Wilhelm Geiger

Wilhelm Ludwig Geiger (/ˈɡaɪɡər/; German: [ˈɡaɪɡɐ]; 21 July 1856 – 2 September 1943) was a German Orientalist in the fields of Indo-Iranian languages and the history of Iran and Sri Lanka.

He was born in Nuremberg, the son of an evangelical clergyman, and was educated especially at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg under the scholar Friedrich von Spiegel.

After completing his Ph.D. thesis in 1878, he became a lecturer on ancient Iranian and Indian philology and then a master at a gymnasium.

In 1891 he was offered a chair in Indo-European Comparative Philology at the University of Erlangen, succeeding Spiegel.

His first published works were on ancient Iranian history, archaeology and philology.