POLIER, Antoine-Louis-Henri. Lausanne ?.2.1741 — near Avignon 9.2.1795. Swiss Officer and Traveller in India. Born in a French Huguenot noble family naturalized in Switzerland, son of Jacques H. E. Polier (1700–1781) and Jeanne-Francoise Moreau de Brosses. He had a good education and showed interest in mathematics. Invited by his uncle…
POLEY, Karl August Ludwig (Louis, born Karl Heinrich Koch). Hordorf, Sachsen-Anhalt 7.9.1805 (hardly 1809) — Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria 14.8. 1885. German Indologist. Illegitimate son of German judicial officer Johann Friedrich Poley and, according to his own, perhaps not too reliable, account, a Frenchwoman (in fact she was Dorothea Koch). He…
POLEMAN, Horace Irvin. Philadelphia 5.9.1905 — Washington DC 8.11.1965. U.S. Indologist. Librarian in Washington, D.C. Son of Thomas Bennett Poleman and Ida Van Zandt. Studies at University of Pennsylvania: 1927 Phi Beta Kappa graduate, A.B. 1927, M.A. 1929 in classical languages, Ph.D. 1933 in Indic Studies (under W. N. Brown).…
POBOŻNIAK, Tadeusz. Cracow 1910 — 26.1.1991 (when 80). Polish Indologist and Gipsy Scholar. Professor in Cracow. Born in a poor family, his father served in City Council guard.Educated in Cracow. Studied at Cracow IE (under Rozwadowski) and Germanic, then also Sanskrit under Willman-Grabowska. M.A. 1938 with a diss. on conjunctive…
PLÜTSCHAU (Plütschow, Plütscho), Heinrich. Wesenberg bei Neustrelitz 1676 — Beidenfleth, Kr. Steinburg, Holstein 4.1.1752 (Hantzsch 1747). German Pietist Missionary in India. Educated in Berlin, then studied theology at Halle. Prompted by Francke to enter missionary career he was ordained in Copenhagen in 1705 andarrived at Trankebar (Tamilnadu) in 1706 together…
PLATTS, John Thompson. Calcutta 1.8.1830 — London 21.9.1904. British Indologist (Hindī Scholar) in India. Son of Robert Platts and Elizabeth Kennaway (1802–1862). Lost early his father and grew in modest circumstances (but both geni.com and ancestry.com give his father the years 1795–1855), educated at Bedford School in London. Returned to…
PLATNER, Samuel Ball. Unionville, Conn. 4.12.1863 — at sea 20.8.1921. U.S. Classical Scholar also interested in Sanskrit. Son of William Platner, a factory owner, and Emily Childs Ball, brother of theologian John Winthrop Platner (1865–1921). Studies of Classics and Sanskrit at Yale (A.B. 1883, Ph.D. 1885), further studies in 1889-90…
PLĀĶIS, Juris. Kabile, Courland 22.6.1869 — Usol’lag near Perm, Russia 1.8.1942. Latvian IE Scholar. Worked long as teacher, from 1920 (?) Professor of Comparative Linguistics (Lithuanian, Sanskrit and IE) at Latvian University in Riga (in 1924 and in the 1930s). Also taught Sanskrit. In 1920-21 Latvian Minister of Education. Arrested…
PIZZI, Italo. Parma 30.11.1849 — Turin 5/6.12.1920. Italian Indo-Iranian Scholar. Professor in Turin. Born in a large family of nobility, son of Agostino Pizzi and Maria Teresa Prussia. Studied at Pisa Semitic, Indian and Germanic languages under De Benedetti, Lasinio and Teza. Ph.D. 1871 Pisa. Worked as teacher in Parma…
PIZZAGALLI, Angelo Maria. Milano 6.6.1883 — Milano 8.9.1941. Italian Indologist. Greatgrandson of —> P. G. Maggi. Student of Formichi at Pisa. From 1913 PD of Sanskrit at Pisa. From 1914 Professore incaricato di Sanscrito e Civiltà Indiana at Genoa, then at Milano. Also worked as schoolteacher of Greek and Latin.…