Leo Reinisch

Simon Leo Reinisch
Simon Leo Reinisch
	Reinisch in 1874
Born	October 26, 1832; Osterwitz, Austria
Died	December 24, 1919 (aged 87); Maria Lankowitz, Austria
Occupations	linguist; Egyptologist; Africanist; professor;
Known for	Considered the founder of Egyptology and African Studies in Austria

Simon Leo Reinisch or just Leo Reinisch (26 October 1832 in Osterwitz – 24 December 1919 in Maria Lankowitz) was an Austrian linguist, Egyptologist, Africanist and professor at the University of Vienna.^[1]^[2]

Biography

In 1854 Reinisch began studying history, philology, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Arabic and Coptic at the University of Vienna. In 1873, the same university granted him a full professorship in Egyptian antiquity (Ägyptische Altertumskunde), the first chair for Egyptology in Austria.^[1] He also worked as the personal secretary to the Kaiser in Mexico.^[2]

Legacy

16 years after Reinisch's death, the Reinischgasse street in Vienna-Döbling was named after him.^[1]

Publications

Reinisch has published collections of texts, grammars and dictionaries on over 20 different languages. These are some of his most important works:^[1]

Die ägyptischen Denkmäler in Miramar, 1865. (co-written with E. Robert Roesler)
Die zweisprachige Inschrift von Tanis, 1866. (co-written with E. Robert Roesler)
Der einheitliche Ursprung der Sprachen in der Alten Welt, 1873.
Ägyptische Chrestomathie, 2 volumes, 1873/75.
Die Barea-Sprache, 1874.
Die Sprachen von Nordost-Afrika, 3 volumes, 1874–1879.
Die Sprache der Irob-Saho in Abessinien, 1878.
Die Nuba-Sprache, 2 volumes, 1879.
Die Afar-Sprache, 3 volumes, 1886–1887.
Die Bilin-Sprache, 2 volumes, 1887.
Die Kafa-Sprache in Nordost-Afrika, 2 volumes, 1888.
Das Zahlwort vier und neun in den Chamitisch-Semitischen Sprachen, 1890.
Die Saho-Sprache, 2 volumes, 1890.
Die Bedauye-Sprache in Nordost-Afrika, 3 volumes, 1893–1895..
Die Somali-Sprache, 2 volumes, 1900/02.
Das persönliche Fürwort und die Verbalflexion in den Chamito-Semitischen Sprachen, 1909.
Die sprachliche Stellung des Nuba, 1911.

Gallery

Reinisch with his first wife Luise, 1887
Reinisch with his servant Jusuf
Reinisch (on the right) with Robert Roesler
Reinisch with a dog
Reinisch's Handwritten studies on hieroglyphs
Reinisch's handwritten studies on hieroglyphs in an Egyptian royal tomb 1
Reinisch's handwritten studies on hieroglyphs in an Egyptian royal tomb 2
Reinisch's gravestone on the church wall of Maria Lankowitz
Reinisch's Medal of Honor for his 70th birthday (from the Academy of Sciences (front)
Reinisch in 1878