GERSHEVITCH, Ilya (Il’ja Arkad‘evič Gerševič). Zürich 24.10.1914 — Cambridge 11.4.2001. Russian Iranian Scholar in the U.K. Professor in Cambridge. Born in Switzerland of Russian parents, Arkadi Gerševič and Mila Mirova, a pianist, who came from Smolensk. They were fleeing the outbreak of WW I as the father was then studying medicine in Germany. Father died when he was 12. Educated in Switzerland (Locarno and Lugano), studies of classical philology and IE linguistics in Rome (dottore in lettere 1937 under Pagliaro) and of Oriental languages in London (Ph.D. 1943 under Henning). Employed in 1942-47 in foreign broadcasting in London. Further studies under Bailey at Cambridge (M.A. 1948). In 1948-65 Lecturer in Iranian Studies and in 1965-82 Reader of the same at Cambridge. From 1962 fellow of Jesus College. Emeritus 1982. In 1956 important field-work in the then nearly unknown West Makran (e.g. dialectology). In 1960-61 and 1965-66 visiting Professor at Columbia University in New York. Fellow of British Academy 1967. Hon.dr. 1971 Bern. Married 1951 Lisbeth Syfrig from Luzern, one daughter. Keen musician.
Publications: “-t-, -ti-, -to- suffissi di ‘nomina actionis’ in composti omerici e Rigvedici”, Studi ital. di filol. class. N.S. 15, 1938, 131-161.
– Diss. 1943 publ. A Grammar of Manichaean Sogdian. 13+307 p. Oxford 1954.
– Avestan Hymn to Mitra. 14+356 p. Cambr. Or. Publ. 4. Cambridge 1959 (Yasht 10).
– “Travels in Bashkardia”, Journal of Central Asian Society 46, 1959, 213-225.
– “Dialectal Variation in Early Persian”, TrPhilolSoc 1964, 1-29.
– “Zoroaster’s own Contribution”, JNES 23, 1964, 12-38.
– Edited: Cambridge History of Iran. 2. The Median and Achaemenian Periods. 17+946 p. 46 pl. Cambridge 1968.
– “Iranian Nouns and Names in Elamite Garb”, TrPhS 1969, 165-200; “The Alloglottography of Old Persian”, TrPhilolSoc1979, 114-190.
– Articles on Bactrian e.g. in AM 12, 1966, 90-109, 2, 1979, 55-73, AAHu 28, 1980, 179-184 & 273-280.
– Numerous further articles and reviews (e.g. “Sissoo at Susa (Opers. yakā = Dalbergia Sissoo Roxb.)”, BSOAS 19, 317-320, 1 pl.); for his 70th birthday a collection of them was published: Philologia Iranica. Ed. by N. Sims-Williams. 15+303 p. Beiträge zur Iranistik 12. Wb. 1985.
Sources: Who’s Who 1983, 1990; Titus with link to obituary by N. Sims-Williams; *Gh. Gnoli, Studia Iranica 31, 2002 & *VDI 2003:3, 257f.; N. Sims-Williams, *Oxford D.N.B. 2004; B.K. Waghmar, International Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies 1, 2002, ix-xii; Wikipedia briefly; photo in *Philologia Iranica. Wb. 1985 (also in TITUS Galeria).
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