SIEGLING, Wilhelm. Erfurt 14.1.1880 — Berlin 22.1.1946. German Indologist and Tocharian Scholar. Research Scholar in Berlin. Educated in Erfurt and Eisleben. Studies of two terms at Halle, one term each at Heidelberg, Leipzig and Greifwald, then 1901-06 Sanskrit, Avestan and Tibetan at Berlin (Pischel). Ph.D. 1906 Berlin. On the advice of Pischel he started the study of Turfan fragments together with Sieg. From 1907 worked at Indian Department of Museum der Völkerkunde in Berlin, from 1912 Research Scholar of Prussian Academy working on Tocharian (A), the work he continued after the military service in WW I in 1915-18. In 1929 the Academy conferred him the title of Professor. Died after a brief illness. Married.
Siegling was a critical and minute scholar, one of the best specialists of Central Asian Brāhmī script. His long-lasting collaboration with —> E. Sieg concentrated first on Tocharian A. In the 1930s they started the B language (Kuchean), but the painstaking work took more time as supposed and was only concluded after his death. He was the one who tempered the too bold ideas of Sieg. In addition to Tocharian, he also assisted Lüders with Sanskrit fragments.
Publications: Diss. Die Rezensionen des Caraṇavyūha. 52 p. Leipzig 1906.
– With E. Sieg: “Tocharisch, die Sprache der Indoskythen”, SBeAW 1908, 915-932.
– With E. Sieg: Tocharische Sprachreste. 1-2. Die Texte. 12+258 p. 64 pl. B. 1921; Tocharische Sprachreste. Sprache B. 1. Die Udānālamkāra-Fragmente, Text, Übersetzung und Glossar. 80+196 p. Göttingen 1949; 2. Fragmente Nr. 71-633. Hrsg. von W. Thomas. 408 p. Göttingen 1953.
– With W. Siegling & W. Schulze: Tocharische Grammatik. 6+518 p. Göttingen 1931.
– Ein Glossar zu Asvaghosas Buddhacarita. 89 p. (facs.) Veröff. des Seminars für Indologie und Buddhismuskunde der Univ. Göttingen 3. Göttingen 1985 (Tibetan-Sanskrit-German).
Sources: E. Sieg, ZDMG 99, 1945-49, 147-149; Stache-Rosen 1990, 196; *E. Waldschmidt, introduction to Siegling’s 1985 work; German Wikipedia with photo.
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