BEREZOVSKIJ, Mihail Mihajlovič. 1848 — St.Petersburg 5.4.1912. Russian Traveller in Central Asia. Born in a noble family, school in St.Petersburg. As young man involved in radical politics, but escaped punishments. Studied zoology at St.Petersburg. From 1876 repeatedly with Potanin in Mongolia, starting as zoologist and botanist, but gradually becoming also interested in antiquity. Participated in expeditions to Mongolia (1876-77), Tibet and China (1884-86, 1892-93). In 1902-08 headed as geographer and ethnographer a Central Asian expedition, in 1905-08 in Kucha with his his cousin N. M. Berezovskij making excavations and buying antiquities in the area. His collection in St.Petersburg contains 1876 manuscript fragments, all meticulously documented. Travel journals of his 14 expeditions are kept by Russian Academy.
Publications: Nahodki ujgurskih rukopisej manihejskogo soderžanija. St.P. 1910; Ornithological publications, etc.
Sources: I. Popova, “M.M. Berezovsky’s Expedition to Kucha (1905–1908)”, abstract at www.univie.ac.at/tocharian/abstracts/Popova.pdf. Only passingly mentioned in P. Hopkirk, Foreign devils on the Silk Road; not in Kononov’s dictionary; Wikipedia with photo (more in Russian version).
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