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

Harper Perennial, London, 2004. First Edition. Softcover. Very Good Condition. Illustrator: Photographic & Illustrations. Empires: Key Events, Rawlinson's Rock, notes, afterword and acknowledgements, list of illustrations, recommended reading, bibliography and index. At the beginning of the text there are five pages of maps. The text is illustrated with two inserts, of eight pages each, of black and white photographs and illustrations. Colour photographic paperback binding with black and purple coloured titles to the front panel and back strip. "From 1827 Henry Rawlinson – fearless soldier, sportsmen and imperial adventurer – spent twenty-five years in India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan in the service of the East India Company. He became obsessed with cuneiform, the world's earliest writing. The key to understanding cuneiform was an immense inscription high on the sheer rock face in the mountains of Western Iran. Only Rawlinson had the physical and intellectual skills, courage, self-motivation an opportunity to make the perilous ascent and copy the monument." -- from the rear panel blurb. In this book the author tells of what this of obsession unlocked – the lost languages of Persia and Babylonia, and resurrection of unsuspected civilisation, giving details of daily life and forgotten historical events. Minor rubbing of the book corners with age toning of the text block edges. Full Number Line. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. [7], VIII - XXIII, [2], 2 - 424, [16 – further books from publishing house, interview with author and brief biography of Henry Rawlinson] pages,. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Illustrator: Photographic & Illustrations. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 500 grams. Category: Archaeology; Languages; Iran; History. ISBN: 0007129009. ISBN/EAN: 9780007129003. Inventory No: 0121163. . 9780007129003