FÜHRER, JOSEPH. - Archaeologist, b. in 1858, d. 8 Feb. 1903; professor of philology and history, first at the lycée of Dilinga, then at that of Bamberga, he was an indefatigable explorer of the Christian necropolises of Sicily, of which he visited more than 130, including cemeteries sub dico, hypogea, and underground cemeteries. He surveyed the plans of more than 50 burial areas and made drawings and photographs.
One of his most important works bears the title: Forschungen zur Sicilia sotterranea (Munich 1897, in vol. XX of the Abhandlungen der kgl. bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften). With rigorous method and great clarity it deals with the Syracusan catacombs, providing historical information and an inventory of the paintings and inscriptions. The study of underground Sicily was complemented by that of all the cemeteries of the island. Death overtook F. when only part of this extensive work was ready for publication; the remainder, based on notes, was edited by V. Schultze, who completed the research: Die altchristlichen Grabstätten Siciliens (Berlin 1907, in Jahrbuch des kaiserlich Deutschen Archäologisch Instituts).
Among F.’s minor studies, the following should be mentioned: Altschristliche Begräbnisanlagen bei Feola in Ostsitzilien (in Römische Mitteilungen, 17 [1902], pp. 110-21); Die Katabombe im Molinello-Tal bei Augusta in Ostsitzilien (in Römische Quartalschrift, 16 [1902], pp. 205-21); Ein altchristliches Hypogeum im Bericht der Vigna Cassia bei Syrakus (in Abhandlungen der kgl. bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 22 (Munich 1902), pp. 109-58).
Noteworthy for hagiography is his work Ein Beitrag zur Loesung der Felicitas Frage (Freising 1890).