BLONAY, Godefroy Jean Henry Louis de, baron. Niederschoenthal, Füllingsdorf (Basel-Land) 25.7.1869 — Biskra, Algeria 14.2.1937. Swiss Indologist. Born in his father’s (baron Gustave Louis de Blonay) castle, Château de Grandson, in an old Vaudian family, whose ancestor had founded the castle of Blonay in Vaud in c. 1175, his mother…
BLOCHMANN, Henry (Heinrich) Ferdinand. Dresden 8.1.1838 — Calcutta 13.7.1878. German Oriental Scholar in India, Specialist of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. Son of a printer, Ernest Ehrenfried Blochmann (1789–1862), educated in Dresden, studies at Leipzig (Arabic under Fleischer) and Paris. In order to be able to go to India he joined…
BLOCHET, Gabriel Joseph Edgar. Bourges (Cher) 12.12.1870 — Paris 5.9.1937. French Oriental (Arabic and Iranian) Scholar and Historian of Religions. Son of a cavalry officer. After studies in Paris (i.al. ancient Iranian under Darmesteter at É.P.H.É. and Arabic (diploma), Persian, Turkish and Urdu at É.L.O.V.), from 1895 Assistant, then Librarian…
BLOCH, Ernst Theodor. Christiansfeld, Schleswig (now Slesvig, Denmark) 8.5.1867 — Calcutta 20.10.1909. German Indologist. Born as the son of a dyer master, Bernhard Bloch, in the Herrnhutian colony of Christiansfeld in the then German North Schleswig, went there to school. In 1880-82 at Unitätsanstalt and 1882-87 at Pädagogium of the…
BLOCH, Jules. Paris 1.5.1880 — Sèvres (Seine-et-Oise) 29.11.1953. French Indologist and Linguist. Professor in Paris. Son of a Jewish merchant, Salomon Bloch and Caroline Bernheimer, a modest unreligious family originating in Alsace. After Lycée Charlemagne, studied in Paris (Fac. des lettres, etc.) under Lévi and Meillet (also Gauthiot, Foucher and…
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 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 1949 Lehrbeauftr.…
BLEICHSTEINER, Robert. Vienna 6.1.1891 — Vienna 10.4.1954. Austrian Linguist, Scholar of Iranian and Caucasian Languages and Ethnology, later also of Mongolian and Tibetan. Son of Josef Ludwig Bleichsteiner. School and studies in Vienna. Ph.D. 1913 Vienna, then worked in a library. From 1922 PD for Caucasian Linguistics at Vienna, tit.…
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 and Jantje Zuur. School in Leeuwarden, studies of theology at Leiden, also studies of Egyptology and religion at Berlin. Reformed priest 1925. Th.Dr. 1929 Leiden (diss.…
BLAU, August. Mittelhausen, Erfurt 8.3.1858 — Landsberg, Warthe 11.7.1926. German Indologist. Librarian in Berlin. “Mediohusanus.” 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 1902 Oberbibliothekar). Probably he…
BLATTER, Edelbert (or Ethelbert). 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. School in Schwyz. Joined S.J. 1896, studied in the Netherlands. Ph.D. In India 1903, in 1904-09 and 1915-24 Professor of Botany at St. Xavier’s College,…