Benno Landsberger (21 April 1890 – 26 April 1968) was a German

Assyriologist Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , ''-logia'') is the archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (a region that encompassed what is now modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, sout ...

Early life and education

He was born on 21 April 1890 in Friedek, then part of

Austrian Silesia Austrian Silesia, (historically also ''Oesterreichisch-Schlesien, Oesterreichisch Schlesien, österreichisch Schlesien''); cs, Rakouské Slezsko; pl, Śląsk Austriacki officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia, (historically ''Herzogth ...

, and from 1908 studied Oriental Studies at

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

. Amongst his teachers were August Fischer in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and Heinrich Zimmern in

Assyriology Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , '' -logia'') is the archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (a region that encompassed what is now modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, southe ...

. In 1914 Landsberger joined the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

, where he fought with distinction on the Eastern Front, winning a golden Distinguished Service Cross. He returned to Leipzig after the war and was appointed to the position of 'extraordinary professor" in 1926. In 1928 he was appointed successor to Peter Jensen at

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximat ...

, but returned to Leipzig in 1929 as Zimmern's successor.

Later career

Landsberger was dismissed as a result of the Nazi-era

Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Hitler Service (german: Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums, shortened to ''Berufsbeamtengesetz''), also known as Civil Service Law, Civil Service Restoration Act, and Law to Re-es ...

which excluded

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

from government employment. Landsberger accepted a post at the new Turkish University of Ankara, working especially in the area of languages, history and geography. After 1945 he was appointed to the Oriental Institute of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where he worked until 1955. During this period he became a naturalized American citizen. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

in 1959. Landsberger was an eminent and groundbreaking scholar, editing many important lexical texts and conducting fundamental linguistic studies. He passed on a Germanic academic tradition that continues today in many countries via his students. He was also known for particularly black humor and a love of cigars and beer.

Works

* ''The ritual calendar of Babylonia and Assyria'' Leipzig 1914 (thesis) Leipzig Semitic Studies Bd 6, H, 1 February 1915
"Der 'Ventiv' des Akkadischen" Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 35: 113–23 1924
* ''Über die Völker Vorderasiens im dritten Jahrtausend'' Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 35: 213–44 1924 * ''Assyrische Handelskolonien in Kleinasien aus dem dritten Jahrtausend'' (Assyrian Commercial Colonies in Asia Minor from the Third Millennium) Leipzig 1925 (Der Alte Orient, Bd. 24. H. 4) * ''Materialen zum sumerischen Lexikon'' (Materials for the Sumerian Lexicon, ed. with others) Rome 1937- * ''The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago'' (ed. with others) Chicago 1956-

References

* https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd116681888.html#ndbcontent 1890 births 1968 deaths Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany 20th-century Austrian people German Assyriologists Austrian Assyriologists Jewish orientalists Silesian Jews American people of Czech-Jewish descent German expatriates in Turkey German emigrants to the United States People from Frýdek-Místek German male non-fiction writers Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy Austro-Hungarian Army officers {{Germany-linguist-stub Members of the American Philosophical Society