Ilberg studied philology, archaeology, history and philosophy in Leipzig, Bonn and Berlin. At the University of Bonn, he was greatly influenced by the philologist Hermann Usener. At the University of Leipzig, he received his doctorate under the sponsorship of Otto Ribbeck. Later on, he was a Gymnasium rector in Wurzen (from 1910), Chemnitz (from 1914) and at the Queen Carola Gymnasium in Leipzig (1916-24). He was co-editor (from 1897) and editor (1914–1929) of the educational series Neuen Jahrbücher für das klassische Altertum, Geschichte und deutsche Literatur, a publication that was also referred to as Ilbergs Jahrbücher ("Ilberg's Yearbook"). In 1925, it was renamed Neuen Jahrbücher für Wissenschaft und Jugendbildung.Ilberg, Johannes Deutsche Biographie
