Johann Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten

Who was Johann Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten?

Johann Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten was a German Orientalist born in Altenkirchen on the island of Rügen. He was the son of ecclesiastic Ludwig Gotthard Kosegarten.

He studied theology and philosophy at the University of Greifswald, and from 1812 studied Oriental languages in Paris. In 1815 he became an adjunct to the theological and philosophical faculty in Greifswald. From 1817 to 1824 he was a professor of Oriental languages at the University of Jena, and afterwards a professor at Greifswald.

Kosegarten is remembered for translation and edition of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit poems, songs, fables, et al. Among his better known work involved the Arab song collection- Kitab al-Aghani, the Hindu poem- Nala, the Persian fairy tale collection- Tuti Nameh and the Indian fable collection- Pantscha Tantra. He was also a specialist at deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

In 1856-57 Kosegarten wrote a two-volume work on the history of the University of Greifswald called Geschichte der Universität Greifswald. His handwritten notes and collection of German and Oriental works were bequeathed to the University of Greifswald.