The Conquest of Assyria: Excavations in an Antique Land - Hardcover

Larsen, Mogens Trolle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 041514356X ISBN 13: 9780415143561

Publisher: Routledge, 1996

Synopsis

The Conquest of Assyria tells what must surely be one of the most romantic tales of archaeological endeavour. The great cities and ancient palaces of Mesopotamia had lain buried for over two millenia, and were all but forgotten, half remembered in the Hebrew Bible and Classical texts. This volume records the dramatic finds, the decipherment of the cuneiform system of writing and the rediscovery of a lost civilisation.

About this title

About the Author

Mogens Trolle Larsen

Reviews

Danish scholar Larsen has written a vivid narrative about the lives and activities of the creators of Assyrian archaeology. A prevailing preoccupation with biblical sites by 19th-century Europeans inspired a group of adventurous individuals, beginning in the 1840s, to excavate the ancient cities of the Middle East. The central character of this narrative is a young English Romantic, Austen Henry Layard, who becomes obsessed with the idea of uncovering the ruins of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians. As Layard was preparing his dig at a site he believed to be Nineveh, an English officer in the area, Henry Rawlinson, was deciphering cuneiform, the writing system of the Assyrians. Layard and Rawlinson struck up one of the most productive archaeological partnerships in history, destined to uncover the remains of an ancient civilization and, by the decipherment of cuneiform, give it back its voice. Larsen's fascinating study should appeal to anyone with an interest in archaeology and ancient history. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.?Robert J. Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 041514356X
• ISBN 13: 9780415143561
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416