HARMATTA, János. Hódmezővásárhely, komitat Csongrád 2.10.1917 — Budapest 24.7.2004. Hungarian Indo-Iranian Scholar. From 1935 studies of classical, IE and Iranian philology and Indology at Budapest, Ph.D. 1940 in Greek. From 1947 Docent of Greek at Budapest, from 1952 Professor of IE Linguistics (with Indo-Iranian studies) ibid. In 1988 emeritus, but continued teaching at least until 1993. From 1957 also Secretary and from 1970 President of Commission of Ancient Studies in Hungarian Academy of Science, from 1968 Director of Centre of Research in Ancient Studies (Academy of Sc.). From 1970 member of the same Academy. Among his many students were G. Bethlenfalvy, I. Puskás and Gy. Wojtilla.
Publications: Diss. Quellenstudien zu den Skythica des Herodot. 70 p. Bp. 1941.
– “Le problème cimmérien”, Arch. Ért. 7-9, 1946-48, 79-136; A Kimmer kérdés. 1953; “Sur l’origine du mythe des Hyperboréens”, AAHu 3, 1955, 57-66.
– “Studies in the Language of the Iranian Tribes in South Russia”, AOHu 1, 1951, 261-314 (and sep. 1952); “La société des Huns à l’époque d’Attila”, Rech. Internat. 1:2, 1957, 179-239; “Die parthischen Ostraka aus Dura-Europos”, AAHu 6, 1958, 87-175; “Irano-Aramaica”, AAHu 7, 1959, 337-409.
– “Sino-Indica”, AAHu 12, 1964, 3-21; “New Evidence for the History of Early Northwestern India”, AAHu 14, 1966, 423-472; “The Oldest Brāhmī Inscription in Innermost Asia”, AOHu20, 1967, 1-32; “The Oldest Evidence for the Silk Trade between China and India”, in Altheim & Stiehl, Geschichte Mittelasiens im Altertum. Berlin 1970, 650-684.
– “The Great Bactrian Inscription”, AAHu 12, 1964, 373-471; “Minor Bactrian Inscriptions”, AAHu 13, 1965, 149-205; “Görög ábécét haználo iráni nyelvü irásbeliség Észag-Nyugat-Indiában”, Magyar Tud. Akad. I OK 17, 1971, 33-160.
– “Zu den griechischen Inschriften des Aśoka”, AAHu 14, 1966, 77-85.
– Studies in the History and Language of the Sarmatians. 131 p. Szeged 1970.
– Edited: Prolegomena to the Sources on the History of Pre-Islamic Central Asia. 339 p. Budapest 1979; History of Civilizations of Central Asia. 2. The development of sedentary and nomadic civilizations: 700 B.C. to A.D. 250. 573 p. Paris 1994.
– L. Havas & I. Tegyey (edd.): Selected Writings. West and East in the Unity of the ancient World. Debrecen 2002.
– A great number of further articles, also in Hungarian, see Puskás 1991.
Sources: Bethlenfalvy 1980, 43f. and photo n. 13; Bio-bibliogr. de 134 savants 1979, 228-248; bibliography in AAHu 25, 1977, 13-24; Wikipedia briefly with photo; photo in TITUS Galeria and AAHu 45, 2005.
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