The Conquest of Assyria: Excavations in an Antique Land

BThe Conquest of Assyriavividly recounts the adventures of a group of rather unconventional people who, in the mid-nineteenth century, excavated the great cities and palaces of the Ancient Near East. Charting the early discoveries, this archaeological adventure is told in a series of close portraits of those involved. From the dramatic discoveries of colossal palaces to the triumphant decipherment of cuneiform, the opium smoking P. E. Botta and the restless romantic Austen Henry Layard were the principal characters. However, this volume also takes a look at the lesser known figures such as the learned soldier Colonel Rawlinson, the would-be Englishman and Christian Arab Hormuzd Rassam, and the Irish country parson, Edward Hincks. The lives and achievements of these people offer an unparalleled view of the intellectual and scientific establishment of the High Victorian period and the way in which the new discoveries were received. Based on substantial amounts of new research includingthe Layard papers and private correspondence, this volume evokes the spirit of the age in an extremely lively and highly readable way.