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Gherardo Gnoli, 6 December 1937 In Memoriam Gherardo Gnoli was one of the most Gherardo Gnoli, important Iranists and historians of religion of his generation. He combined 6 December 1937- extraordinary scientific production with untiring attention to cultural politics, 7 March 2012 explicated through his vigorous direction of two important Italian cultural Carlo G. Cereti institutions, the Istituto Orientale di [email protected] Napoli (Oriental Institute of Naples [IUO]), now the Università degli Studi di Napoli “L’Orientale” [“The Oriental” Studies University of Naples]) and the Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (IsMEO) (Italian Institute for the Middle and Far East), which subsequently became the Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (IsIAO) (Italian Institute for Africa and the East). His vigorous intellectual curiosity set him on his course to carry out research with a deep interest in Christianity at its origin, which in his first years at university directed him toward learning Semitic languages (Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic), in addition to his profound and practical knowledge of classical languages and the ancient world. This gave rise to a special sensitivity toward intercultural processes which would accompany him throughout his life, marking his intellectual development. During his years at university, his interests gradually moved toward the Iranian world, to which he would dedicate the vast majority of his future research. Attending the courses of the Faculty of Letters at the La Sapienza University of Rome, he had the good fortune to be supervised by undisputed experts, including some who left an LIV Iran Nameh, Volume 28, Number 1, Spring 2013 indelible mark on his development. Of of Naples and was in charge of Iranian the Semitists, Giorgio Legi della Vida, studies, becoming full professor in 1968. who, at the time, had already retired, The first stages of his career took place certainly has to be remembered, as well at this university: he became director as Sabatino Moscati. Though pursuing in 1970 and then chancellor, a role he different aims, because of the role continued to fulfill until 1978. During he played in Italian and international these years, he designed and achieved Oriental studies, Gherardo Gnoli was a radical reform of this venerable nevertheless in some way Moscati’s institution and under his leadership it academic heir. As regards his Iranian was transformed from a single-faculty studies, he worked with the experts university that in some way was still Antonino Pagliaro, the well-known in line with the tradition of the original linguist and consummate scholar of Collegio de’ Cinesi, into a modern ancient Iran and its languages, and the university, organized into faculties and brilliant Alessandro Bausani, the great departments, yet continuing its tradition connoisseur of Iran and Islam. He also of humanist and social studies with a studied intensively with another eminent principal focus on Asian studies. In Orientalist of the period, Giuseppe 1993, he transferred to the Department Tucci. Previously the tutor of his brother, of Oriental Studies and the Faculty of Raniero Gnoli, this Orientalist from the Letters and Philosophy at the La Sapienza Italian Marches was the supervisor of the University of Rome and lectured until his young Gherardo’s thesis “Aspetti della retirement, whereupon he was appointed religiosità iranica e indiana riflessi nel emeritus professor. pantheon monetario Kuṣāṇa” (“Aspects of Indo-Iranian religiousness reflected in After his years at the Oriental, Gnoli the Kuṣhan monetary pantheon”), which was called upon to take on the mantle was discussed on March 16, 1962. His of Giuseppe Tucci at the IsMEO, collaboration with Tucci was to become where he was elected president in 1979 fruitful in the coming years, when Gnoli after a short hiatus during which the worked with him on archaeological management reins were held by Sabatino missions and scientific activities for the Moscati. While in perfect harmony with IsI MEO, which was then presided over Tucci, he was nevertheless able to adjust by Tucci, who later became its president the institute to changing times, supporting (1979–95), directing its merger with and broadening archaeological, linguistic, the Istituto Italo-Africano (IIA) (Italo- and anthropological research as well African Institute) to create the Istituto as, to a lesser extent, the institute’s Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente, of which sociological and political studies. This he was president from 1995 to 2011. took place at a point in history in which Asia attained an ever more central role Gherardo Gnoli had a dazzling academic in geopolitics, while the Middle East, career that led him to overseeing the Central Asia, and the Caucasus were modernization processes of the two involved in epoch-making changes. As prestigious Italian academic institutions often happens to scientific and cultural to which he dedicated his life. In 1965, institutions, the IsMEO underwent when he was only twenty-seven years periods of considrable economic old, he joined the University Institute difficulty and on several occasions LV it was feared the institute would be Of his many contributions and reference closed. During the most acute of these works, can be cited the articles he wrote crises, Gnoli, in agreement with Tullia for The Encyclopaedia of Religion, Carrettoni Romagnoli, conceived the idea edited by M. Eliade, those for the Lessico of merging the IsMEO with the IIA, an universale italiano, and those appearing operation that was certainly not devoid in the Dizionario delle religioni.1 Gnoli’s of difficulties and contraindications teaching helped a whole generation in view of the substantial, profound of scholars to understand fully the differences—one might even say international dimension required for alterity—in the activities of the two research. In fact, he never considered bodies, but that circumstances rendered his work to be limited to Italy or unavoidable. Nonetheless, in November Europe. On the contrary, building on the 1995 the Parliament of the Italian example of Tucci, who was the founder Republic approved the merger of the of the aptly named East and West, an two bodies, thus creating the IsIAO, English-language scientific journal, he of which Gnoli remained resident until immediately recognized the need for 2011, when he handed the reins over to a broader field, building up over the Marco Mancini. The last months in the years relations of reciprocal respect life of this illustrious Iranist, regretfully, and esteem with the principal scholars were saddened by the appointment of an of his area—active as much in Asia external commissioner and the risk of and North America as in Europe—to his beloved institute being closed down, whom he customarily sent his pupils something it is still hoped can be avoided. to open their minds to international debate. This relationship with Tucci also His activities, however, were not limited explains his participation in the scientific to these institutions and he was an committees of many collections and untiring promoter of many international journals (Res Orientales, Acta Iranica, projects. From 1981 to 1983 he chaired Silk Road Studies, Iranica Antiqua, the Steering Committee which created Studia Iranica, Mediterraneo Antico, the Societas Iranologica Europaea, an and Ancient Civilisations from Scythia to association whose registered offices Siberia). Furthermore, he was chairman are still at the IsIAO and that grouped of the editorial board of East and West together more than four hundred and director of some of the collections of the most respected specialists in published by the IsMEO\IsIAO (Serie Iranian studies, active in universities Orientale Roma, Reports and Memoirs, and scientific institutions all over the Repertoria ac Bibliographica, and Il world. Furthermore Gnoli was involved Nuovo Ramusio). He was also a member in and especially committed to the of numerous academies and some Encyclopaedia Iranica founded by Ehsan of the most prestigious international Yarshater, of whose advisory committee associations, including, in particular, the he was a founding member and to which Accademia dei Lincei, the Institut de his own contributions stood out because France, the academies of the sciences of their brilliance and in-depth analysis. in Russia and Hungary, the Accademia of Turin, the International Association 1G. Filoramo, ed., Dizionario delle religioni, Turin, Einaudi of Manichaean Studies, the Société 1993. Asiatique, the Ancient India and Iran LVI Iran Nameh, Volume 28, Number 1, Spring 2013 Trust, and the Italian Società di Storia region in Iranian religious history. The delle Religioni, of which he was president 1980s represented the period of greatest for many years. creativity by this Roman scholar with the publication of his monograph dedicated A variety of themes are intertwined and to the date and homeland of Zoroaster,4 are found in the research carried out by of the four lessons to the Collège de Gnoli, whose interests after his first period France,5 and finally of the fundamental at university focused on the history, essay on the genesis of the idea of Iran.6 religions, languages, and history of In Zoroaster’s Time and Homeland, thought of ancient and late antique Iran, Gnoli proposes dating Zoroaster to the with occasional nonsporadic digression turn of the first millennium BC, placing into the dominion of Semitic languages, his homeland in the Sistanic region, a his first academic love. Having started definition by which he meant an eastern to collaborate with the IsMEO, which Iranian area much larger than that known at the end of the 1950s had expanded its today as Sīstān. interests to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran, Gnoli dedicated his first monograph Gnoli possessed a strongly critical spirit to the publication of the Judaeo-Persian that was directed not only that of others plaques discovered in the Ġūr. This task, but also to his own work. One of the for which his preparation as a Semitist great lessons he taught us was having was a valuable advantage, was shared the courage to change one’s mind.
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