Bayer, Gottlieb Siegfried

In 1710 he entered the University of Koenigsberg , where he began to study oriental languages, especially Chinese , then went on a trip to Germany and, returning from there, began in 1717 to give lectures on Greek literature at the University of Koenigsberg. In 1725, Bayer moved to St. Petersburg , where he occupied the department of oriental antiquities and languages ​​at the Academy of Sciences ; in addition to work in these subjects, he was also involved in the construction of the Academic Gymnasium .

In Russian historiography, Bayer, who did not know the Russian language, is the founder of the Scandinavian school . Throughout his stay in St. Petersburg, Bayer took a lively part in the fate of the Academy and stood for its free development. So, for example, he made a complaint that academics filed with Peter II in 1729 against the Secretary of the Academy Schumacher and in which, by the way, they petitioned for the approval of academic regulations; in 1732 he developed an academic charter; in 1727 , upon the departure of Academician Kolya, he took over the supervision of the Academic Gymnasium.

Bayer was in good relations with Vice Chancellor Osterman and Feofan Prokopovich , who patronized him and to whom one of Bayer's most important works, “Museum sinicum,” was dedicated. Incidentally, there is evidence that this initiation is very reminiscent of the anonymous “Vita Theophanis Prokopoviz”, which Scherer printed in his “Nordische Nebenstunden” (1776). Being dissatisfied with the academic system and constantly in a quarrel with Schumacher, who did not allow him even to use the numismatic collections of the Academy, Bayer constantly bothered to return to his homeland. Having finally received his dismissal in 1736 , he sent his precious library to Koenigsberg, intending to leave Petersburg next winter, but in February 1738 he died of a fever.

Rich material for Bayer's biography from the archive of the Academy of Sciences was developed by Pekarsky in his History of the imp. Academy of Sciences ”(I vol., Pp. 180-196, as well as in other places of this work), which also contains a complete list of his works and their translations.

From the book of Schlötzer, “The Public and Private Life of August Ludwig Schlötzer, which he himself described”, it is known that Bayer never learned the Russian language during his 12 years in Russia.

He died in St. Petersburg, was buried in one of the lost cemeteries of Vasilyevsky Island ^[5] .

The first eleven volumes of the Academy Notes contain some translations of Bayer's writings:

• “Historia Osrhööna et Edessena nummis illustrata” (St. Petersburg, 1873);
• "Historia regni Graecorum Bactriani" (1738);
• “De origine et priscis sedibus Scytharum” (Russian translation in “Notes of the Academy”, vol. 1, 1728);
• “De Scythiae situ, qualis fuit sub aetate Herodoti” (Russian translation in the same volume);
• “De Cimmerus” (Russian translation in volume II);
• "De Varagis" (Russian translation of Kondratovich, p.
• “The Composition of the Varangians” in Volume IV, 1768);
• "De Russorum prima expeditione Constantinopolitana" (VI volume);
• "De Venedis et Eridano fluvio" (VII volume);
• "Origines russicae" (VIII volume);
• "Geographia Russiae ... ex Constantino porpnyrogenneta" (IX volume, Russian translation of 1767).
• “Geographia Russiae ex scriptoribus septentrionalibus” (Volume X; Russian translation 1767);
• “De Hyperboreis” (Volume XI).
• Only in the Russian translation was the essay: “A brief description of the cases concerning Azov from the creation of this city to its return under the Russian state” (St. Petersburg, 1734).
• Together with the Latin original, a translation was published: "The story of the life and affairs of Prince. Konstantin Kantemir ”(Moscow, 1783).
• For King Peter II, Bayer wrote: “Auszug der ä lteren Staatsgeschichte” (St. Petersburg, 1728).

• Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer - Academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg, European House. 1996 .-- 79 p. ISBN 5-85733-060-2
• Bayer G. 3. // TSB. 3rd ed. T. 2. - M. - 1970.
• Zelle G., background. History of the Koenigsberg University of Albert in Prussia. - Wurzburg. - 1956. - On it. lang
• Krollman K. Staroprusskaya biography. - Königsberg. - 1941. - On it. lang
• Lavrinovich K.K. Albertina. Essays on the history of the University of Koenigsberg. - Kaliningrad, East Prussia: From ancient times to the end of World War II - East. feature article. Documents. Materials - Kaliningrad: Prince. publishing house - 1996. - 538 p.
• History of the USSR Academy of Sciences. T. 1. - M.-L .: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR - 1958. - 483 p.
• Karpeev E.P. G. Z. Bayer and the origins of Norman theory // First Scandinavian readings: Ethnographic and cultural-historical aspects. SPb., 1997.
• Shansky D.N. Passionate polemic: G.F. Miller, G.Z. Bayer and M.V. Lomonosov // Historians of Russia. XVIII - beginning of XX century M., 1996.
• Knud Lundbaek: TS Bayer (1694-1738). Pioneer Sinologist. Curzon Press, London / Malmö 1986, ISBN 0-7007-0189-3 (Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies Monograph Series. Bd. 54).
• Iodko O. V. Bayer Gottlieb // Scientists - Fund Creators of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Brief Biographical Reference: A – B / Nauch. ed. and comp. E. Yu. Basargina, I.V. Tunkina. - SPb. : Renome, 2018 .-- S. 33—34. - 196 p. - (Ad fontes. Materials and research on the history of science; vol. 13). - ISBN 978-5-00125-105-7 . - DOI : 10.25990 / wfgv-sa70 .

• Zhukovskaya T.N. Bayer (Bayer) Gottlieb (Gottlieb) Siegfried (Siegfried) // Network biographical dictionary of historians of St. Petersburg University XVIII-XX centuries.
• Bayer, Gottlieb-Siegfried // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Sergey Tsvetkov. Bayer and the birth of Russian Normanism