Simeon Assemani
Grand-nephew of the first and second Assemanis, b. 1752, in Tripoli,
Syria;
d. at
Padua,
Italy,
1821. He made his
theological
studies in
Rome,
and at the age of twenty-six visited
Syria
and
Egypt.
In 1778 he returned to
Rome,
and then went to
Genoa,
with the intention of going to America, but he was prevented. In 1785 he
was appointed professor of Oriental languages at the
seminary
of Padua, and in 1807 was transferred to the University of the same city
to fill the same chair. He had many admirers and friends, such as
Cardinal Borgia,
the founder of the Museo Borgiano at the College of the
Propaganda,
in
Rome,
the
French
Orientalist
Silvestre de Sacy and others. His works are: (1) "Saggio storico sull'
origine, culto, letteratura, e costumi degli Arabi avanti Maometto"
(Padua, 1787) (2) "Museo Cufico Naniano, illustrato," in two parts
(Padua, 1787-88) (3) "Catalogo dei codici manoscritti orientali della
biblioteca Naniana," in two parts (Padua, 1787-92) (4) "Globus coelestis
arabico-cuficus Veliterni musei Borgiani. . .illustratus, praemissa de
Arabum astronomia dissertatione" (Padua, 1790) (5) "Se gli Arabi ebbero
alcuna influenza sull' origine della poesia moderna in Europa?" (1807)
(6) "Sopra le monete Arabe effigiate" (Padua, 1809). |
