Sanskrit in scientific terminology

[pwyzlic]

On Thu, 12 Sep 1996, Paul Kiparsky wrote:

 
> This raises the question how much Sanskrit Mendeleev knew.  He taught
> at St. Petersburg.  Could someone tell me what Sanskritists were there
> in the 1860's?  When were Boethlingk and Roth there?

In 1845 Rudolf von Roth became a lecturer in Oriental philology in
Tuebingen, Germany; in 1856 he was appointed to the rang of a professor at
the same university. He died there in 1895. I do not know if he ever visited
Sankt Petersburg (probably not).

Boethlingk left Petersburg in the late sixties of the last century and
settled in Germany, at first in Jena and later in Leipzig (about 1885) where
he also died (1904). So far I know he never gave lectures. His post as
"academician" allowed research but did not involve teaching.

If Mendeleev attended Sanskrit lectures he perhaps heard Ivan Pavlovich
Minaev who was the Sanskritist at the university in Peterburg. Sorry, I have
not his exact dates at hand, I think he taught there from the 1860's on. Two
other names are coming to my mind: the first indologist in St. Petersburg
was probably Robert Lenz who died (28 years old) in 1836. Till 1852 the
German born Friedrich Bollensen was assistant professor there. He published
Kalidasa's Vikramorvasi in 1846 using materials collected by Robert Lenz.

The Russian Pavel Jakovlevich Petrov (1814-1875) taught Sanskrit in
Kazan and Moscow.  Perhaps he had no relation to the Peterburgian
intelligentsia.

\bye
--
Peter Wyzlic                          .................................
                                      ... fugit inreparabile tempus ...
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