William Jones

About

Philologist and expert on ancient India who founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal, known for proposing a link among Indo-European languages.

Before Fame

He was a prodigy who learned Greek, Latin, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chinese at an early age.

Trivia

At age 17 he wrote the famous poem Caissa, which told a mythical story about the origins of chess.

Family Life

His father was a mathematician.

Associated With

He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1764.