Early Adventures in Persia, Susiana, and Babylonia 2 Volume Set

Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-94) was one of the leading British archaeologists of the Victorian period. His excavations at Nimrud and Nineveh led to important discoveries about ancient Mesopotamia, particularly about the Assyrian civilisation, and his popular books such as Nineveh and its Remains (1849) brought archaeology to a wide audience. This two-volume work, first published in 1887, tells the story of an 'adventurous journey' Layard had made over forty years earlier, in 1840-2. He learnt Arabic and Persian and travelled widely, even among tribal peoples notorious for their lawlessness. Volume 1 focuses on ancient sites and major cities, and the warm hospitality Layard experienced in the household of the Bakhtiyari chiefs. Volume 2 describes armed conflict between the Persian army and the tribes, and Layard's dangerous return journey via Basra and Baghdad to Constantinople.