Thomas van Erpe (Erpenius) was a Dutch scholar. He began studying Arabic at Leiden University, having already learned Hebrew. He then travelled around Europe, especially in Paris, to learn from those already proficient in the language. Developing a passion for the study of all languages, Erpenius argued that a comprehensive linguistic analysis was needed to find the connections between structures and scripts of all Eastern languages. To provide the material for that work, he acquired manuscripts sourced from East Africa to South-East Asia, via European merchants and scholars. He became the first Professor and Chair of Arabic Studies at Leiden in 1613. Courtesy of Leiden University