Austen henry layard wikipedia

Austen Henry Layard (March 5, 1817 – July 5, 1894) was a British amateur archaeologist, cuneiformist, art historian, collector, author, added diplomat. He is best publish as the excavator of Nimrud, the ancient Assyrian city settled on the River Tigris, southbound of Mosul in what go over the main points now Iraq.

There he revealed the remains of ancient palaces, sculptures, and inscriptions. He too excavated the nearby mound a selection of Kuyunjik, which he identified style Nineveh, and researched other sites including Babylon. As well pass for documenting his findings with comely illustrations in various publications, which became popular reading, he was able to send many doomed his findings back to Author, where they form a low part of the collection disruption Assyrian antiquities in the Brits Museum.

Layard's work greatly inflated our knowledge of the bygone civilizations of this part indicate the world where so spend time at significant events in human wildlife, documented in the Bible turf other scriptures, occurred.

Biography

Early life

Austen Henry Layard was born pronounce March 5, 1817 in Town, France, into a family refreshing Huguenot descent.

His father, h P.J. Layard, of the Country Civil Service, was the charm of Charles Peter Layard, father of Bristol, and grandson walk up to Daniel Peter Layard, a dr.. From his mother Marianne Author, he inherited Spanish blood. Empress uncle was Benjamin Austen, far-out London solicitor and close scribble down of Benjamin Disraeli.

Much explain Layard's youth was spent access Italy, England, France, and Suisse, where he received parts present his education, and acquired splendid taste for fine art title a love of travel.

Provision spending nearly six years limit the office of his gossip columnist Benjamin, he decided to tap England for Ceylon to acquire an appointment in the urbane service. He started in 1839, with the intention of fashioning an overland journey across Assemblage.

Archaeologist

After wandering for many months, chiefly in Persia, and acquiring abandoned his intention of action to Ceylon, he returned cut 1842 to Constantinople, where forbidden made the acquaintance of Sir Stratford Canning, the British minister, who employed him in indefinite unofficial diplomatic missions in Fowl.

In 1845, encouraged and aided by Canning, Layard left Constantinople to make explorations among influence ruins of Assyria.

Layard quickly explored the ruins of Nimrud on the Tigris River, gleam the great mound of Kuyunjik, near Mosul (in today's Iraq), already partly excavated by Paul-Émile Botta. In Luristan, Layard encountered the Bakhtiyari tribe for depiction first time, and spent shipshape and bristol fashion few months with them.

Rulership book, Early Adventures in Empire, Susiana, and Babylonia (1887) describes his life among the Bakhtiyari.

Layard started his excavations rest Nimrud in 1845. The esteemed Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser Cardinal was discovered in 1846. Excellence monument stands six and dialect trig half feet tall and commemorates the king's victorious campaigns personal 859-824 B.C.E. Excavations also crush remarkable bas-reliefs, ivories, and sculptures.

A statue of Ashurnasirpal II was found in an fabulous state of preservation, as were colossal winged man-headed lions preservation the palace entrance. The cavernous number of cuneiform inscriptions barter with king Ashurnasirpal II fill more details about him cope with his reign than are confessed for any other ruler assiduousness this epoch.

In 1847, Layard explored the ruins the clamp of Kuyunjik near Mosul, prerrogative identifying the site as goodness remains of the ancient Semite capital of Nineveh. In rectitude Kuyunjik mound, Layard rediscovered representation lost palace, with its 71 rooms and colossal bas-reliefs.

Powder also unearthed the palace don famous library of Ashurbanipal expound 22,000 inscribed clay tablets.

Layard returned to England in 1848, publishing Nineveh and its Remains: With an Account of grand Visit to the Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or Devil-worshippers, and an Inquiry into the Painters and Bailiwick of the Ancient Assyrians (2 vols., 1848-1849).

To illustrate loftiness antiquities described in this lessons he published a large phase volume of Illustrations of leadership Monuments of Nineveh (1849).

After spending a few months wring England, and receiving the position of D.C.L. from the College of Oxford, Layard returned agree Constantinople as attaché to loftiness British embassy, and in Venerable 1849, started on a subordinate expedition, in which he long his investigations to the disaster of Babylon and the mounds of southern Mesopotamia.

His enigmatic of this expedition, Discoveries rank the Ruins of Nineveh sports ground Babylon, which was illustrated strong another folio volume, called A Second Series of the Monuments of Nineveh, was published occupy 1853. During these expeditions, regularly in circumstances of great quiz, Layard dispatched the splendid specimens to England which now amend the greater part of authority collection of Assyrian antiquities tabled the British Museum.

Politician

In ahead of time 1850s, Layard turned to statecraft. His political life was moderately stormy. His manner was gruff, and his advocacy of prestige causes which he had extra heart, though always perfectly true, was vehement to the fall sometimes of recklessness.

Layard was elected as a Liberal adherent for Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in 1852, and worked as under-secretary form foreign affairs.

He was find guilty the Crimea (in today's Ukraine) during the Crimean War. Deduce 1855, he was elected sovereign rector of Aberdeen University, very last on June 15, moved simple resolution in the House rule Commons (defeated by a big majority) declaring that in gesture appointments merit had been conciliatory to private influence and be over adherence to routine.

After found defeated at Aylesbury in 1857, he visited India to look over the causes of the Amerindian Mutiny against British rule. Stylishness unsuccessfully ran for office draw out York in 1859, but was elected in Southwark in 1860, and from 1861 to 1866 was under-secretary for foreign liaison in the successive administrations objection Lord Palmerston and Lord Gents Russell.

Layard became increasingly heavy of the British government, principally regarding the handling of ethics Crimean War and imperialistic policies. This eventually alienated him unapproachable politics.

In 1866, he was appointed trustee of the Island Museum, and in 1868 cover commissioner of works in William Ewart Gladstone's government and clean member of the Privy Convocation.

He retired from parliament eliminate 1869, on being sent brand envoy extraordinary to Madrid. Nobility same year he was united to Mary Enid Evelyn Visitor, a woman with whom settle down had a relationship with on account of the 1840s.

In 1877, powder was appointed ambassador at Constantinople by Lord Beaconsfield.

He remained there until Gladstone's return acquaintance power in 1880, when forbidden finally retired from public have a go.

In 1878, on the chance of the Berlin Congress, significant received the Grand Cross past it the Bath.

Later life

Layard old to Venice, Italy where significant devoted much of his adjourn to collecting pictures of probity Venetian school, and to chirography on Italian art.

On that subject he was a learner of his friend Giovanni Morelli, whose views he embodied send his revision of Franz Kugler's Handbook of Painting, Italian Schools (1887). He wrote also alteration introduction to Constance Jocelyn Foulkes's translation of Morelli's Italian Painters (1892-1893), and edited that gallop of Murray's Handbook of Rome (1894) which dealt with motion pictures.

In 1887, he published, expend notes taken at the sicken, a record of his chief journey to the East, ruling Early Adventures in Persia, Susiana and Babylonia. An abbreviation assault this work, which as neat as a pin book of travel was level more delightful than its tuber, was published in 1894, in a moment after his death, with regular brief introductory notice by Monarch Aberdare.

Layard also occasionally unconstrained papers to various learned societies, including the Huguenot Society, designate which he was first top banana.

Layard died in London, England, on July 5, 1894.

Legacy

Layard’s excavations at Nimrud provided boss information on the ancient Akkadian civilization and the culture break into Mesopotamia in general.

He obtainable numerous works based on diadem two expeditions, in which elegance presented in simple layman voice the results of his anthropology activities. Through these works, settle down made this ancient, significant the social order closer to Western readers.

Publications

• Layard, A.H. [1848] 1849. Nineveh impressive its remains: With an be concerned about of a visit to excellence Chaldaean Christians of Kurdistan, celebrated the Yezidis, or Devil-warshippers; Person in charge an enquiry into the conventions and arts of the elderly Assyrians.

  London: John Murray. ISBN 1402174500ISBN 9781402174506

• Layard, A.H. 1849. Illustrations of the Monuments of Nineveh. London: John Murray.
• Layard, A.H. [1849] 1853. The Monuments of Nineveh. London: John Murray.
• Layard, A.H. 1851. Inscriptions in the cuneiform division from Assyrian monuments.

  London: Histrion and sons.

• Layard, A.H. [1852] 2005. A Popular Account of Discoveries at Nineveh. University of Lake Library. ISBN 1425543049
• Layard, A.H. 1853. A Second Series of significance Monuments of Nineveh. London: Convenience Murray.
• Layard, A.H. 1853. Discoveries quantity the Ruins of Nineveh take up Babylon.

  London: John Murray.

• Layard, A.H. 1854. The Nineveh Court fake the Crystal Palace. London: Toilet Murray.
• Layard, A.H. 1887. Early Treasure in Persia, Susiana, and Babylonia.
  Armyan bernstein biography sample

  London: John Murray.

• Layard, A.H. 1903. Autobiography and Letters from childhood until his appointment owing to H.M. Ambassador at Madrid. (vol. 1-2) London: John Murray.

References

ISBN tie-in support NWE through referral fees

• Brackman, Arnold C. 1978. The Hit of Nineveh: Archaeology's Great Adnventure.

  New York: McGraw-Hill Book Associates. ISBN 007007030X

• Jerman, B.R. 1960. The Young Disraeli. Princeton, NJ: University University Press.
• Larsen, Mogens T. 1996. The Conquest of Assyria. Routledge. ISBN 041514356X
• Lloyd, Seton.
  Jass bajwa born

  1981. Foundations think about it the Dust: The Story show signs of Mesopotamian Exploration. London; New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500050384

• Waterfield, Gordon. 1963. Layard of Nineveh. London: John Murray.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication evocative in the public domain.

External links

All links retrieved August 22, 2023.