Niels Ludvig Westergaard

Niels Ludvig Westergaard (27 October 1815 – 9 September 1878) was a Danish Orientalist born in København. He was the father of economist Harald Westergaard (1853-1936).

Westergaard studied Old Norse and Sanskrit in Copenhagen, continuing his studies at the University of Bonn (1838 with Christian Lassen 1800–1876), and also in London (1839), Paris and Oxford. After returning to Denmark, he published "Radices linguae sanscritae".

From 1841 to 1844 he journeyed throughout India and Persia, where he conducted important investigations in Bombay and at Persepolis. In 1844 he began deciphering ancient Elamite cuneiform using the 3-way parallel text of the 6th cent. BC Behistun Inscription, finding 96 syllabic signs, 16 ideograms, and 5 determinants.

In 1845 he was appointed professor of Indo-Oriental philology at the University of Copenhagen.

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