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 N., and Eleonore Gericke. Taught by father at home until 16, then at Elbing Gymnasium. From 1831 he studied mathematics at…
MÜLLER, Karl Otfried. Brieg, Silesia (now Brzeg in Poland) 28.8.1797 — Athens 1.8.1840. German Philologist. Professor in Göttingen. Son of Karl Daniel Müller (1773–1858), a chaplain of Prussian army, and Juliane Linke (1774–1858). After gymnasium in Brieg studies from 1814 at Breslau: classical philology, philosophy, history, Hebrew, Syriac, etc. From…
MORDTMANN, Andreas David. Hamburg 11.2.1811 — Constantinople 30.12.1879. German Diplomat, Oriental Scholar and Epigraphist. Lived in Constantinople from 1845. Son of Jens M. (1786-1829), worker and shopkeeper, and Anna Peiniger (1794-1813). Educated at Johanneum in Hamburg. Lost early his parents and had to earn his living by giving private lessons…
MARSDEN, William. Verval, county Wicklow, Ireland 16.11.1754 — Aldenham, Herefordshire 6.10.1836. British Pioneer of South-East Asian Studies and Numismatician. Son of John M., an English merchant in Dublin, and Eleanor Bagnall. “Educated at Dublin schools, went out as a writer in the E. I. Co.’s service to Bencoolen in Sumatra,…
LEWIS, James (pseudonym Charles Masson). Aldermanbury (London) 16.2.1800 — Edmonton, Middlesex 5.11.1853. British pioneer of Archæology in Afghanistan. Son of oil dealer George Lewis and Mary Hopcraft, apparently had a good education. Served in E. I. Company’s army, from 1821 in Bengal Artillery, soon after participation in the siege of…
LASSEN, Christian. Bergen 22.10.1800 — Bonn 8.5.1876. Norwegian Indologist in Germany. Professor in Bonn. Son of Nicolai Christian Vendelboe L. (1748–1818), a lawyer, and Frederikke Elisabeth Frisch (1761–1830). Matriculated 1818 from Bergen school and after his father’s death went in 1819 with his mother to his married sister living in…
LAIDLAY, John Watson. Glasgow 27.3.1808 — 8.3.1885. British (Scottish) Archaeologist and Numismatist in India. Son of John L., a businessman, and Elizabeth Watson, educated in London. Studied chemistry under Faraday, then, for India, Hindustani in London under Gilchrist. At 17 in 1825 went to India, employed in the mercantile house…
KRAAY, Colin Mackennal. London-Hampstead 23.3.1918 — Oxford 27.1.1982. British Numismatician, interested in Greek and Indo-Greek Numismatics. Son of rubber merchant Caspar Alexander Kraay (of Dutch origin) and Henrietta Agnes Mackennal. After Lancing College studied from 1937 at Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1939 participated in excavations at Mycene. War service 1940-45…
KING, Lucas White. Madras 28.9.1856 — Craig Veigh (or Aboyne), Deeside 23.8.1925. Sir. British (Anglo-Irish) Civil Servant in India, Oriental Scholar, Historian and Numismatist. Professor in Dublin. Son of Deputy Surgeon-General Henry King and Sophie Eccleston. Sent to Ireland in 1864, educated at Ennis College and Dublin University. B.A. &…
HULTZSCH, Eugen Julius Theodor. Dresden 29.3.1857 — Halle 16.1.1927. German Indologist and Epigraphist. Twenty years in India, then Professor in Halle. Son of Theodor H., a businessman, and Anna Greif, nephew of philologist Friedrich H. Educated in Dresden, from 1874 studied classical and Oriental languages (Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic) at…