The Archæology of the Cuneiform Inscriptions
1908
In 1908, the decipherment of cuneiform was barely fifty years old. A.H. Sayce, one of the field's founding figures, captures the raw excitement of an intellectual revolution still in progress. This is not a textbook but a dispatch from the front lines of discovery, where scholars wrestled with wedge-shaped marks on clay tablets and slowly unlocked the histories of Babylon and Assyria. Sayce argues passionately for better archaeological excavation, lamenting that while inscriptions abound, the contextual artifacts that would illuminate them remain buried. His urgency feels startling today, knowing how much his field would grow. For anyone curious about how we came to know what we know about the ancient Near East, this is a front-row seat to the moment when the past was being rebuilt from broken pieces.
About The Archæology of the Cuneiform Inscriptions
Chapter Summaries
- I
- Chronicles the remarkable story of how cuneiform was deciphered, beginning with Grotefend's inspired guess about the names Darius and Xerxes, and continuing through the work of Burnouf, Lassen, Rawlinson, and Hincks. The chapter shows how this decipherment revealed multiple lost languages and civilizations.
- II
- Criticizes the unscientific nature of most Mesopotamian excavations and praises M. de Morgan's systematic work at Susa. Traces the development from neolithic pottery through copper to bronze age, arguing that bronze technology spread from Asia Minor eastward to Babylonia.
- III
- Reveals the revolutionary discovery that the first civilized inhabitants of Babylonia were not Semites but speakers of an agglutinative language called Sumerian. Describes their achievements in irrigation, city-building, and the invention of writing, and how they were gradually absorbed by Semitic peoples.
Key Themes
- Scientific Method and Discovery
- Sayce emphasizes how cuneiform decipherment exemplifies proper scientific methodology, beginning with Grotefend's educated guess and building through systematic verification and expansion. The work demonstrates how inductive reasoning and careful observation can unlock entirely lost worlds of knowledge.
- Cultural Transmission and Influence
- A central theme is how civilizations influence each other across time and space. Babylonian culture spread to Egypt, Palestine, and Asia Minor through conquest, trade, and cultural exchange, while the Sumerians provided the foundation for later Babylonian achievements.
- The Primacy of Archaeological Evidence
- Sayce repeatedly argues for the superiority of material archaeological evidence over purely literary sources. He criticizes excavations that ignore scientific methodology and emphasizes how pottery, seals, and other artifacts provide objective facts about ancient cultures.
Characters
- A. H. Sayce(protagonist)
- Professor of Assyriology at Oxford and the author of this scholarly work. He is a pioneering decipherer of cuneiform inscriptions and expert in ancient Near Eastern civilizations.
- Grotefend(major)
- German classical scholar who made the first breakthrough in deciphering cuneiform by identifying the names of Darius and Xerxes. His inspired guess opened the door to all subsequent cuneiform studies.
- Sir Henry Rawlinson(major)
- British officer and scholar who made crucial advances in cuneiform decipherment, particularly through his dangerous copying of the Behistun inscription. Known as one of the founding fathers of Assyriology.
- Dr. Hincks(major)
- Irish clergyman and brilliant decipherer who made numerous crucial discoveries, including the syllabic nature of Assyrian characters and the reading of biblical names like Jehu and Hazael.
- Sargon of Akkad(major)
- Ancient Semitic king who founded the first great empire extending from Babylonia to the Mediterranean around 3800 BC. Patron of literature and conqueror who spread Babylonian culture westward.
- Naram-Sin(major)
- Son of Sargon of Akkad who extended the Babylonian Empire into the Sinaitic peninsula and Cyprus. Known for his artistic patronage and military conquests.
