The New International Encyclopædia/Kirchhoff, Adolf

KIRCHHOFF, kḗrK'hṓf, Adolf (1826—). An eminent German classical philologist. He was born at Berlin, and has been professor in the university of his native city since 1865. Kirchhoff's scientific studies have covered a wide range in linguistics, antiquities, and Greek epigraphy. In each field his work has been distinguished. Of his very numerous publications the most important are: Umbrische Sprachdenkmäler (1849-51); Euripides (1855), the first critical edition based on a careful collation of all the manuscripts; Die Homerische Odyssee und ihre Entstehung (1859); Die Composition der Odyssee (1869); Studien zur Geschichte des griechischen Alphabets (4th ed. 1887), the most important work on the subject. His works further include many monographs on Athenian financial administration, Greek literature, etc. He has edited Plotinus (1856); Æschylus (1880); Xenophon's Respublica Atheniensium (3d ed. 1889); etc. He was editor of the Christian inscriptions in the fourth volume of the Corpus Inscriptionum Græcarum (1859), and of the Corpus Inscriptionum Atticarum, vols. i. and iv. (Berlin, 1873—), and was an editor of Hermes (1866-81).