Johann Friedrich Gronovius

Johann Friedrich Gronovius (the latinized form of Gronov) (September 8, 1611 – December 28, 1671), born in Hamburg, was a German classical scholar and critic.

Born in Hamburg, he studied at several universities and travelled in England, France and Italy. In 1643, he was appointed professor of rhetoric and history at Deventer, and in 1658 to the Greek chair at Leiden, where he remained until his death. In 1665, Gronovius succeeded Anthony Thysius as the 6th Librarian of Leiden University (See also Raphael Fabretti)

Gronovius edited and annotated Statius, Plautus, Livy, Tacitus, Aulus Gellius and Seneca's tragedies. In addition, he was the author of Commentarius de sestertiis (1643) and of an edition of Hugo Grotius' De jure belli et pacis (1660), amongst numerous other works. His Observationes contain a number of brilliant emendations. His son Jakob Gronovius was also a classical scholar.

See JE Sandys, Hist. of Class. Schol. ii. (1908); FA Eckstein in Ersch and Gruber's Allgemeine Encyklopädie.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.