Henry Rawlinson

Sir Henry Rawlinson (born on April 11th 1810 and dead on March 5th 1895) is a Militaire, Diplomate and Orientaliste - Assyriologue British. It is sometimes called “father of the Assyriologie”.

Biography

First contacts with the wedge-shaped writing

Henry Rawlinson was born with Chadlington, in the Oxfordshire. In 1827, it leaves in India as a Cadet by the English Compagnie by the Eastern Indies. After 6 years of regiment, during which he learns the Perse, he is posted in Persia with other officers to reorganize the army of the Shah. It is at that time that it starts to be interested in the ancient inscriptions, particularly with those in wedge-shaped writing, then undeciphered. During the two years or it is on the spot, it transcribes as much as possible great inscription of Behistun. This one, trilingual, date of, reign of Darius the Large one. Frictions between the governments Persian and British involves the departure of the officers.

The inscription of Behistun

In 1840, Rawlinson is named political agent with Kandahar. It there remains during three years and is decorated in 1844 for its services during the Afghan wars. It is then named political agent in Othoman Arabia. It settles with Baghdad, or it is devoted to the study of the wedge-shaped writings. He arrives, at the considerable prices of difficulties and sometimes with the danger of his life, to completely retranscribe the Inscription of Behistun, which he deciphers and interprets. Having joined together a great number of priceless information in addition to to have acquired a great geographical knowledge during its explorations (of which the visit of Sir Austen Henry Layard with the ruins of Ninive), it turns over to England, leave, 1849.

Excavations of Babylon

Rawlinson remains 2 years in England, publishing its memories on the Inscription of Behistun in 1851. It is promoted lieutenant-colonel. It pours its collection of Babylonian antiquities, sabéennes and sassanides with the British Museum, which pays a large sum to him to enable him to continue the excavations engaged in Assyrie and with Babylon by Layard.

In 1851, it turns over to Baghdad. The excavations are carried out under its direction successfully, most important discovered being elements allowing the transcription and final translation of the wedge-shaped characters. Its essential discovery was to understand that the individual signs have several interpretations according to their context (Meyer 154).

An accident of horsemanship in 1855 haste its decision to turn over in England, and it leaves its post office with the English Compagnie of the Eastern Indies in the same year. It is named on its honorary directing return of the Company.

Opinions and works

The 40 last years of its life will be full with political activities, diplomatic and scientific, mainly with London. In 1858, he is member of the first Conseil of India, but in 1859 leaves it, being sent in Perse as an ambassador plenipotentiary. There remains only one year, dissatisfied by the context surrounding its station. It turns over to the Conseil of India in 1868. He is a keen defender of a strategy engaged in Afghanistan, and advises the maintenance of troops with Kandahar. He is also one of those which announced the Russian ambitions in South Asia. It advanced that Russia Tsariste would attack and take Khokand, Bokhara and Khiva (what it made), would invade Perse and Afghanistan like springboards towards British India (Meyer 154).

He marries Louisa Caroline Harcourt Seymour in September 1862, with which he has two wire. He is widowed in 1889 and dies in London 6 years later.

Its works published include 4 volumes of wedge-shaped inscriptions, published under its direction between 1870 and 1884 by British Museum: the Persian wedge-shaped Inscription with Behistun (1846-51), a History of Assyrie (1852), Comments on the wedge-shaped Inscriptions of Babylon and Assyrie (1850), Notes on the Old story of Babylon (1854), England and Russia in the East (1875).

Readings ( in )

Adkins, Lesley. Empires off the Lime pit: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages off Babylon . London: HarperCollins, 2003 (hardcover, ISBN 0-00-712899-1); 2004 (paperback, ISBN 0-00-712900-9).
Meyer, Karl Ernest; Brysac, Shareen Blair. Tournament off Shadows: The Great Range And the Race for Empire in Exchange Asia . New York
Rawlinson, George. has off Memoir Major-General Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (Elibron Classics). London: Adamant Media Corporation, 2005 (hardcover, ISBN 1-4212-8893-1; paperback, ISBN 1-4021-8331-3).

See too

Inscription of Behistun

External bond

Deciphering of the writing cuniforme

Sources

This article is a translation partial of the article of anglophone Wikipédia and contains extracts of the Encyclopædia Britannica , 11th edition, publication in the public domain.

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