classical scholar who contributed substantially to Greek dialectology and Homeric criticism.

After study under some of the most prominent language scholars of the 19th century, Bechtel became professor at the University of Halle (1895–1924) and published extensively. He collaborated with the German scholar August Fick on Die griechischen Personennamen nach ihrer Bildung erklärt (2nd ed., 1894; “Greek Personal Names as Explained by Their Formation”). With the German-American scholar Hermann Collitz he edited Sammlung der griechischen Dialektinschriften, 4 vol. (1884–1915; “Collection of Greek Dialect Inscriptions”). Die griechischen Dialekte, 3 vol. (1921–24; “The Greek Dialects”), was his last major work.