman Gummerus
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| Born |
Herman Gregorius Gummerus December 24, 1877 Saint Petersburg |
| Died | July 18, 1948 (aged 70) Helsinki |
| Citizenship | Finnish |
| Occupation | Classics lecturer |
| Employer | University of Helsinki |
| Known for | Politician, diplomat |
| Political party | Patriotic People's Movement |
Herman Gregorius Gummerus (24 December 1877 in Saint Petersburg – 18 July 1948 in Helsinki) was a leading Finnish classical scholar, diplomat, and one of the founders of the Patriotic People's Movement (IKL).
Born in Saint Petersburg into a Swedish speaking family, Gummerus became an expert on the economy and society of Ancient Rome, and lectured at the University of Helsinki from 1911 to 1920 and again from 1926 to 1947. He initially studied in Helsinki, and then specialized in ancient history under the direction of Eduard Meyer in the University of Berlin.
His studies on Rome were particularly concerned with rural life in the later period of the empire, a subject upon which he wrote widely. Gummerus' doctoral dissertation Der römische Gutsbetrieb als wirtschaftlicher Organismus nach den Werken des Cato, Varro und Columella (1906) examined large Roman estates using mainly literary sources. He further examined the economic system of the Roman empire in an article (Industrie und Handel, RE IX (1916), coll. 1381–1535) published in the Pauly–Wissowa classical encyclopedia, this time systematically using Archeological artifacts in his study. Gummerus' technique predated the work of Michael Rostovtzeff by a decade.
An early advocate of Finnish independence, Gummerus was imprisoned for this in 1904, spending time in Peter and Paul Fortress. He went on to edit the journal Framtid and before forming the anti-Russification Wetterhof Bureau (later Finnish Bureau) in Germany in 1915. After independence had been achieved Gummerus was appointed to posts in and Kiev, where he had exteneded his anti-Russian activity and where he helped set up a legation during Ukraine's brief independence. He became Envoy to Rome in 1920 (a post he held until 1925) and developed an admiration for the growing fascist movement whilst in Italy.
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