Fulgence Fresnel

Fulgence Fresnel ( born April 15, 1795 in Mathieu (Calvados ), France, † November 30, 1855 in Baghdad ) was a French orientalist and diplomat. He was the brother of the physicist Augustin Jean Fresnel.

He studied natural sciences, literature and languages, and translated several works by Berzelius, short stories by the German poet Ludwig Tieck and fragments of a Chinese novel ( fragment chinois, 1822-23 ) into French. In Paris he studied under Silvestre de Sacy; In 1826 he learned at the College of the Maronites in Rome the Arabic language.

In the 1830s he was appointed French consul in Jeddah. Here he became a spokesman facing local dialects and came up with the descendants of the Himyarite kingdom in contact. Fresnel is considered the first European who has translated himjarische old inscriptions.

In 1851 he was appointed head of a scientific expedition to Mesopotamia, on which he was accompanied by the Assyriologists Jules Oppert. As the expedition members were recalled in 1854 after Europe, Fresnel decided to stay in place. He died on November 30, 1855 in Baghdad.

Selected Works

  • Hoa tchou - onan ou le Livre mystérieux, 1822
  • Poésies du desert de Schanfara, 1834
  • Lettres sur l' histoire des Arabes avant l' islamisme, 1837
  • Explications d' inscriptions Himyarites, 1838, 1845
Julius Oppert Revue des Deux Mondes Integrated Authority File
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