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 Briggs and Martha Pybus (died 1788/89), came to England 1789. Educated at Eton 1794-99. From 1801 in Madras infantry, participated in both Maratha wars. In 1810 in…
BRIGGS, Henry George. Bombay 20.10.1824 — Bombay 4.7.1872. British Merchant, Traveller, and Orientalist. Son of Henry Briggs. In 1843 travelled in South Africa, in 1845 in China. In 1846 settled at the office of Briggs & Co. in Bombay. For a while lived in Karachi (1854/55), then from 1856 Assistant…
BORÉ, Eugène. Angers 15.8.1809 — Paris 3.5.1878. French Orientalist, especially Armenian Scholar. Son of an official who died in 1812, educated in Angers and Paris, then studied languages: Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Persian, Hebrew, Syriac and in 1833 Sanskrit. In 1837 he headed the Iranian expedition of the A.I.B.L., also advanced…
BOISEN, Lars Nannestad. Vesterborg, Lolland 8.2.1803 — Ibid. 22.4.1875. Danish Priest and Theologian interested in Sanskrit and Oriental Studies. Bishop of Vesterborg-Birket. Son of Peter Outzen B. (1762–1831), the bishop of Vesterborg, and Anna Nannestad (1775–1853). Educated by his father and in 1817-19 at Nykøbing school. From 1819 studies of…
BOHLEN, Peter von. Wüppels, Jeverland 13.3.1796 — Halle 6.2.1840. German Indologist and Orientalist. Professor in Königsberg. Son of a poor farmer, Christian B., belonging to an old Pomoranian noble family, and Frauke Margaretha Ocken. Parents died early and he had a checquered life. He took up the old title of…
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 Bl., educated in Dresden, studies at Leipzig (Arabic under Fleischer) and Paris. In order to be able to go to India he joined the…
BLOCHET, Gabriel Joseph Edgar. Bourges 12.12.1870 — Paris 5.9.1937. French Oriental (Arabic and Iranian) Scholar and Historian of Religions. After studies in Paris (i.al. ancient Iranian under Darmesteter at É.P.H.É. and Arabic at É.L.O.V.), from 1895 Assistant, then Librarian in Manuscript Department of Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, retired as conservateur-adjoint…
BLOCH, Alfred. Basel 18.4.1915 — Basel 11.7.1983. Swiss Indologist, IE and Semitic Scholar. Professor in Basel. Born in Jewish family, son of engineer Max Bloch and Suzanne Weil. Studies of comparative linguistics, Greek, and Semitics at Basel in 1933-39. Ph.D. 1939 Basel. From 1942 PD at Basel, then 1949 Lehrbeauftr.…
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 Bl. and Charlotte Goodman. Studies at University College, London. First employed in British Museum. During the Crimean…
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 Prussian…