Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon

This book on Henry Rawlinson will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the fascinating history of the decipherment of ancient texts. Its hallmark is that it is well researched, and like all Lesley Adkin's books, nicely written. The book traces his life through his diaries and letters as a youth during the time he was most passionate about understanding the lost languages of Babylon. I had heard of Rawlinson prior to reading this book, mainly as a result of his time as president of the the Royal Geographic Society, but this biography is very illuminating regarding his contribution to the deciperment of oriental languages. What I liked most about the early sections of the book was the very personal nature of the letters he wrote home during his lonely time in Middle East. In his later life, as a major, he was caught up in the fighting and turmoil of the middle east - something not lost on us today. If you are interested in this book you should also have a look at Lesley's other book (co written with her husband) on decipherment, The Keys of Egypt.

This book tells the story of Henry Rawlinson -- British soldier, diplomat, and amateur linguist in the 1820s, '30s, and '40s. His stomping ground: Persia and what is now Iraq. His principal claim to fame is the decipherment of cuneiform, giving us the ability to read for the first time texts that were between 2500 and 4000 years old. In this endeavor he was entirely self-taught, virtually cut off from potential colleagues in Britain and on the continent, and working under the most hostile conditions imaginable. To decipher cuneiform, he had to first acquire samples of ancient text -- which in one especially important instance meant clinging to a cliff-face hundreds of feet off the ground and laboriously copying the strange script into a notebook. The book itself is well written, well illustrated with drawings and photographs, and filled with stories of Rawlinson's contemporaries -- including real heroes, like Henry Layard, who excavated Nineveh and Babylon, and not a few semi-villains. All in all, an amazing story and a terrific book.