author
Z. C. de (Zacharias Cohen) Boer
1847–1915
A Dutch classical scholar and teacher, he is best remembered for helping make the ancient world more accessible to students through a practical reference work on Greek and Roman antiquity. His surviving published work suggests a writer interested less in grand theory than in clear explanation and useful learning.
1 Audiobook
Woordenboek der Grieksche en Romeinsche oudheid
by Johan George Schlimmer, Z. C. de (Zacharias Cohen) Boer
About the author
Born in Amsterdam in 1847, Zacharias Cohen de Boer studied classical languages and completed a doctoral dissertation at Leiden in 1884. Library and university records identify him as Z. Cohen de Boer, and his life dates are commonly given as 1847–1915.
He is chiefly associated with Woordenboek der Grieksche en Romeinsche oudheid, a Dutch reference work on Greek and Roman antiquity prepared with Johan George Schlimmer. Contemporary and later catalog records describe the book as intended especially for students in Dutch gymnasiums, which gives a good sense of his role: bringing classical history, literature, and everyday ancient life within easier reach of learners.
Although not much biographical detail is readily available online, the record that remains points to a careful scholar whose name stayed attached to a useful educational book for decades after its first publication. He died in 1915, leaving behind a modest but lasting place in Dutch classical education.