EILERS, Wilhelm M. J. Leipzig 27.9.1906 — Würzburg 3.7.1989. German Oriental (Semitic) and Iranian Scholar. Professor in Würzburg. Son of a Gymnasium Professor, matriculated from Zwickau. Studies of musicology, law and Assyriology at Freiburg, Munich and Leipzig (Dr.iuris 1931 Leipzig, with a diss. on ancient Babylonian laws), then Oriental lan­guages (Cuneiform, Semitic and Iranian) at Leipzig and Berlin, under B. Landsberger, J. Friedrich and H. H. Schaeder. In 1932-33 participated in Uruk/Warka excavations. No Ph.D., but Dr. habil. 1936 Berlin. In 1937-41 he served at German Archaeological Institute in Isfahan. Member of NSDAP 1939. In 1941-47 British war prisoner, sent to Australia. From 1947-52 Docent of Hebrew at Sydney University. For a while also taught in Colombo, but rejected the chair there. From 1953 PD at University and Referent für den Orient in Westdeutsche Bibliothek in Marburg. From 1958  ord. Professor für orientalische Philologie at Würzburg. Retired 1974. Hon. Ph.D. 1974 Tehran. Married 1936 Erika Böhling, children.

Eilers was an Iranian scholar, mainly interested in dialectology, folklore, onomastics and comparative semasiology, also in legal history.

Publications: Much on Assyriology and Modern Persian; “Mittelpersische Wortform aus frühachämenidischen Zeit?”, ZDMG 90, 1936, 160-200 (in a Neo-Babylonian letter).

– Hab.diss. 1936 published as Iranische Beamtennamen in Keilschriftlichen Überlieferung. 1. 142 p. 4 pl. A.K.M. 25:5. Lp. 1940.

– “Mittelpersische Wortform aus frühachämenidischen Zeit?”, ZDMG 90, 1936, 160-200; “Der alte Name des persischen Neujahrsfestes”, R. Kent Mem. Vol. 1953, 37-86 & 52 p. A.W.L.Mainz 1953:2; “Der Name Demawend”, ArO 22, 1954, 267-374 & 24 (Fs. Rypka), 1956, 183-224; Index, ArO 37, 1969, 416-448; “Zur Funktion von Nominalformen”, WO 3, 1964, 80-145; “Kyros. Eine Namenkundliche Studie”, Beiträge zur Namensforschung 1964, 180-236; “Stem – Planet – Regenbogen”, Festschrift Spies 1967, 92-146; “Vier Bronzewaffen mit Keilinschriften aus West-Iran”, Persica 4, 1969, 1-56; “Iranisches Lehngut im Arabischen”, Actas do IV Congresso de Estudos Arabes e Islamicos, Coimbra 1968. 1975, 581-656.

– Deutsch-persisches Wörterbuch. 1-2. Wb. 1959-83.

– Semiramis. 83 p. 7 pl. S.Öst.A.W. 274:2. Vienna 1971.

– Westiranische Mundarten. 1. Die Mundart von Chunsar. 15+396 p. Wb. 1976 (with U. Schapka); 2. Die Mundart von Gäz. 23+271+197+9+516 p. Wb. 1978-79; 3. Die Mundart von Sīvänd. 20+376 p. St. 1988.

– Die Āl, ein persisches Kindbettgespenst. 89 p. 10 pl. SBaAW 1979:7 (with pre-Islamic origin); Geographische Namengebung in und um Iran. Ein Überblick in Beispielen. 67 p. SBaAW 1982:5.

– Further articles in ZDMG, OLZ, RGG, Acta Iranica, Zeitschrift für Assyriol., etc.

Sources: *H. Braun, Der Islam 67, 1990, 193-198 with photo; W. Hinz, ZDMG 141, 1991, 1-6 with photo; *H. Klengel, OLZ 84, 1989, 645f.; *M. Mayrhofer, Archiv für Orientforschung 35, 1988 (1990), 255f.; R. Schmitt, Encyclop. Iranica 8, 1993, 271-273 and *WZKM 80, 1990, 7-12; *A. Spitaler, Jahrb. der Bayerischen Akad. der Wissensch. 1990 (1991), 243-245; *G. Wiessner, Orient 33, 1992, 460-469; brief account with photo in Iran Soc. Silver Jubilee Souvenir (1944–1969). Calcutta 1970, 105; Bio-bibliogr. de 134 savants. 1979, 149-157; bibliography by Erika Eilers in Eilers Festschrift 1967, 566-572, additions in Arch. Mitt. aus Iran 20, 1987; German Wikipedia.