EGGELING, Hans Julius. Hecklingen bei Staßfurt (Harz) 12.7.1842 — Witten (Westfalen) 13.3.1918. German Indologist. Professor in Edinburgh. Son of landowner Sebastian E. (1808–1842) and Elisabeth Müller. After Gymnasium in Bernburg, studies of classical philology and Sanskrit at Breslau and Berlin. In Breslau he became acquainted with Rhys Davids (they were then the only students of Stenzler). In 1867 to London and soon to Oxford to assist Max Müller in his Rigveda edition (vol. 5). In 1867-69 there, then secretary and librarian of the R.A.S. 1869-75. In 1872-75 also Professor of Sanskrit (unpaid) at University College, London. From 1875 Aufrecht’s successor as Professor of Sanskrit at Edinburgh University, where he taught until 1914. When the war broke, he was on leave in Germany and vainly asked for a passport in order to return. Instead he settled at his son-in-law, who was the minister in Witten, a Westfalian land community. He vainly hoped to be capable of returning to Scotland. Married 1871 Margarethe Homann, children.
Eggeling was an able philologist, whose main works were his manuscript catalogues, editions of grammatical texts and the magnificent translation of the Śatapathabrāhmaṇa. In comparative IE linguistics, which he also had to teach, he was rather conservative. His teachers and models were Böhtlingk, Aufrecht, and Weber. The work on the big manuscript catalogue was started, at the request of Rost, as early as 1869 in collaboration with Haas (who died) and Windisch (who only dealt with philosophy), but the bulk of the work was done by Eggeling.
Publications: Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts of the India Office. 1-7. L. 1886-1904; with E. B. Cowell: “Catalogue of the Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the possession of the R.A.S. (collection Hodgson)”, JRAS 8, 1876, 1-52.
– Edited: Sarvavarma: The Kātantra. With the commentary of Durgasimha. 576 p. B.I. 81. Calcutta 1874-78; Vardhamāṇa’s Gaṇaratnamahodadhi with the author’s Commentary. 1-2. 12+480 p. L. 1879-80.
– Translated: Śatapathabrāhmaṇa according to the text of the Mādhyandina school. 1-5. S.B.E. 12, 26, 41, 43, 44. Oxford 1882-1900.
– The Story of Nala, edited with a vocabulary. 4+84+63 p. Edinburgh 1913.
– A few articles, e.g. on epigraphy in EI 1, 1892, 93-95.
Sources: W. Kirfel, N.D.B. 4, 1959, 330f.; A.A. Macdonell, JRAS 1919, 124-128; Stache-Rosen 1990, 97f.; Windisch 392-398; Wikipedia briefly (more in German version, with photo); photo in Rau 45, drawing by W.Br. Hole in nationalgalleries.org.
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