Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin
Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin (né Jacques Duchesne, born 21 April 1910 in Jupille and died 8 February 2012 in Liège) was a Belgian linguist, philologist, and orientalist who was professor at the University of Liège and specialized in ancient Iran. Duchesne-Guillemin began his teaching career with the untimely death of his collaborator and mentor at the University of Liège, Auguste Bricteux, in 1937, becoming a professor in 1943 and a full professor in 1964.
Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jacques Duchesne April 21, 1910 Jupille-sur-Meuse, Belgium |
| Died | February 8, 2012 (aged 101) Lièges, Belgium |
| Resting place | Cimetière de Robermont, Liège |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of Leuven |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Employer | University of Liège |
| Organization(s) | Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Association for the Advancement of Iranian Studies Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters |
| Notable work | Zoroastre (1948) La Religion de l’Iran Ancien (1962) |
| Spouse | Marcelle Duchesne-Guillemin |
| Awards | Prix de la langue française (1956) Honorary doctorate from the University of Tehran (1974) |
With the publication of his Zoroaster (a translation of the Gāthās of the Avesta, consisting of seventeen hymns attributed to Zoroaster) in 1948, Duchesne-Guillemin became one of the major figures in the study of the Avestan language of ancient Iran. At different times in his career, he lectured at Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California at Los Angeles. His 1962 La Religion de l’Iran Ancien is still considered a masterpiece and the best scholarly introduction to Zoroastrianism despite the decades of subsequent developments in the scholarship of the religion. His international reputation culminated in his appointment, in 1973, as editor of the series Acta Iranica.
In 1974, Duchesne-Guillemin was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Tehran.