till 1870 that he had the opportunity of visiting Italy and completing his equipment for a formal treatment of the whole subject by personal inspection of the monuments. In 1874 appeared the first volume of Über die Sprache der Etrusker, in which with great ingenuity and erudition he endeavoured to prove that the Etruscan language was cognate with that of the Romans. Before the second volume (published posthumously under the editorship of Ernst Kuhn) had received the last touches of his hand, he was cut off in 1875 by a comparatively early death. Influence on Friedrich Nietzsche In Twilight of the Idols ("What I Owe to the Ancients") Friedrich Nietzsche, who was educated at the Schulpforta, pays homage to Corssen in discussion of his education and writing style: My sense of style, for the epigram as a style, was awakened almost instantly when I came into contact with Sallust. I have not forgotten the surprise of my honored teacher, Corssen, when he had to give his worst Latin pupil the best grade—I had finished with one stroke. References External links 1820 births 1875 deaths German philologists Writers from Bremen Humboldt University of Berlin alumni