Quotes:Seyffarth, Gustav

Zirkoff, Boris

Seyffarth, Gustav. German Egyptologist, b. at Uebigan, near Weissenfels, Saxony, July 13, 1796; d. at Leipzig, 1860. Studied at Leipzig philology and theology, since 1815, and settled there in 1823 as privat-docent in archaeology. Ass. prof., 1825, and reg. prof., 1836. First he worked on Greek vowels, later devoting himself to Egyptology. Continued the work of Spohn, after the latter’s death. Travelled for three years at the expense of the government of Saxony, visitingEgyptological collections at Münich, Berlin, Rome, London, Paris, Turin, Naples, bringing back innumerable drawings and reproductions of Egyptian monuments, which served as material for his works. His theory was that every hieroglyph expresses mainly the consonants of the word which it represents. Seyffarth engaged in lively controversies with Cham- pollion the Younger.

Works: Rudimenta hieroglyphicos. Leipzig: Barth, 1826, 4to.— Die Grundsätze der Mythologie und der alten Religionsgeschichte. Ibid., 1843.—Chronologia Sacra. Ibid., 1846 (concerned with the birthdate of Jesus).—Grammatica egyptica. Gotha: F. A. Perthes, 1855.—Theologische Schriften der alten Aegypter. Gotha: Perthes, 1855 (contains transl. of important Turin papyrus).

Source: Boris de Zirkoff, «H. P. Blavatsky Collected Writings», vol. 7, p. 394