GLADWIN, Francis. 1744/45? — 1812. British Colonial Officer and Orientalist (Persian Scholar) in India. Served in the Bengal Army at least 30 years, until his death. He was encouraged by Warren Hastings in his study of Oriental languages, mainly worked on Persian literature. From 1801 he was the first Professor…
GIORGI, Antonio Agostino (Augustinus Antonius Georgius; baptized Francesco Maria Giorgi). Santo Mauro di Romagna (near Rimini) 10.5.1711 — Rome 4.5.1797. Italian Monk, Theologian, and Orientalist, a Coptic Scholar and Pioneer of Tibetan Studies. Son of Antonio Giorgi (1685–1723) and Antonia Semprini (1687–1767). Augustinian monk since 1726, studied philosophy, science, theology…
GILDEMEISTER, Johannes Gustav. Klein-Piemen (now Kröpelin), Mecklenburg 20.7.1812 — Bonn 11.3.1890. German Indologist and Orientalist. Professor in Marburg and Bonn. Born in Mecklenburg countryside in a Bremenian patrician family, son of Johann Gildemeister (1784–1844), a merchant and journalist, and Maria Anne Catharine Wienholt (1786–1856). Gymnasium in Bremen, learned there Hebrew…
GARCIN DE TASSY, Joseph-Héliodore-Sagesse-Vertu. Marseille 20.1.1794 — Paris 2.9.1878. French Indologist (Hindi-Urdu) and Oriental Scholar. Professor in Paris. Son of Joseph Jacques Garcin, a stockbroker, and Claire Virginie Tassy. Educated in Marseille, where he also learned spoken Arabic. From 1817 studies of law in Paris, at the same time Persian…
FORBES, Duncan. Kinnaird, Pertshire 28.4.1798 — London 17.8.1868. British (Scottish) Oriental Scholar (Persian and Urdū). Born in a poor family, in 1801 remained with his grandfather, when the parents moved to the U.S.A. In the age of 12 he still knew not English (or was illiterate in it), but as…
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…
FERRAND, Paul Joseph Gabriel. Marseille 22.1.1864 — Paris 31.1.1935. French Diplomat, Oriental (esp. Arabic) Scholar and a Specialist of Asian Historical Geography. Studies at É.L.O.V.. Served in administrative offices in French Somaliland (Djibouti) and 1887-96 in Madagascar, then as French Consul in Thailand (1896-98), Iran (1898-1900), Indonesia, Germany, and finally…
EWALD, Georg Heinrich August (von). Göttingen 16.11.1803 — Göttingen 4.5.1875. German Oriental, especially Hebrew and Semitic Scholar, but also Indologist, and Theologian. Son of Heinrich Andreas Ewald (d. 1829), a master weaver, and Catharina Maria Ilse. After gymnasium studied theology and Oriental languages at Göttingen. Ph.D. there 1823. After a…
ERSKINE, William. Edinburgh 8.11.1773 — Edinburgh 20.5.1852. British (Scottish) Civil Servant and Lawyer. 1804-23 in India. Son of David Erskine (1739?–1791), a lawyer, and Jean Melvin (1753?–1780?). Educated at Royal High School and Edinburgh University (dr. iuris). He “was a lawyer’s apprentice, 1792-9, went to India in 1803-4 with Sir…
ERNŠTEDT (Jernstedt), Petr Viktorovič. Gačina (Hačina) 9.(21.)6.1890 — Leningrad 25.12.1966. Russian Egyptologist. Son of a classical scholar, Viktor Karlovič Ernštedt (d. 1902). Graduated 1913 from St.Petersburg. Magistr 1917, kand. jazykoved. 1935, Dr. filol. nauk 1942. In 1918-50 he worked as naučnyj sotrudnik at Oriental Institute of Russian Academy, also in…