Background
OL’DENBURG, Sergey was born on September 26, 1863 in village Byakini, now Chita Oblast.
OL’DENBURG, Sergey was born on September 26, 1863 in village Byakini, now Chita Oblast.
1885 graduate Oriental Languages Faculty, Saint St. Petersburg University. Attended lectures in England, France and Germany.
1889-1894 lecturer, from 1894 professor, Saint St. Petersburg (Leningrad) University. 1904-1929 secretary, Russian (Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics) Academy of Sciences. 1930-1934 director, Institute of Oriental Studies, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Academy of Sciences.
1917 Minister of Education, Provisional Government. Studied culture and religion of ancient and medieval India. 1894 published Buddiyskiye legendy (Buddhist Legends), the first of a series of his works on Indian lit and folklore.
1909-1910 and 1914-1915 directed archeological expeeditions in Eastern Turkestan (Sinkiang). Deciphered and published East Turkestani texts. Deciphered and published the most ancient Pracritic text — “Dhammapady na kharoshthi”.
Organized sci expeditions to Centr Asia and Tibet. 1897 sponsored in Saint St. Petersburg publ of international series of Buddhist texts involving the world’s major Orientologists — “Bibliotheca buddhica” (32 volume, 1897—1962).
Member, Ukraine Academy of Sciences from 1925.