BLOCH, Alfred. Basel 18.4.1915 — Basel 11.7.1983. Swiss Indologist, IE and Semitic Scholar. Professor in Basel. Born in Jewish family, son of engineer Max Bloch (d. 1826) and Suzanne Weil. Studies of comparative linguistics, Greek, and Semitics at Basel in 1933-39. Ph.D. 1939 Basel. From 1942 PD at Basel, then…
BLEICHSTEINER, Robert. Vienna 6.1.1891 — Vienna 10.4.1954. Austrian Anthropologist and Linguist, Scholar of Iranian and Caucasian Languages and Ethnology, later also of Mongolian and Tibetan. Son of Josef Ludwig Bleichsteiner (1859–1914) and Josefine Klinger. School and studies in Vienna (M. Bittner, L. von Schroeder, B. Geiger). Ph.D. 1913 Vienna, then…
BLEEKER, Claas Jouco. Beneden Knijpe (now De Knijpe), Schoterland, Friesland 12.9.1898 — Amsterdam 5.5.1983. Dutch Historian of Religion. Son of Rev. Johannes Jakob Bleeker (1869–1946) and Jantje (Tine) Zuur. School in Leeuwarden, studies of theology at Leiden, also studies of Egyptology and religion at Berlin. Reformed priest 1925. Th.Dr. 1929…
BLEECK, Arthur Henry. Westbury, Wiltshire 18.5.1829 — Kensington, London 27.1.1877. British Orientalist, said to be known of his remarkable linguistic talent (but translating Spiegel’s German Avesta is not so remarkable). Son of William Bleak (1801/2–1873), a school director, and Charlotte Goodman. Studies at University College, London. First employed in British…
BLAVATSKY, Helena Petrovna (née Hahn, Russian Jelena Petrovna Blavatskaja, née Gan). Ekaterinoslav (now Dnipro in Ukraine) 12.8.1831 — London 9.5.1891. Russian Noblewoman, the Founder of the Theosophical Society. Born in Ukraine as the daughter of colonel Peter Hahn, of a noble family of Mecklenburg settled in Russia. Married at the…
BLAU, Ernst Otto Friedrich August. Nordhausen, Thüringen 21.4.1828 — Odessa 26.2.1879. German Diplomat and Oriental Scholar. Son of Christian Friedrich Blau (teacher, later superintendent). After school in Pforta studies of theology at Halle, soon Oriental languages at Leipzig. Ph.D. Leipzig 1855. Entered early diplomatic career: from 1852 in Constantinople (in…
BLAU, August. Mittelhausen, Erfurt 8.3.1858 — Landsberg an der Warthe (now Gerzów Wielkopolski) 11.7.1926. German Indologist. Librarian in Berlin. Studies at Jena, 1883 Ph.D. in classical philology. In 1883-84 assistant (Volontär) in Breslau University Library, then at Göttingen University Library, from 1892 Librarian of Berlin University Library (succeeding Klatt), from…
BLATTER, Ethelbert (or Edelbert). Romanshorn, Appenzell 15.12.1877 — Pune 26.5.1934. S.J. Swiss Catholic Missionary Scholar in India. Son of the elder Edelbert Blatter, a physician. After father’s early death raised by his physician uncle in Rebstein, St.Gallen. School in Rebstein, Sarnen and Schwyz. Joined S.J. 1896, studied in Valkenburg, Netherlands.…
BLATT, Heinrich. Steinbach am Glan in Nordpfälzer Bergland 10.3.1894 — Erlangen 1.4.1949. German Indologist. Librarian in Würzburg. After gymnasium in Speyer studies of classical, Germanic and IE philology at Munich, Leipzig, Berlin and Würzburg. Ph.D. 1923 Erlangen. From 1923-46 he was working at University Library (Staatsbibliothek an der Universitätsbibliothek) in Würzburg,…
BLATT, Gustaw (Gerszon). Jarosław in South-Eastern Poland 15.2.1858 — Lwów (L’viv) 17.9.1916. Polish Linguist (IE and Slavic). From 1879 studies of classical and Slavic philology at Cracow, student of Lucjan Malinowski. Ph.D. there 1893. Further studies of IE and Sanskrit at Leipzig under Brugmann, Windisch and Leskien. Teacher at Jewish…