[1] He obtained a PhD in 1860, having attended four universities - Bonn, Leipzig, Berlin and Halle - and in 1866 became an assistant librarian at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, England.
He stayed in that post until 1893, when he left to conduct a tour of north India, China, Japan and the United States before returning to Berlin to become privat-docent in Dravidian languages at the university.
[2] Oppert's significant writings are On the classification of languages (1879), On the weapons, army, organisation and Political Maxims of the ancient Hindoos (1880), Lists of Sanskrit manuscripts in Southern India (2 Vol.
[citation needed] In the last of these, Oppert used extensive philological research to support the idea of the Dravidians as the original inhabitants of India.
[citation needed] He edited the book entitled Ramarajiyamu or Narapativijayamu written in Telugu by Venkayya,[3] when he was working ay Presidency College.