FORSTER, Johann Reinhold. Dirschau, West Prussia (now Tczew in Poland) 22.10.1729 — Halle 9.12.1798. German Scientist. Son of George Reinhold Forster (1693–1753), a mayor, of an originally Scottish family (Forrester) emigrated to Germany in the mid-17th century, and Eva Wolf. After theology studies at Halle started his career as an…
FORSTER, Johann Georg Adam (George Forster). Nassenhuben near Danzig (now Mokry Dwór in Poland) 27.11.1754 — Paris 10.1.1794. German Scientist, Author and Traveller interested in India. The eldest son of —> Reinhold Forster (1729–1798) and Justine Elisabeth Nicolai. As a youth travelled with his father in 1765 in Russia and…
FORKE, Ernst Conrad Alfred. Schöningen/Kr. Helmstedt (Braunschweig) 12.1.1867 — Hamburg 9.7.1944. German Sinologist. Professor in Hamburg. Son of Wilhelm Forke, merchant and steam mill owner, and Minna Tenne (1842–1868). After gymnasium in Magdeburg, studies of law at Geneva and Berlin. Dr. iuris 1890 Rostock. At the same time also studied…
FLORENZ, Karl Adolf. Erfurt 10.1.1865 — Hamburg 9.2.1939 (or 1.4.?). German Indologist and Japanologist. Professor in Tokyo and Hamburg. Son of Eduard Florenz, a teacher, and Susanne Walther. Catholic, educated at Erfurt Gymnasium. From 1883 studies of modern and Oriental languages at Leipzig, where G. von der Gabelentz prompted him…
FISCHER, Kurt (Curt) Bruno Otto. Berlin 2.3.1892 — Berlin 25.8.1942. German Bauddha. Son of a modest official, Gustav Fischer (1859–1923) and Emilie Christophersen, himself worked then as official. Adopted Buddhism in 1918. Pupil, secretary and successor of Dahlke (d. 1928) as the leader of Buddhistisches Haus in Berlin-Frohnau, where he…
FISCHER, Klaus. Zittau (Sachsen) 23.11.1919 — Bonn 25.3.1993. German Archaeologist and Art Historian of South Asia. Professor in Bonn. Studied archaeology and art history at Heidelberg, Ph.D. there 1948 (diss. on German baroque architecture). In 1952 obtained a travel grant and studied two years art history in Calcutta under J.…
FINCK, Franz Nikolaus. Krefeld, Ruhr 26.6.(26.2.?)1867 — Berlin-Südende 3./4.5.1910. German Linguist (Indo-Europaean, Celtic and Gipsy, but also Bantu, Polynesian and Caucasian). Professor in Berlin. Son of the factory-owner Jakob Finck and Agnes Neumann. Gymnasium in Krefeld. After interrupted law studies served in army in 1886-91, then studied linguistics at Munich,…
FILCHNER, Wilhelm. Munich (or Bayreuth?) 13.9.1877 — Zürich 7.5.1957. German Geodesist and Explorer. Son of Eduard Filchner (1836–1882), Lazarettverwaltungsinspektor in Bayreuth, and Rosine von Leistner (1855–1908), Catholic. Lost early his father and lived in Munich with his mother and uncle. After school entered military career. As a second lieutenant he…
FIGULLA, Hugo Heinrich Max. Loslau, Kr. Rybnik, Oberschlesien (now Wodzisław Śląski in Poland) 27.12.1885 — London 6.2.1969. German Assyriologist and Hittite Scholar also interested in Dravidian. Son of Ferdinand Figulla and Sophie Stoklossa. After gymnasium in Ratibor studied at Berlin and Breslau (Assyriology under Br. Meissner). Ph.D. 1911 Breslau in…
FICK, Richard Friedrich. Schwartau near Lübeck 7.2.1867 — Göttingen 18.12. 1944. German Indologist. Son of merchant Adolf Fick and Maria Loewe, went to school in Lübeck and from 1883 in Kiel, matriculated in 1885. Studies of German, English, philosophy and especially Indology (under Pischel and Jacobi) at Kiel. Ph.D. 1888…