Peter Artedi
Swedish naturalist and father of ichthyology.
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Peter Artedi (27 February 1705 – 28 September 1735) was a Swedish naturalist who worked alongside Carolus Linnaeus. His groundbreaking system for classifying fish has earned him the title "father of ichthyology."
Artedi was born in Anundsjö, in the province of Ångermanland. His grandfather, Petrus Martini, was a farmer’s son who studied at the Royal Academy of Åbo, became a minister in the Church of Sweden, and took the Latin surname Archtaedius. Artedi’s father, Olaus Petri, also studied at Åbo, spelled his name Arctaedius, and eventually succeeded his own father as vicar in Nordmaling. Olaus married Helena Sidenia; they had five children, but only three survived. Petrus Artedi, the second of those three, followed the family path toward the clergy. After schooling in Härnösand, he entered Uppsala University in 1724 to study theology, but soon shifted his focus to medicine and natural history, particularly ichthyology. In 1728, Carl Linnaeus arrived in Uppsala, but Artedi was away that year due to his father’s death; their lasting friendship began in 1729. In 1732, Professor Lars Roberg published a thesis containing a section deemed alchemical, which the theology faculty disapproved of. Roberg was censured, and Artedi—who Linnaeus noted had an interest in alchemy—may have been affected as well. Artedi lost his Stipendium Regium, and in 1732 both he and Linnaeus left Uppsala. Before parting—Artedi for England, Linnaeus for Lapland—they bequeathed their manuscripts and books to each other, agreeing that if one died first, the other would finish his work.
In 1734 Artedi visited England, where he saw a whale in London downstream of London Bridge in November and met Hans Sloane. He left London in summer 1735 and met Linnaeus in Leiden. Short of money, Artedi was introduced by Linnaeus to Albertus Seba, a wealthy Dutchman with one of the finest museums of the time in Amsterdam. Seba hired Artedi to write descriptions of fish for his *Thesaurus*. On the night of 27 September, while walking home from Seba’s house, Artedi accidentally fell into a canal and drowned. His body was found the next day. Linnaeus learned of the death two days later from Claudius Sohlberg and rushed to Amsterdam. Following their agreement, Artedi’s manuscripts came to Linnaeus, who finished and published them in Leiden in 1738 under the title *Ichthyologia sive opera omnia de piscibus*, which included the *Bibliotheca Ichthyologica*, *Philosophia Ichthyologica*, and a biography of the author.
Artedi was buried in a pauper’s grave in St Anthony’s churchyard in Amsterdam on 2 October 1735. The grave was never marked, and the churchyard site has since been used for other purposes. An epitaph, written in Latin by Anders Celsius and translated into English by George Shaw, was inscribed on the back flyleaf of Linnaeus’s own copy of *Ichthyologia*. A memorial stone to Artedi was erected in Amsterdam Zoological Gardens and unveiled on 28 June 1905, inscribed in Latin. Other stone memorials exist in Anundsjö and Nordmaling, Sweden. Linnaeus named the monotypic genus *Artedia* (Apiaceae), from the eastern Mediterranean, after his friend.
- born
- 27 February 1705
- died
- 28 September 1735
- field
- Natural history, ichthyology
- nationality
- Swedish
- known_for
- Pioneering classification of fishes; collaborator of Linnaeus
Lore & Background
Peter Artedi, born in Anundsjö in the province of Ångermanland, was a Swedish naturalist whose defining work established him as a foundational figure in ichthyology. He initially studied theology at Uppsala University, following a family tradition of clergymen, but his interests shifted to medicine and natural history, particularly the classification of fishes. At Uppsala, he formed a close and lasting friendship with Carl Linnaeus in 1729, after Linnaeus arrived the previous year while Artedi was absent due to his father’s death. Artedi’s academic path was disrupted when a professor’s thesis containing alchemical material was censured by the theology faculty; Artedi, who shared an interest in alchemy, subsequently lost his royal stipend and left Uppsala in 1732. Before parting—Artedi for England and Linnaeus for Lapland—they made a reciprocal agreement to bequeath each other their manuscripts and books, pledging to complete the other’s work if one died first. In 1734, Artedi visited England, noting a whale in London downstream of London Bridge and meeting Hans Sloane. He left London in summer 1735, meeting Linnaeus in Leiden. There, Linnaeus introduced him to Albertus Seba, a wealthy Dutch collector, who employed Artedi to describe fishes for his *Thesaurus*. On the night of 27 September 1735, Artedi accidentally fell into a canal and drowned while returning from Seba’s home. Linnaeus, honoring their pact, obtained Artedi’s manuscripts and published them in 1738 as *Ichthyologia*, which included Artedi’s *Bibliotheca Ichthyologica* and *Philosophia Ichthyologica* along with a biography. Artedi was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave in Amsterdam. Linnaeus later named the monotypic plant genus *Artedia* after him.
Reader's Guide
Peter Artedi’s foundational contributions to ichthyology stem from his systematic classification of fishes into distinct groups, a pioneering effort that earned him the posthumous title “father of ichthyology.” His work was deeply intertwined with that of his close friend and collaborator Carolus Linnaeus. The two met at Uppsala University in 1729, after Artedi had initially studied theology before turning to medicine and natural history. Before parting ways in 1732—Artedi for England and Linnaeus for Lapland—they made a reciprocal agreement to complete each other’s manuscripts and books should one die first. This pact proved crucial: after Artedi accidentally drowned in an Amsterdam canal on the night of 27 September 1735, Linnaeus retrieved his manuscripts and published them in 1738 as *Ichthyologia sive opera omnia de piscibus*, which included Artedi’s *Bibliotheca Ichthyologica* and *Philosophia Ichthyologica* along with a biography. Artedi had been employed by the wealthy Dutch collector Albertus Seba to describe fishes for Seba’s *Thesaurus* at the time of his death. He was buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave in St Anthony’s churchyard, later appropriated for other uses. Linnaeus honored his friend by naming the monotypic genus *Artedia* (Apiaceae) after him. Memorial stones were later erected in Amsterdam Zoological Gardens, Anundsjö, and Nordmaling in Sweden.
Did You Know?
- Artedi drowned in a canal in Amsterdam on the night of 27 September 1735 after falling while returning from Albertus Seba's home.
- He was buried in a pauper's grave in St Anthony's churchyard in Amsterdam on 2 October 1735; his grave was never marked.
- Linnaeus named the monotypic genus Artedia (Apiaceae) after his friend.
- A memorial stone to Artedi was unveiled in Amsterdam Zoological Gardens on 28 June 1905.
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