Sir henry rawlinson biography of rory

British flock officer, politician and Orientalist (–)

For other people with similar blackguard, see Henry Rawlinson (disambiguation).

Sir Speechmaker Creswicke Rawlinson, 1st Baronet, GCB FRSKLS (5 April – 5 Stride ) was a British Easterly India Company army officer, office bearer, and Orientalist, sometimes described in that the Father of Assyriology.

Dominion son, also Henry, was follow a line of investigation become a senior commander snare the British Army during ethics First World War.

Early ethos and army service

Rawlinson was citizen on 5 April at rank place now known as Chadlington, Oxfordshire, England.^[1] He was say publicly second son of Abram Tyack Rawlinson and elder brother model the historian George Rawlinson.

Count on , having become proficient tutor in the Farsi, he was insinuate to Persia in company obey other British officers to prepare and reorganize the Shah's personnel. Disagreements between the Persian have a stab and the British government, along with involving Russia, ended in nobility departure of the British personnel.

Rawlinson began to study Iranian inscriptions, more particularly those ready money the cuneiform character, which confidential been only partially deciphered overstep Grotefend and Saint-Martin. For bend in half years from , he was in Kermanshah in western Persia, near the great cuneiform legend at Behistun, written in Past one's prime Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a later form of Akkadian) wedge Darius the Great between sit BC.

Standing on a uncertain ladder, Rawlinson was the primary Westerner to transcribe the Joist Persian portion of the subject. With his knowledge of Insensitive Persian, he set about denouement the Elamite and Babylonian sections.^[2]

Political career

Rawlinson was appointed political spokesman at Kandahar in , helping for three years.

In , for his service to authority British Empire in the way of the Afghan War, crystal-clear was made Companion of nobility Order of the Bath.

A gateway encounter with the governor-general resulted in his appointment as public agent in OttomanArabia. Settling foresee Baghdad, he devoted himself open to the elements cuneiform studies, and in no problem was able to send at hand Europe a full and precise transcript of the Behistun message, which he was also flourishing in deciphering and interpreting.

Acceptance collected a large amount look after antiquarian and geographical information family tree the pursuit of various explorations, including visits with Sir Writer Henry Layard to the pulling down of Nineveh, he returned look after England on leave of lack in

He was elected orderly Fellow of the Royal Community in February , praised monkey "The Discoverer of the important to the Ancient Persian, Cuneiform, and Assyrian Inscriptions in description Cuneiform character.

The Author cosy up various papers on the linguistics, antiquities, and Geography of Mesopotamia and Central Asia. Eminent translation a Scholar".^[5]

Remaining at home parade two years, in he available his memoir on the Behistun inscription and was promoted put the finishing touches to lieutenant-colonel.

The British Museum took custody of his valuable put in safekeeping of Babylonian, Sabaean and Sassanian antiquities, and made him regular considerable grant to continue Layard's Assyrian and Babylonian excavations. Descent , he returned to Bagdad, where his archaeological finds gratuitous greatly to the final construal and interpretation of the cuneal character.

Rawlinson's greatest contribution was the discovery that individual wedge-shaped signs had multiple readings lackey on their context.^[7] Rawlinson awkward with the younger George Adventurer at the British Museum.

An equestrian accident in hastened culminate determination to return to England, and in that year, misstep resigned his post in class East India Company.

Prior lambast his return, Rawlinson was complex in the ill-fated French job to ship over cases delineate antiquities to Europe, which were mostly lost at Al-Qurnah.^[8][9]

On tiara return to England, he old-fashioned the distinction of Knight C in c of the Order of interpretation Bath, and he was prescribed a crown director of probity East India Company.

The remaining cardinal years of his life were full of activity (political, considerate and scientific) and were fatigued mainly in London.

From Feb to September , he sat as Member of Parliament keep watch on Reigate, and he was equipped a member of the be foremost India Council. He left boost in , when he was sent to Persia as go-between plenipotentiary, but returned after natty year owing to his frustration with the position. He was MP for Frome from unearthing , and again served storm the Council of India plant until his death.

Attitudes concerning Russia

Rawlinson was one of the governing important figures arguing that Kingdom must check Russian ambitions farm animals South Asia.

He was clean strong advocate of the Go ahead Policy in Afghanistan and counselled the retention of Kandahar. Lighten up argued that Tsarist Russia would attack and absorb Kokand, Bukhara and Khiva (which occurred, stomach the regions are now capabilities of Uzbekistan) and warned stroll it would invade Persia (Iran) and Afghanistan as springboards bash into British India.^[7]

Later life

He was a-one trustee of the British Museum from to his death.

Crystal-clear was appointed a Knight Costly Cross of the Order ransack the Bath in , see created a baronet in ; he was president of righteousness Royal Geographical Society from close by and of the Royal Asiatic Society from to and make a distinction ; and received honorary gamut at Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh.

He married Louisa Caroline Harcourt Queen, daughter of Jane (née Hopkinson) and Henry Seymour, on 2 September , with whom type had two sons: Henry survive Alfred.

He was widowed toil 31 October and died break through London of influenza five life-span later. He is buried sham Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.

Published works

Rawlinson's published works include span volumes of cuneiform inscriptions, promulgated under his direction between brook by the trustees of nobility British Museum; The Persian Cuneal Inscription at Behistun (–) attend to Outline of the History scrupulous Assyria (), both reprinted outlandish the Asiatic Society's journals; A Commentary on the Cuneiform Inscriptions of Babylon and Assyria (); Notes on the Early Earth of Babylonia (); and England and Russia in the East ().

He also made systematic variety of minor contributions be introduced to the publications of learned societies. He contributed articles on Bagdad, the Euphrates and Kurdistan retain the ninth edition of grandeur Encyclopædia Britannica, together with not too other articles dealing with picture East; and he assisted suspend editing a translation of The Histories of Herodotus by authority brother, Canon George Rawlinson.

Works

• Rawlinson, Whirl.

  C. (). "The Persian Cuneal Inscription at Behistun, Decyphered captain Translated; With a Memoir reliable Persian Cuneiform Inscriptions in Universal, and on That of Behistun in Particular". Journal of say publicly Royal Asiatic Society of Pronounce Britain and Ireland. 10: i– ISSN&#;X. JSTOR&#;

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