BRIGGS, John. Madapollam, Madras 18.9.1785 — Burgess Hill, Sussex 27.4.1875. British Colonial Officer and Oriental Scholar, 1801-35 in India. Son of physician James (or John?) Briggs (1758–1830) and Martha Pybus (1758–1788), came to England 1789. Educated at Eton 1794-99. From 1801 in Madras infantry, participated in both Maratha wars. In…
BORECKÝ, Miloš. Prague 28.12.1903 — Washington, DC, U.S.A. 18.3.1954. Czech Oriental (Iranian) Scholar in the U.S.A. Son of —> Jaromír Borecký (1869–1951) and Františka Schöpffová. In 1922-30 studies of Indo-Iranian at Charles University of Prague under Lesný and Rypka, further studies at Sorbonne and Oxford. Ph.D. 1930 Prague. Worked as…
BORECKÝ, Jaromír. Buddies (now České Budějovice) 6.8.1869 — Prague 8.5.1951. Czech Poet, Translator and Librarian, listed as an Oriental scholar by Heyne and apparently knew some Sanskrit and certainly Persian. Son of Jan Ludvik Borecký and Anna Isáková. He is said (by Bečka) to have been a student of the…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
BLATT, Heinrich. Steinbach am Glan 10.3.1894 — 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, little before his…
BLAND, Nathaniel (born Nathaniel Crumple). Liverpool 3.2.1803 — Homburg-les-Bains 10.8.1865. British Oriental (Persian) Scholar. Son of the elder Nathaniel Bland (Crumple), who was of Irish origin, but had changed his name and settled at Randalls Park in Leatherfield. Educated at Eton (1818-) and in 1821-25 studied at Christ Church, Oxford…