Overweg, Adolph

Birth Date
Death Date
Birth Place
Associated Language
Field of Activity
Africa--Discovery and exploration
(lcsh) Sahara--Discovery and exploration
(lcsh) Chad, Lake--Discovery and exploration

found: Wikipedia, German version, June 15, 2023(Adolf Overweg; born 24 July 1822, Hamburg; died 27 September 1852 in Maduaria on Lake Chad; German astronomer, geologist and explorer of Africa; after attending school in Hamburg he studied geology and astronomy in Bonn and Berlin; doctorate in geology 1847; member of the Hamburger Turnerschaft [Hamburg gymnastics association] of 1816, where Heinrich Barth was also a member; he and Barth, under the direction of Englishman James Richardson, set out to cross the Sahara from Tripoli; Overweg and Barth arrived in Tripoli in January 1850 and did a short expedition to the Garian Mountains in the Sahara; Overweg's findings on geology of the Sahara are mainly communicated in Barth's letters; the British[-led] expedition set off south on March 24, 1850; in January 1851 the expedition members separated in Taghelel, arranging to reunite in Kuka; Overweg traveled there via Zinder, Mariadi and Gober, arriving in early May suffering from fever, probably malaria; Barth told him there about the death of Richardson, and set out again alone while Overweg recuperated, then explored Lake Chad and its surroundings; a final six-day fever led to his death; Overweg's scientific notes were received by Barth as part of the estate, but were no longer usable due to illegible handwriting, so there is no separate report on the expedition by him)

found: Oxford Reference (online), June 15, 2023(Adolph Overweg (1822-1852); German explorer; accompanied James Richardson and Heinrch Barth on the British-sponsored expedition to central Africa which began in 1850; after Richardson's death, Barth was named expedition leader with orders to proceed to Timbuctoo; before they could begin their trek there, Overweg, suffering from fever and dementia, died in the village of Madauri near Lake Chad)