Weber was born in
Breslau, where his father Friedrich Benedict Weber was a professor of
political economy. The Protestant family had roots in
Schleusingen, where their ancestors had held clerical posts. Weber studied Greek, Latin and Hebrew in
Thüringen. He then sought to become a historian and went to the
University of Breslau. He studied Arabic under
Hinrich Middeldorpf and Sanskrit under
Adolf Friedrich Stenzler (1807–1887). In 1844, he spent two semester in
Bonn attending classes under
Christian Lassen and
Johannes Gildemeister. At Stenzler's suggestion, he studied the
Yajurveda, examining the ninth chapter of the
Vâjasaneyi-Samhitâ from a copy in London. He also spent some time in 1845 in Berlin studying under
Franz Bopp,
H. J. Petermann,
Wilhelm Schott, M. G. Schwanze,
August Boeckh,
Theodor Aufrecht,
Adalbert Kuhn,
Rudolf Roth and
Karl Lachmann. He wrote his thesis in Latin in 1845. In 1846, he visited England and France in connection with his studies and in the same winter his mother Ida Jähne died. On his return to Germany, he went to the
University of Berlin, where he became
privatdocent in 1848, and in 1856 became an adjunct professor of the language and literature of
ancient India. In 1867, he was made full professor. He was a member of the
Academy of Sciences of Berlin, and was the author of many books and periodical contributions on classical subjects. He was a close friend of
Max Müller.
Johannes Klatt was among his students. Weber might be one of the earliest Indologists who emphasized the social
philosophy of Buddhism. In his opinion, "
Buddhism is, in its origin, one of the most magnificent and radical reactions in favour of the universal human rights of the individual against the oppressing tyranny of the pretended privileges of divine origin, of birth, and of class." Weber was specifically against the caste privileges of the Brahmins. Weber married Emma Frederike Althauss in 1849. They had six children, three dying young in Berlin. Weber grew blind in his later years and died in 1901 in Berlin. ==Works==