NYBERG, Henrik Samuel. Söderbärke, Dalarne 28.12.1889 — Uppsala 9.2.1974. Swedish Semitic and Iranian Scholar. Professor in Uppsala. Born in humble conditions as the son of Anders Fredrik Nyberg (1854–1912), a poor curate, and Ida Mathilda Jansson (1867–1911), educated at home and in Västerås. In 1908 started Classical and Oriental studies…
NURMEKUND, Pent (until 1936 Arthur Roosman). Kilingi near Pärnu 16.12.1906 — Tartu 26.12.1996. Estonian Linguist, Polyglot and Oriental Scholar, specialized in Chinese and Indian languages and literatures. Born in a poor family as the son of an agrarian worker, Peet Roosman, and Julie Rüütel, he could only proceed slowly with…
NORRIS, Edwin. Taunton, Somerset 24.10.1795 — Brompton, London 10.12.1872. British Oriental and Celtic Scholar. Son of a printer. Educated at the local school by its headmaster, his uncle Henry Norris, himself uncle of —> J. Dowson (1820–1881). Never studied at a university. As young he spent six years in France…
NÖLDEKE, Theodor Eduard. Harburg near Hamburg 2.3.1836 — Karlsruhe 25.12.1930. German Semitic Scholar, also interested in Iranian. Professor in Kiel and Strassburg. Son of Carl Nöldeke (1800–1866), a teacher, then rector of gymnasium, and Auguste Klingemann (1802–1846), educated in Harburg and Lingen. Studies at Göttingen, mainly under Ewald, apparently also…
NICHOLL, George Frederick. Tipton, Staffordshire 5.11.1832 — 28.7.1913. British Semitic Scholar also interested in Indology. Son of John Nicholls (1811–1893, his sons dropped the final s), a colliery clerk and composer. Studies at Balliol College, Oxford, M.A. 1878, Hon. Fellow 1888. As a schoolteacher in London he taught Sanskrit to…
NÈVE, Félix-Jean-Baptiste-Joseph. Ath 13.6.1816 — Leuven 23.5.1893. Belgian Indologist and Oriental Scholar. Professor in Louvain (Leuven). Son of merchant Auguste Nève and Marie Delwarde, the family moved early to Lille where he went to school. From 1834 among the first students at Louvain, just reestablished as a Catholic French-speaking university…
NEUMANN, Karl Friedrich (originally Justus Lazarus Bamberger). Reichmannsdorf near Bamberg 28.12.1793 (?) — Berlin 17.3. or 28.3.1870. German Oriental Scholar and Historian. Professor in Munich. Son of a poor Jewish merchant, Lippmann Bamberger, after Jewish school worked himself in the shop. Date of birth is his own statement, which has…
NEUGEBAUER, Otto Eduard. Innsbruck 26.5.1899 — Princeton, N.J. 19.2.1990. Austrian Historian of Astronomy and Mathematics in the U.S.A. Son of Rudolph N., a railway engineer and collector of Oriental carpets, lost early his parents. In 1917 he left Akad. Gymnasium, Graz, to join the army and thus obtained his matriculation…
NESSELMANN, Georg Heinrich Ferdinand. Fürstenau, Kr. Elbing (now Kmiecin in Poland) 24.2.1811 — Königsberg 1.7.1881. German Indo-Iranian, Baltic and IE Linguist. Professor in Königsberg. Son of Rev. George Ferdinand Nesselmann, and Eleonore Gericke. Taught by father at home until 16, then at Elbing Gymnasium. From 1831 he studied mathematics at…
MURRAY, Alexander. Dunkitterick, Kirkcudbrightshire 22.10.1775 — Edinburgh 15.4.1813. Rev. British (Scottish) Philologist and Oriental Scholar. Son of Robert Murray, an elderly shepherd and farm labourer. Of modest origin, but talented, he was admitted to Edinburgh University, although he had hardly any formal education, and thus became a priest. Assistant, then…