SPIEGEL, Friedrich von

Born in Kitzingen, in 1839 he entered the University of Erlangen to study theology , but soon thanks to his acquaintance with the poet and orientalist Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866), who aroused his interest in New Persian literature in general and in Iran in particular, he focused on oriental studies. Then, Spiegel continued his studies at the universities of Leipzig (with Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer and German Brockhaus ) and Bonn (with Christian Lassen and Johann Guildemeister ). Thanks to the latter, he met the Pali ; using a copy of one Parisian manuscript made by Lassen, the future orientalist published in 1841 the original text of Kammavachi , a code of practice for Buddhist monks , and a translation into Latin of the first five chapters of this text. Thanks to this, he was able to graduate from Jena University in November 1842. Then, Spiegel spent several years in the libraries of Copenhagen , Paris , London and Oxford ; From 1849 to 1890, he was a professor of oriental languages ​​at the University of Erlangen.

The publication of Kammavachi and Anecdota Palica (1845), which were the result of a Pali scholar's research, made a significant contribution to the study of southern Buddhism. Soon, the scientist showed interest in Zoroastrianism and the Avesta . So, since 1851, Spiegel began to publish in parts a two-volume critical edition of Avestan texts along with their translation into Pahlavi (1853-1858) and a three-volume translation of these texts into German (1852-1853), which over time was supplemented by a commentary (1865-1869). A number of works on Persian topics were also published, such as grammars of the ancient Persian and Avestian languages . This was followed by valuable works on linguistics and archeology, such as Die altpersischen Keilinschriften (1862), Erân (1863), Erânische Altertumskunde (1871-78), Vergleichende Grammatik der alterânischen Sprachen (1882) and Die arische Periode und ihre Zendier (1882).

Spiegel passed his scientific interest in the Avesta and the Pali Canon to his students. One of the worthy successors of this trend was Professor Wilhelm Geiger (1856-1943).

Since 1870 - corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences ^[2] .

• Kammavâkya (Bonn, 1841)
• Anecdota palica (Leipzig, 1845)
• Kommentar über das Avesta (Leipzig, 1865-69, 2 vols.)
• Grammatik der altbaktrischen Sprache (Leipzig, 1867)
• Chrestomathia persica (Leipzig, 1845)
• Grammatik der Pârsisprache (Leipzig, 1851)
• Einleitung in die traditionellen Schriften der Parsen (Leipzig, 1856-60, 2 vols.)
• Die altpersischen Keilinschriften im Grundtext, mit Übersetzung, Grammatik und Glossar (Leipzig, 1862, 2nd ed. 1881)
• Erân, das Land zwischen dem Indus und Tigris (Berlin, 1863)
• Arische Studien (Leipzig, 1873)
• Erânischen Altertumskunde (Leipzig, 1871-78, 3 vols.)
• Vergleichende Grammatik der alterânischen Sprachen (Leipzig, 1882)
• Die arische Periode und ihre Zustände (Leipzig, 1887)

• Spiegel, Friedrich von // The New International Encyclopædia, 1905
• Spiegel, Friedrich // The American Cyclopædia, 1879
• Rüdiger Schmitt. SPIEGEL, FRIEDRICH (VON ) (inaccessible link) . Encyclopædia Iranica (July 20, 2002). Date of treatment December 20, 2012. Archived November 17, 2012.

• Spiegel, Friedrich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Profile of Ludwig Friedrich Ernst Spiegel on the official website of the RAS