HAMMER-PURGSTALL, JOSEPH, FREIHERR voN (1774-1856), Austrian orientalist, was born at Graz on June 9, 1774. Entering the diplomatic service in 1796, he held a series of appointments in the Near East. He retired from the service in 1835, and died at Vienna on Nov. 23, 1856. For 5o years Hammer-Purgstall wrote incessantly on the most diverse subjects and published numerous texts and translations of Arabic, Persian and Turkish authors. He did for Germany the same work that Sir William Jones (q.v.) did for England and Silvestre de Sacy for France. He was an assiduous worker, and in spite of many faults did more for oriental studies than most of his critics put together. His principal work is his Geschichte des osmanischen Reiches (i o vols., Pesth, 18 2 7-3 5 ; French trans. 183 Among his other works are Gesch. der Assassinen (i 818 ; Eng. trans. 1835); Constantinopolis and der Bosporos (182 2) ; Sur les origines russes (St. Petersburg, 18 2 5) ; Geschichte der osmanischen Dichtkunst (1836) ; Geschichte der Goldenen Horde in Kipt schak (184o) ; Geschichte der Chane der Krim (1856) ; and an unfinished Literaturgeschichte der Araber (1850-56).
For a full list of his works, which amount in all to nearly too vol umes, including his texts and translations, see Comptes rendus of the Acad. des Inscr. et des Belles-Lettres (1857). See also Schlottman, Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall (Zurich, .