Theodor Nöldeke's Geschichte der Perser und Araber sur Zeit der Sasaniden is one of the masterpieces of “the greatest Semitist of his own time and, perhaps, of all times.” It treats a section of the Tärīkh (History) of Tabari, Nöldeke's counterpart in medieval Islamic times—the two representing the ripest fruits of two great periods of scholarship and learning, nineteenth-century Germany and ninth-tenth-century Baghdad. The careers of the two men present certain similarities: both were child prodigies, they traveled far and wide for their education, were extremely prolific and versatile, and their longevity was as remarkable as their scholarly contribution was durable.