David Marshall Lang
Encyclopedia
David Marshall Lang was a Professor
of Caucasian
Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London
. He was one of the most productive British
scholars who specialized in Georgian
, Armenia
n and ancient Bulgaria
n history.
David M. Lang was educated at Monkton Combe
and St John’s College
, Cambridge
where he was a Major Scholar and later held a Fellowship. In his military career he was an officer in Iran
during the Second World War. He was appointed in 1944 as acting Vice-Consul in Tabriz
, Iran, where he acquainted himself with the city's Armenian population. In 1949 he was the member of staff for the School of Oriental and African Studies
at University of London
. He began as Lecturer in Georgian language
, then as Reader and in 1964 he became Professor of Caucasian Studies. In 1953 he held a Senior Fellowship at the Russian Institute of Columbia University
and in 1965 he was a visiting Professor in Caucasian Studies at the University of California
, Los Angeles
. Between 1962 and 1964 he was Honorary Secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society
of London
. He visited the Soviet republic of Armenia three times during the 1960s and 1970s.
For a long time, he directed the Caucasian Studies Department at the University of London, and lectured in Caucasian languages and history at Cambridge and various universities around the world.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He was one of the most productive British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
scholars who specialized in Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n and ancient Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n history.
David M. Lang was educated at Monkton Combe
Monkton Combe
Monkton Combe is a village and civil parish in north Somerset, England, south of Bath. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Tucking Mill, has a population of 356.-History:Monkton Combe was part of the hundred of Bath Forum.According to Rev...
and St John’s College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
where he was a Major Scholar and later held a Fellowship. In his military career he was an officer in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
during the Second World War. He was appointed in 1944 as acting Vice-Consul in Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
, Iran, where he acquainted himself with the city's Armenian population. In 1949 he was the member of staff for the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
at University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He began as Lecturer in Georgian language
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
, then as Reader and in 1964 he became Professor of Caucasian Studies. In 1953 he held a Senior Fellowship at the Russian Institute of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and in 1965 he was a visiting Professor in Caucasian Studies at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Between 1962 and 1964 he was Honorary Secretary of the Royal Asiatic Society
Royal Asiatic Society
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established, according to its Royal Charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia." From its incorporation the Society...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He visited the Soviet republic of Armenia three times during the 1960s and 1970s.
For a long time, he directed the Caucasian Studies Department at the University of London, and lectured in Caucasian languages and history at Cambridge and various universities around the world.
Notable work
- The Last Years of the Georgian Monarchy, 1658-1832 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1957)
- First Russian Radical, Alexander Radischev, 1749-1802 (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1959)
- A Modern History of Georgia (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1962)
- The Georgians (New York: Praeger, 1966)
- Armenia: Cradle of Civilization (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1970)
- Peoples of the Hills: Ancient Ararat and Caucasus by Charles Allen Burney and D.M. Lang (London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971)
- Bulgarians: From Pagan Times to the Ottoman Conquest (London: Thames and Hudson, 1976)
- Lives and Legends of the Georgian Saints (New York: Crestwood, 1976)
- The Armenians: A People in Exile (London: Allen and Unwin, 1981)
- Armenia and Karabagh: the Struggle for Unity (London: Minority Rights Group, 1991)
See also
- Kartvelian studiesKartvelian studiesThe Kartvelian studies, or Kartvelology is a field of humanities covering Kartvelian history, languages, religion and/or culture....