BEZZENBERGER, Adalbert. Kassel 14.4.1851 — Königsberg 31.10.1922. German IE scholar. Professor in Königsberg. Son of the Germanist scholar Heinrich Ernst B. (1814-1892, later in Marburg) and Amalie Wiederhold. After school in Kassel studies of Sanskrit and IE philology under Benfey at Göttingen. Ph.D. 1872 Göttingen. PD 1874 ibid. From 1879 Professor of Sanskrit and IE at Königsberg. Three times rector of the university (last time 1919-21). Retired in 1921 (succeeded by R. O. Franke). From 1891 also Landesarcheologe Ostpreussens. Married 1880 Helene Schultze, three children.
Bezzenberger started as a comparativist, but in Königsberg concentrated mainly on the study on Prussia and the Baltic countries. He was one of the pioneers of Baltic philology. Tried always to take the civilization into account beside the language, and was thus important scholar of prehistory and folklore. The teaching of Indology he mostly left to others (Garbe as Docent 1878-95, R. O. Franke as ao. Prof. 1895-1921).
Publications: Diss. Untersuchungen über die gotischen adverbien und partikeln. 127 p. Halle 1872.
– Edited Beiträge zur Kunde der idg. Sprachen (so-called “Bezzenbergers Beiträge”) 1877-1906. In 1906 this BB was joined to the KZ, and Bezzenberger became one of its editors.
– Many etymological articles in the BB, also discussing OIA words; works on Baltic linguistics.
Sources: *G. Gerullis, IJb 9, 1922-23, 269-273 with bibliography 273-279, and photo (also in TITUS Galeria); Götz von Selle, N.D.B. 2, 1955, 213; *R. Trautmann & M. Ebert, KZ 51, 1923, 291-313; German Wikipedia (with portrait).
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