DOW, Alexander. Crieff, Perthshire 1735/36 — Bhagalpur 31.7.1779. British (Scottish) Colonial Officer, Historian and Persian Scholar in India. Son of a customs officer. He had mercantile education, but had to leave Scotland after a fatal duel. He came to Bencoolen (Sumatra) as a sailor and entered in 1760 the E.I.C.’s…
DORN, Johann Albrecht Bernhard (Boris Andreevič) von. Scheuerfeld bei Koburg 11.5.1805 — St.Petersburg 19.5.(31.5.)1881. German Oriental (Iranian) Scholar in Russia. Son of Heinrich Wilhelm Dorn (1770–1836), a minister, and Susanna Friederike Bühl. Gymnasium in Coburg. Studies from 1822, first Theology, soon Oriental languages, at Halle and Leipzig. Ph.D. and PD…
DILLMANN, Christian Friedrich August. Illingen bei Maulbronn 25.4.1823 — Berlin 4.7.1894. German Semitic Scholar, famous Pioneer of Ethiopian Studies. Professor in Berlin. Son of Elias Dillmann (1794–1877), a school principal, and Christiana Louisa Wiemeg (1790–1835). Studied theology and philology at Tübingen, mainly under Ewald, but also Roth and Schleicher. Ph.D.…
DIETZ, Friedrich Reinhold. Königsberg 12.1.1805 — Königsberg 5.6.1836. German Physician and Philologist (Historian of Greek and Oriental Medicine). School and from 1823 studies of medicine and philology at Königsberg, Dr. med. there 1826. With a scholarship by the government travelled in France, Italy, England and Spain studying Greek, Arabic and…
DE VINCENTIS, Gherardo. 1845 — 19??. Italian Iranian (Persian) Scholar, also interested in Sanskrit. Professor of Persian at Regio Istituto Orientale di Napoli: incaricato 1878, eo. 1890, ord. 1904-07. Died before 1935. Publications: Il Gulistan, ossia il Roseto dello Scheich Sadi di Schiraz. Prima versione italiana … con commentario critico…
DELITZSCH, Friedrich Conrad Gerhard. Erlangen 3.9.1850 — Langenschwalbach (now Bad Schwalbach near Wiesbaden) 19.12.1922. German Assyriologist, started with Sanskrit. Professor in Leipzig, Breslau and Berlin. Son of the famous Old Testament scholar (Luth.) and Leipzig Professor Franz Delitzsch (1813–1890) and Clara Silber. In 1868-72 studied at Leipzig and Berlin Sanskrit…
DEKKER, Gerbrand Jan. Westzaan, North Holland 7.10.1882 — 1964. Dutch Orientalist and Scholar of Religion in Switzerland. Son of Klaas Dekker and Clazina Fortanier. Ph.D. Private scholar living in Meilen near Zürich. Married with Ellen. Publications: Die Rückwendung zum Mythos: Schellings letzte Wandlung. 220 p. Munich 1930. – “Der Kundalinī-Yoga.…
DEECKE, Ernst Georg Wilhelm. Lübeck 1.4.1831 — Strassburg (Strasbourg) 2.1.1897. German Linguist, Founder of Etruscology. Son of Konrektor Ernst Deecke (1805–1862) and Christine Müller (1805–1838). Gymnasium in Lübeck, studies of Classical and Comparative IE Philology at Leipzig and Berlin (under Bopp et al.). Ph.D. 1870 Leipzig. Taught at schools in…
CORBIN, Henry (born Henri Eugène Corbin). Paris 14.4.1903 — Paris 7.10.1978. French Philosopher, Theologian and Scholar of Iranian Religion and Islam. Son of Henri Arthur Corbin and Eugénie Fournier (d. 1903), grew up with an aunt. Born in a Protestant family, but had catholic education. Studied philosophy in Paris (degree…
CODRINGTON, Humphrey William. Hambleden, Buckinghamshire 25.9.1879 — Kensington, London 7.11.1942. British Scholar of Sri Lankan History and Ethnography. Son of the rear-admiral William Codrington (1832–1888) and Mary Auber Leach (1855–1930), educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford (B.A.). In 1903 joined Ceylon Civil Service. In WW I served in…