LEPSIUS, KARL Men., a distinguished German investigator of Egyptian antiquities, was 1). at Naumburg, Dec. 20, 1813. His father, an advocate and magistrate there, was a zealous antiquary, and published many works on the antiquities of that part of Ger many. The younger Lepsius studied at Leipsic, Gottingen, Berlin, and Paris. His first work was his Die Paldographie ate Mittel der Sprachforschung (Berl. 1834), for which he obtained the Volney prize of the French institute. This was followed by works on the most ancient alphabets and other kindred subjects. In 1830 he associated himself inti mately with Bunsen at Rome, and eagerly prosecuted his favorite studies there. Between 1831 and 1842 he published his Lettre (I M. Rosellini stir l' Alphabet hieroglyphigua (Rome), and a number of dissertations on the monuments of Egyptian art and their general architectural style, which were inserted in the Transactions of the archaeological institute. He also applied himself to the study of the ancient Etrurian and Oscan languages, the remains of which he published in his Umbriem et Oscce (Leip. 1841), and other works. In 1842 be was placed at time head of an antiquarian expedition sent to Egypt by the king of Prussia, and on his return was appointed ordi nary professor in Berlin. His Denkindler aus Aegypten and Aethiopien (in folio, 1853-57),
a magnificent work, was published at the expense of the kin.. of Prussia. His Chro nologte der Aegypter, and Ueber den crsten Aeqypt. GoetterIcreis, raid the foundation for a scientific treatment of the earlier parts of Egyptian history. He has connected with the study of the more familiar departments of Egyptian archaeology the investicration of tne languages, history, and monuments of the regions further up the Nile. 'Other works are Driele aus Aegypten, Aethlopien, and der lIalbinsel des Sinai (1852); Ueber eimIgc Ergebnisse der Aegyptischen Den/emitter, etc. (1853); Das allgemeine linguistisae Alphabet (1855), on which Lepsius based his Standard Alphabet for Reducing Unwritten Languages and Foreign Graphic Systems to a Uniform Orthography in European Letters (1863); Die Alteigyptische Elle (1865); Die Metalle in den Aeg. Inschriften (1872). He has also written on Chinese, Arabic, and Assyrian philology.