Origins & Early Life

Bedřich Hrozný (Czech pronunciation: [ˈbɛdr̝ɪx ˈɦrozniː] ; 6 May 1879 – 12 December 1952), also known as Friedrich Hrozny, was a Czech orientalist and linguist. He contributed to the decipherment of the ancient Hittite language, identified it as an Indo-European language, and laid the groundwork for the development of Hittitology. Hrozný was born in Lysá nad Labem, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary. In the town of Kolín he learned Hebrew and Arabic.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

At the University of Vienna, he studied Akkadian, Aramaic, Ethiopian, Sumerian and Sanskrit, as well as the cuneiform used in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia and Persia. He also studied orientalism at Humboldt University of Berlin. In 1905, following excavations in Palestine, he became professor at the University of Vienna. In 1906, at Hattusa (modern Boğazkale, about 200 km east of Ankara) a German expedition found the archives of the Hittite kings in cuneiform, but in an unknown language. While on active duty in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, Hrozný published in 1917 a description of the language showing that it belonged to the Indo-European family.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 1925 Hrozný led a Czechoslovak archaeological team that discovered...

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