MÜLLER, Gerhard Friedrich (Fëdor Ivanovič Miller). Herford, Westfalen 29.10.1705 — Moscow 11/22.10.1783. German Historian, Ethnograph and Explorer of Siberia in Russia. Son of gymnasium director Thomas Müller and Anna Maria Bode. Gymnasium in Herford, studied at Rinteln and Leipzig (Greman Wikip., in Russianversion Rinteln and Halle), mainly philosophy and history. In 1825 moved to St.Petersburg, from 1730 Professor in Imperial Academy. Travelled in the Netherlands and England, then 1733-43 participated in the second Kamchatka expedition with Gmelin. Historiographer of Russian Empire and from 1766 keeper of national archives. Married, two sons.
Among other things Müller was interested in Tibetan (which he called Tangut), collected manuscripts and made an unsuccesful arrempt to decipher the Tibetan writing system.
Publications: Works on history an Siberian ethnography.
– “Commentatio de scriptis Tanguticis in Siberia repertis”, Comm. Acad. Sc. Imp. Petropolitanae 10, 1738, 420-468 (or 1747?).
Sources: Wikipedia (more in German version, both with further references); Russian Vikipedija with portrait.
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