Assyriology

Assyriology is the study of ancient Mesopotamian languages, history, archaeology, and cultures, especially those of Assyria and Babylonia.

Cuneiform: A writing system that uses wedge-shaped impressions on clay or other materials. Its signs preserve most of the written evidence studied by Assyriologists.
Henry Rawlinson: A British officer and scholar who helped decipher cuneiform inscriptions, including the Behistun Inscription. His work on multilingual inscriptions advanced the decipherment of Akkadian cuneiform.
Epic of Gilgamesh: An ancient Mesopotamian epic poem about the king Gilgamesh and his search for lasting life. Its surviving versions reveal literary traditions, scribal practice, and changing religious ideas.
Austen Henry Layard: A British archaeologist and diplomat whose nineteenth-century excavations uncovered major Assyrian palaces. His excavations at Nimrud and Nineveh brought monumental Assyrian remains to wider notice.
Babylonian astronomy: The systematic observation and interpretation of celestial phenomena in ancient Babylonia. Cuneiform records reveal long-running observational traditions and mathematical methods.
Akkadian language: An East Semitic language written in cuneiform and used across ancient Mesopotamia and neighboring regions. Akkadian texts document Assyrian and Babylonian societies across many periods.
George Smith: A British Assyriologist who identified the Babylonian flood story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. His discoveries brought Assyrian texts and their literary significance to public attention.
Library of Ashurbanipal: A collection of cuneiform tablets assembled in the seventh century BCE at Nineveh by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. Its tablets preserve works of literature, scholarship, ritual, and administration.
Hormuzd Rassam: An Iraqi-born Assyriologist and archaeologist who excavated major sites in Mesopotamia. His fieldwork recovered important texts and artifacts, including material from Nineveh.
Mesopotamian religion: The religious beliefs, rituals, and institutions of ancient Mesopotamian societies. Texts and artifacts recovered through Assyriology disclose diverse cults and religious practices.

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