Sir Henry Rawlinson

Sir Henry Rawlinson
Henry Wyndham Phillips (1820-1868). Nota: en http://www.livius.org señalan a Tho · Public domain · source
Name	Sir Henry Rawlinson
Caption	Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet
Birth date	5 April 1810
Birth place	Chadlington, Oxfordshire, England
Death date	5 March 1895
Death place	London, England
Nationality	British
Known for	Decipherment of cuneiform; work on the Behistun Inscription
Occupation	Diplomat, Orientalist, Assyriologist
Title	Baronet
Spouse	Louisa Caroline Harcourt Seymour
Children	Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson

Sir Henry Rawlinson. Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet, was a pioneering British diplomat, Orientalist, and Assyriologist whose work was fundamental to the modern understanding of Ancient Babylon and the broader ancient Near East. His successful decipherment of Old Persian and Akkadian cuneiform scripts unlocked the history of Mesopotamia, providing the first reliable translations of Babylonian and Assyrian royal inscriptions and chronicles. Rawlinson's efforts, centered on the monumental Behistun Inscription, effectively gave voice to the silent ruins of Babylon and Nineveh, establishing the chronological and linguistic framework for all subsequent scholarship on Ancient Mesopotamia.

Early Life and Military Career

Henry Rawlinson was born in Chadlington, Oxfordshire, in 1810. He demonstrated an early aptitude for languages and a keen interest in classical history. In 1827, he traveled to India as a cadet in the service of the British East India Company, beginning a long military and diplomatic career in the East. He served with distinction in Persia and Afghanistan, where his linguistic skills were put to use. His postings with the British Indian Army and later as a political agent brought him into contact with the ancient monuments of the Persian Empire, sparking his lifelong passion for archaeology and epigraphy. This military background provided him with the discipline and opportunity to engage with the ancient sites that would define his scholarly legacy.

The Behistun Inscription

Rawlinson's most famous achievement is his work on the Behistun Inscription, a trilingual bas-relief carved high on a cliff face at Mount Behistun in western Iran. Commissioned by the Achaemenid King Darius the Great, the inscription contained identical texts in Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian (Babylonian) cuneiform scripts. Beginning in the 1830s, Rawlinson undertook the perilous task of copying the immense inscription, often at great personal risk. His meticulous copies and notes, sent back to the Royal Asiatic Society in London, provided the raw material for decipherment. The Behistun Inscription served as the Rosetta Stone for cuneiform, and Rawlinson's work on it was the critical first step in cracking these ancient codes.

Decipherment of Cuneiform

Using the Old Persian portion of the Behistun text as a key, Rawlinson, working independently but contemporaneously with scholars like Edward Hincks in Ireland, successfully deciphered the script. He then applied this knowledge to the more complex Akkadian sections. His 1851 publication of the complete Babylonian text and translation in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society was a watershed moment. It proved the decipherment was sound and demonstrated that Akkadian was a Semitic language related to Hebrew and Arabic. This breakthrough allowed for the first accurate readings of the vast corpus of clay tablets and monuments from sites like Babylon, Nineveh, and the Library of Ashurbanipal.

Archaeological Work in Mesopotamia

Beyond decipherment, Rawlinson actively promoted and participated in archaeological exploration in Mesopotamia. As British Consul in Baghdad from 1843, he used his influence to support excavations. He provided crucial assistance and funding to Austen Henry Layard during his groundbreaking digs at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) and Nineveh. Rawlinson himself conducted excavations at Borsippa and the site of ancient Babylon, where he recovered important cuneiform tablets and artifacts. His official position helped secure many finds for the British Museum, significantly expanding its Ancient Near East collections and providing essential material for further study.

Contributions to Assyriology and Babylonian Studies

Rawlinson's contributions laid the very foundations of Assyriology and modern Babylonian studies. He co-founded the ambitious publication series The Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia, which made primary texts available to scholars worldwide. His work enabled the translation of foundational texts such as the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, and later, the Epic of Gilgamesh. He helped establish the historical chronology of Mesopotamia, identifying rulers like Nebuchadnezzar II and Sennacherib from their own inscriptions. His scholarship provided the first coherent picture of Babylonian religion, law, and society, moving the field from speculation to evidence-based history of Babylon, and Impact on Ancient Babylon and political roles in the region.