In Stein gemeisselte Geschichte(n): Nikolaus Rhodokanakis (1876‒1945), Pionier der Altsüdarabistik

The comprehensive biography of Rhodokanakis tells us about his life and exposes what previously was unknown. His scientific work and career are examined and an attempt is made to trace the person behind the scholar and teacher. The biography exposes his enormous contribution for the historical and cultural-historical sciences and especially his role as a founding figure of Ancient South Arabian studies. With the decipherment of the ancient South Arabian inscriptions and the methodology that he developed for this study, as well as the decoding of several of their main texts, he created the basis for their further study. He was extensively concerned in establishing Sabaean Studies beyond the University of Graz, also in the international academic framework. He inspired numerous students for this highly complex field of research. Under his guidance, they acquired substantial knowledge, later expanded his research and brought it to new heights. Rhodokanakis, together with Maria Höfner and Karl Mlaker, thus prepared the ancient Sabean indexing of a large part of the inscriptions that Eduard Glaser brought to Vienna from Yemen. The Austrian tradition of the research on ancient South Arabia was further developed in the first half of the 20th century as a highly specialized Semitic-philological expertise in combination with solid interdisciplinary specialist skills and thereby acquired a great international acknowledgment. This fact is primarily due to this cultivated leading researcher.