This is a partial list of Assyriologists. An Assyriologist is a person who specializes in the

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, cultural and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq).

A

Arthur Amiaud Arthur Amiaud (8 January 1849, in Villefagnan – 22 May 1889, in Paris) was a French Assyriologist and philologist. Initially a law student in Poitiers, he later devoted his energies towards philology, taking classes in Semitic languages at the ...

(French, 1849–1889), known for early researches into Babylonian and Assyrian inscriptions.

B

Zainab Bahrani Zainab Bahrani ( ar, زينب البحراني) (born 29 August 1962) is an Iraqi Assyriologist and professor of Ancient Near Eastern Art and Archaeology at Columbia University. Career A native of Baghdad, Iraq, she was educated in Europe and th ...

(Iraqi, born 1962), Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Art and Archaeology at Columbia University. * Taha Baqir (Iraqi, 1912–1984), former curator of the National Museum of Iraq, translated the '' Epic of Gilgamesh'' into Arabic. * Paul-Alain Beaulieu (Canadian, born 1955), Professor of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. *

Behnam Abu Alsoof Behnam Nasser Nuaman Abu Alsoof ( ar, بهنام ناصر نعمان أبو الصوف ') (born 1931 in Mosul, Iraq, died September 19, 2012) was an Iraqi Assyriologist, anthropologist, historian and writer. He was born in Mosul to a Christian S ...

(Iraqi, 1931–2012), anthropologist, historian and writer, known for excavations in the Tigris valley. * Carl Bezold (German, 1859–1922), known primarily for research in Akkadian, catalogued the

Library of Ashurbanipal The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal, named after Ashurbanipal, the last great king of the Assyrian Empire, is a collection of more than 30,000 clay tablets and fragments containing texts of all kinds from the 7th century BC, including texts in vari ...

. *

Robert D. Biggs Robert D. Biggs was Professor of Assyriology in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. He received his PhD at Johns Hopkins University in 1962. He was an editor of the ''Journal of Near Eastern Stu ...

(American, born 1934), editor of the ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies''. *

Riekele Borger Riekele or Rykle Borger (born 24 May 1929, Wiuwert, the Netherlands; died 27 December 2010, Göttingen, Germany) was a notable Dutch Assyriologist educated in the German tradition. He was the protégé of Wolfram von Soden, and taught as professor ...

(Dutch, 1929–2010), famous for his cuneiform sign lists. * Jean Bottéro (French, 1914–2007), expert on the Ancient Near East.

C

* Dominique Charpin (French, born 1954), professor at the Collège de France specializing in the "Old-Babylonian" period. *

Henry Adrian Churchill Henry Adrian Churchill CB (16 September 1828 – 12 July 1886) was an archaeological explorer of ancient Mesopotamia and a British diplomat who stopped much of the commercial slavery in Zanzibar and helped prevent a war between Zanzibar and Oma ...

(British, 1828–1886), diplomat and archaeological explorer of ancient Mesopotamia. * Muazzez İlmiye Çığ (Turkish, born 1914; still living in 2022), archaeologist specializing in Sumerian civilization. * Miguel Civil (American, 1926–2019), expert on Sumer (including the Sumerian language) and Ancient Mesopotamian studies at the University of Chicago. *

Albert T. Clay Albert Tobias Clay (December 4, 1866 – September 14, 1925) was an American professor, historian and Semitic linguist. He was professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature at Yale University and served as founding curator of the Yale Ba ...

(American, 1866–1925), professor at Yale University, historian and expert on Semitic languages.

D

Stephanie Dalley Stephanie Mary Dalley FSA (''née'' Page; March 1943) is a British Assyriologist and scholar of the Ancient Near East. She has retired as a teaching Fellow from the Oriental Institute, Oxford. She is known for her publications of cuneiform te ...

(British, born 1943), known for cuneiform texts and investigation of the

Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World listed by Hellenic culture. They were described as a remarkable feat of engineering with an ascending series of tiered gardens containing a wide variety of tre ...

. * Friedrich Delitzsch (German, 1850–1922), expert on Middle Eastern languages who maintained that much of

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

was derived from ancient Babylonian tales. *

Georges Dossin Georges Gilles Joseph Dossin (4 February 1896, in Wandre, near Liège – 8 December 1983, in Liège) was a Belgian archaeologist, Assyriologist and art historian. Biography He studied in Liège and Paris, earning doctorates in classical phi ...

(Belgian, 1896–1983), archaeologist who worked on excavation of sites in Syria. * Jean-Marie Durand (French, born 1940), whose research research mainly concerns texts found in the ruins of the ancient city of Mari.

E

Dietz-Otto Edzard Dietz-Otto Edzard (28 August 1930 in Bremen – 2 June 2004 in Munich) was a German scholar of the Ancient Near East and grammarian of the Sumerian language. He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences i ...

(German, 1930–2004), scholar of the Ancient Near East and grammarian of the Sumerian language. * Joseph Epping (German, 1835–1894), astronomer who undertook a mathematical investigation of the Babylonian astronomical observations and tables.

F

* Irving Finkel (British, born 1951), philologist who specializes in cuneiform inscriptions on clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia. *

Daniel E. Fleming Daniel Edward Fleming is an American biblical scholar and Assyriologist whose work centers on Hebrew Bible interpretation and cultural history, ancient Syria, Emar, ancient religion, and the interplay of ancient Near Eastern societies.

(American, born 1957), biblical scholar whose work centres on Hebrew Bible interpretation. *

Fulgence Fresnel Fulgence Fresnel ( or ; ; (15 April 1795 – 30 November 1855) was a French Orientalist. He was brother to the noted physicist Augustin Fresnel (1788–1827). Fresnel was an Orientalist scholar who led one of the first archaeological teams t ...

(French, 1795–1855), Orientalist scholar who led one of the first archaeological teams to excavate in Mesopotamia.

G

* Lamia Al-Gailani Werr (Iraqi, 1938–2019), specialist in ancient Mesopotamian antiquities. *

Paul Garelli Paul Garelli (23 April 1924 – 8 July 2006) was a French Assyriologist, directeur de recherche au CNRS, professor at the Sorbonne and the l' EPHE, a member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres and professor at the Collège de ...

(French, 1924–2006), lecturer and professor at the Sorbonne who taught history of the peoples of the Semitic East. *

Joseph Étienne Gautier Joseph Étienne Gautier (6 September 1861, Oullins – 10 February 1924, Paris) was a French archaeologist. He received his education in his hometown of Oullins and at the ''École pratique des hautes études'' (EPHE) in Paris. From 1884 to 18 ...

(French, 1861–1924), archaeologist who uncovered several overlapping stages of cultures that predated the time of

Sargon of Akkad Sargon of Akkad (; akk, ''Šarrugi''), also known as Sargon the Great, was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire, known for his conquests of the Sumerian city-states in the 24th to 23rd centuries BC.The date of the reign of Sargon is highl ...

. *

Andrew R. George Andrew R. George (born 1955) is a British Assyriologist and academic best known for his edition and translation of the ''Epic of Gilgamesh''. Andrew George is Professor of Babylonian language, Babylonian, Department of the Languages and Cultures ...

(British, born 1955), linguist who translated and annotated of the Epic of Gilgamesh. *

Ignace Gelb Ignace Jay Gelb (October 14, 1907, Tarnau, Austria-Hungary (now Tarnów, Poland) - December 22, 1985, Chicago, Illinois) was a Polish-American ancient historian and Assyriologist who pioneered the scientific study of writing systems. Early life ...

(Polish, American, 1907-1985), linguist who published editions of Akkadian texts and a grammar and dictionary of Old Akkadian * Jean-Jacques Glassner (French, born 1944), historian specializing in the Mesopotamian world and cuneiform script. *

Georg Friedrich Grotefend Georg Friedrich Grotefend (9 June 1775 – 15 December 1853) was a German epigraphist and philologist. He is known mostly for his contributions toward the decipherment of cuneiform. Georg Friedrich Grotefend had a son, named Carl Ludwig Grot ...

(German, 1775–1853), epigraphist and philologist known for his contributions to deciphering cuneiform. * Oliver Gurney (British, 1911–2001), expert on the Hittites.

H

* Joseph Halévy (Ottoman-French, 1827–1917), Orientalist and traveller who crossed Yemen in search of

Sabaean Sabean or Sabaean may refer to: *Sabaeans, ancient people in South Arabia **Sabaean language, Old South Arabian language *Sabians, name of a religious group mentioned in the Quran, historically adopted by: **Mandaeans, Gnostic sect from the marshl ...

inscriptions. *

William W. Hallo William Wolfgang Hallo (March 9, 1928 – March, 27, 2015Yale University. * Richard Hallock (American, 1906-1980), former editorial secretary of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary * Hendrik Arent Hamaker (Dutch, 1789–1835), philologist and Orientalist who worked on Oriental languages. *

Paul Haupt Hermann Hugo Paul Haupt (25 November 1858 in Görlitz – 15 December 1926 in Baltimore, Maryland) was a Semitic scholar, one of the pioneers of Assyriology in the United States. He studied at the universities of Berlin and Leipzig. In 1880 he be ...

(German-American, 1858–1926), Semitic scholar, one of the pioneers of Assyriology in the United States. *

Hermann Volrath Hilprecht Hermann Volrath Hilprecht (July 28, 1859 – March 19, 1925) was a German- American Assyriologist and archaeologist. Biography Hilprecht was born in 1859 at Hohenerxleben (now a part of Staßfurt), Germany. He graduated from Herzogliches Gymnasium ...

(German-American, 1859–1925), archaeologist who carried out excavations in Iraq. * Edward Hincks (Irish, 1792–1866), one of the decipherers of Mesopotamian cuneiform. * Paul Y. Hoskisson (American, born 1943), professor of Ancient scripture who has published research on the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament. * Thomas Hyde (English, 1636–1703), Orientalist and linguist who mastered Turkish, Arabic, Syriac, Persian, Hebrew and Malay, and coined the word "cuneiform".

J

* Thorkild Jacobsen (Danish, 1904—1993), director of the Chicago Oriental Institute and professor of Assyriology at Harvard University, produced an English translation of the ''

Sumerian King List The ''Sumerian King List'' (abbreviated ''SKL'') or ''Chronicle of the One Monarchy'' is an ancient literary composition written in Sumerian that was likely created and redacted to legitimize the claims to power of various city-states and king ...

''. *

Liane Jakob-Rost Liane Jakob-Rost (born 1928 in Berlin) is a German Assyriologist. Liane Jakob-Rost studied Ancient Near Eastern languages at the University of Berlin. From 1949 she worked at the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin in Berlin, as an academic employee ...

(German, born 1928), focussed on editing and publishing cuneiform sources in the collection of the Vorderasiatisches Museum Berlin. *

Morris Jastrow Jr. Morris Jastrow Jr. (August 13, 1861 – June 22, 1921) was a Polish-born American oriental studies, orientalist and librarian associated with the University of Pennsylvania. Biography He was born in Warsaw, Poland, and came to Philadelphia, Penn ...

(Polish-American, 1861–1921), Orientalist and librarian who made linguistic studies of Semitic languages. *

Alfred Jeremias Alfred Karl Gabriel Jeremias (24 February 1864 in Chemnitz, Kingdom of Saxony – 11 January 1935) was a German pastor, Assyriology, Assyriologist and an expert on the religions of the ancient Near East. Life In 1891 he published the first Ger ...

(German, 1864–1935), pastor and expert on the religions of the ancient Near East. * Claude Hermann Walter Johns (British, 1857–1920), lecturer in Assyriology at Cambridge University, as well as in Assyrian at King's College, London.

K

Karlheinz Kessler Karlheinz is a German given name, composed of Karl and Heinz. Notable people with that name include: * Karlheinz Böhm (1928–2014), Austrian actor * Karlheinz Brandenburg (born 1954), audio engineer * Karlheinz Deschner (born 1924), German agn ...

(German, 1948), Referent in Baghdad DAI, Professor of Assyriology at the Erlangen-Nürnberg University, historical topography of Eastern Turkey and Syria, editor of tablets from various periods Uruk. *

Bahija Khalil Ismail Bahija Khalil (1934 – January 13, 2019) was an Iraqi Assyriologist and director of the Iraq Museum from 1983 to 1989. She was the first woman director of the museum. Life Khalil was born in Baghdad in 1934. She obtained her first degree in arc ...

(Iraqi, 1934–2019), former director of the Iraq Museum. *

Leonard William King Leonard William King, FSA (8 December 1869 – 20 August 1919) was an English archaeologist and Assyriologist educated at Rugby School and King's College, Cambridge. He collected stone inscriptions widely in the Near East, taught Assyrian and Ba ...

(British, 1869–1919), archaeologist known for his translations of ancient works such as the

Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed 1755–1750 BC. It is the longest, best-organised, and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. It is written in the Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian, purportedly by Hamm ...

. *

Samuel Noah Kramer Samuel Noah Kramer (September 28, 1897 – November 26, 1990) was one of the world's leading Assyriologists, an expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language. After high school, he attended Temple University, before Dropsie and Penn, both in ...

(Russian-American, 1897–1990), considered an expert in Sumerian history and language, he studied the '' Lament for Ur'' and other texts. * Franz Xaver Kugler (German, 1862–1929), mathematician who studied cuneiform tablets and Babylonian astronomy, and worked out the Babylonian theories on the Moon and planets.

L

Wilfred G. Lambert Wilfred George Lambert FBA (26 February 1926 – 9 November 2011) was a historian and archaeologist, a specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern Archaeology. Early life Lambert was born in Birmingham, and, having won a scholarship, he was edu ...

(British, 1926–2011), historian and archaeologist, a specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern Archaeology. *

Emmanuel Laroche Emmanuel Laroche (11 July 1914 – 16 June 1991) was a French linguist and Hittitologist. An expert in the languages of ancient Anatolia (Indo-European and Hurrian), he was professor of Anatolian studies at the Collège de France (1973–1985 ...

(French, 1914–1991), linguist and Hittitologist, expert in the languages of ancient Anatolia (Indo-European and Hurrian). *

Austen Henry Layard Sir Austen Henry Layard (; 5 March 18175 July 1894) was an English Assyriologist, traveller, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, collector, politician and diplomat. He was born to a mostly English family in Paris and largely raised in It ...

(British, 1817–1894), traveller best known as the excavator of Nimrud and of Nineveh in 1851. *

Gwendolyn Leick Gwendolyn Leick (born 1951) is an Austrian British historian and Assyriologist who has written multiple books and encyclopedias in English about ancient Mesopotamia. Life She was born on 25 February 1951 in Oberaichwald, Austria to her parents ...

(Austrian-British, born 1951), author of books and encyclopaedias about ancient Mesopotamia. * François Lenormant (French, 1837–1883), Hellenist and archaeologist, among the first to recognize in the cuneiform inscriptions the existence of a non-Semitic language he named Akkadian. * Hildegard Lewy (American, 1903–1969), specialist in cuneiform texts and Babylonian mathematics. *

William Loftus William Loftus may refer to: * William Loftus (archaeologist), British geologist, naturalist, explorer and archaeological excavator * William Loftus (British Army officer), British Army officer and Member of Parliament * William Loftus (Canadian foo ...

(British, 1820–1858) geologist, naturalist, explorer and archaeological excavator who discovered the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk in 1849. * Jørgen Læssøe (Danish, 1924–1993), excavator of Tell Shemshara and author of several popular history books on Assyriology in Danish

M

Khazal Al Majidi Khazal Al Majidi ( ar, خزعل الماجدي) (born 1951 in Kirkuk, Iraq) is an Iraqis, Iraqi Assyriology, Assyriologist, academic, author and researcher who specializes in the science and history of History of religion, ancient religions and c ...

(Iraqi and Dutch, born 1951), specialist in the science and history of ancient religions and civilizations. *

Stefan Maul Stefan Mario Maul (born 24 December 1958 in Aachen) is a German Assyriologist and holder of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. Life Maul studied Assyriology, Near Eastern Archaeology and Egyptology at the Georg-August-Universität Göt ...

(German, born 1958), head of the research unit of the

Heidelberg Academy of Sciences The Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (German: ''Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften''), established in 1909 in Heidelberg, Germany, is an assembly of scholars and scientists in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The Academ ...

"Edition of literary cuneiform texts from Assur". * Joachim Menant (French, 1820–1899), lawyer and Orientalist known for his studies on cuneiform inscriptions. *

Cécile Michel Cécile Michel (born 20 April 1962, Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French epigrapher and archaeologist. Career After Michel defended her thesis in 1988 (''Les Marchands Inaya dans les tablettes cappadociennes'') at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University, s ...

(French, born 1962), epigrapher and archaeologist who works on deciphering the cuneiform tablets discovered at Kültepe. *

Alan Millard Alan Ralph Millard (born 1 December 1937) is Rankin Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic languages, and Honorary Senior Fellow (Ancient Near East), at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology (SACE) in the University of Li ...

(British, born 1937), Professor of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic languages who rediscovered the Epic of

Atrahasis ''Atra-Hasis'' ( akk, , Atra-ḫasīs) is an 18th-century BCE Akkadian epic, recorded in various versions on clay tablets, named for its protagonist, Atrahasis ('exceedingly wise'). The ''Atra-Hasis'' tablets include both a creation myth and o ...

. *

William L. Moran William Lambert Moran (August 11, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American Assyriologist. He was born in Chicago, United States. In 1939, Moran joined the Jesuit order. He then attended Loyola University in Chicago, where he received his ...

(American, 1921–2000), Professor of Assyriology at Harvard University, expert on the Akkadian language

N

* Edwin Norris (British, 1795–1872), philologist who deciphered the Assyrian lion weights from Nineveh and discovered the weight measurement system of this civilization.

O

* Michael Patrick O'Connor (American, 1950–2007), linguist of Semitic languages, with a focus on biblical Hebrew and biblical poetry. *

Julius Oppert Julius (Jules) Oppert (9 July 1825 – 21 August 1905) was a French-German Assyriologist, born in Hamburg of Jewish parents. Career After studying at Heidelberg, Bonn and Berlin, he graduated at Kiel in 1847, and the next year went to France, wh ...

(French-German, 1825–1905), linguist who argued that the language spoken originally in Assyria was Turanian (related to Turkish and Mongolian).

P

Johannes Hendricus van der Palm Johannes Hendricus van der Palm (17 July 1763 – 8 September 1840) was a Dutch Assyriologist, linguist, professor of (i) oriental languages and Hebrew antiquities and (ii) sacred poetry and rhetoric at Leiden University, educationist, theologian ...

(Dutch, 1763–1840), professor of Oriental languages and Hebrew antiquities. * Barbara Parker-Mallowan (British, 1908–1993), archaeologist and epigraphist who specialized in cylinder seals. *

Simo Parpola Simo Kaarlo Antero Parpola (born 4 July 1943) is a Finnish Assyriologist specializing in the Neo-Assyrian Empire and Professor emeritus of Assyriology at the University of Helsinki (retired fall 2009). Career Simo Parpola studied Assyriology, C ...

(Finnish, born 1943), expert on the Neo-Assyrian Empire in all its aspects (language, literature, history etc.) * Theophilus Pinches (British, 1856–1934), pioneer Assyriologist who translated some Babylonian tablets related to the

Battle of the Vale of Siddim The Battle of the Vale of Siddim, also often called the War of Nine Kings or the Slaughter of Chedorlaomer, is an event in the Hebrew Bible book of that occurs in the days of Abram and Lot. The Vale of Siddim was the battleground for the cities ...

. *

Henri Pognon Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

(French, 1853–1921), archaeologist and epigrapher who collected Semitic inscriptions whose meaning he penetrated through an intense translation work. *

Nicholas Postgate Nicholas Postgate (1596 or 1597 – 7 August 1679) was an English Catholic priest who was executed for treason on the Knavesmire in York on 6 August 1679 as part of the anti-Catholic persecution that was sweeping England at that time. He is on ...

(British, born 1945), former Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, directed excavations at

Abu Salabikh The low tells at Abu Salabikh, around northwest of the site of ancient Nippur in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq mark the site of a small Sumerian city state of the mid third millennium BCE, with cultural connections to the cities of Kish, ...

(Iraq) and Kilise Tepe (Turkey). *

Adrien Prévost de Longpérier Henry Adrien Prévost de Longpérier (21 September 1816, Paris – 14 January 1882) was a 19th-century French numismatist, archaeologist and curator. Biography Adrien was the son of Henry Simon Prevost Longpérier, a commander of the National ...

(French, 1816–1882), numismatist, archaeologist and curator of antiquities who welcomed in the Louvre the first Assyrian sculptures that arrived in France from Khorsabad.

R

* Karen Radner (Austrian, born 1972), Professor of Ancient History at the University of Munich. *

Anson Rainey Anson Frank Rainey (January 11, 1930 – February 19, 2011) was professor emeritus of ancient Near Eastern cultures and Semitic linguistics at Tel Aviv University. He is known in particular for contributions to the study of the Amarna table ...

(American, 1930–2011), Professor of ancient Near Eastern cultures and Semitic linguistics, known for the study of the Amarna tablets. * Hormuzd Rassam (Iraqi, British, 1826–1910), Assyriologist known for archaeological discoveries, including the clay tablets that contained the Epic of Gilgamesh. * Otto E. Ravn (Danish, 1881–1952), professor at the University of Copenhagen. * Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baronet (British, 1810–1895), Orientalist who transcribed the Old Persian portion of the trilingual inscriptions in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian (a later form of Akkadian) written by

Darius the Great Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his d ...

. * Erica Reiner (American, 1924–2005), editor of the ''Chicago Assyrian Dictionary'', the basic reference work for understanding the Akkadian language. * Claudius Rich (British, 1787–1821), traveller and antiquarian scholar who explored the remains of Babylon, and projected a geographical and statistical account of the pashalic of Baghdad. * Michael Roaf (British, born 1947), archaeologist specializing in ancient Iranian studies and Assyriology. *

Eleanor Robson Eleanor Robson, (born 1969) is a British Assyriologist and academic. She is Professor of Ancient Middle Eastern History at University College London. She is a former chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq and a Quondam fellow of A ...

(British, born 1969), professor of ancient Middle Eastern history at University College London. * Francesca Rochberg (American, born 1952), historian of science known for her work on the history of Babylonian astronomy. * Georges Roux (French, 1914–1999), author of popular history books about the Ancient Near East: ''Ancient Iraq'' and ''La Mésopotamie''.

S

Abraham Sachs Abraham (Abe) Sachs (1915 – April 22, 1983) was an American Assyriologist. He earned his PhD in Assyriology in 1939 at Johns Hopkins University. Of note is his collaboration with Otto Neugebauer, whom he met in 1941 when the latter visited t ...

(American, 1915–1983), expert on Assyrian astronomy who studied Babylonian astronomical diaries in the British Museum. * H. W. F. Saggs (British, 1920–2005), Classicist and Orientalist who participated in Max Mallowan's excavation at Nimrud. *

Walther Sallaberger Walther Sallaberger (born 3 April 1963 in Innsbruck) is an Austrian Assyriologist. From 1982 to 1988, Walther Sallaberger studied languages and cultures of the ancient Near East as well as classical archeology at the University of Innsbruck. He ...

(Austrian, born 1963), archaeologist and linguist who participated in excavations in Mosul and

Borsippa Borsippa ( Sumerian: BAD.SI.(A).AB.BAKI; Akkadian: ''Barsip'' and ''Til-Barsip'')The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory': Vol. 1, Part 1. Accessed 15 Dec 2010. or Birs Nimrud (having been identified with Nimrod) is an archeologi ...

(Iraq) and in Pergamon (Turkey). *

Armas Salonen Armas Immanuel Salonen (17 January 1915 – 22 October 1981) was a Finnish Assyriologist. Salonen graduated from high school in 1933. He studied at the University of Helsinki under professor Knut Tallqvist. Having obtained his bachelor's degree i ...

(Finnish, 1915–1981), linguist who participated in the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary project and published the first Finnish translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh. *

Ernest de Sarzec Ernest Choquin de Sarzec (1832–1901) was a French archaeologist, to whom is attributed the discovery of the civilization of ancient Sumer. He was in the French diplomatic service; on being transferred to Basra in 1872 as a vice-consul, he bec ...

(French, 1832–1901) archaeologist who discovered the civilization of ancient

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...

. * Jules-Justin Sauveplane (French, 1862–1928), specialist of Biblical studies and of the ancient East who published one of the first French translations of the Epic of Gilgamesh. * Archibald Sayce (British, 1845–1933), linguist able to write in at least twenty ancient and modern languages who emphasized the importance of archaeological and monumental evidence in linguistic research. * Jean-Vincent Scheil (French, 1858–1940), scholar who discovered the

in Persia. *

Eberhard Schrader Eberhard Schrader (7 January 1836 – 4 July 1908) was a German orientalist primarily known for his achievements in Assyriology. Biography He was born at Braunschweig, and educated at Göttingen under Ewald. In 1858 he won a university prize ...

(German, 1836–1908), pioneer of the field of Assyriology in Germany. *

Giovanni Semerano Giovanni Semerano (21 February 1913 – 20 July 2005) was an Italian philologist and linguist who studied the languages of Ancient Mesopotamia. He obtained his degree in Florence, where among his teachers were the Hellenist Ettore Bignone, the ...

(Italian, 1913–2005), philologist and linguist who studied the languages of Ancient Mesopotamia, and rejected the Indo-European theory. * Shin Shifra (Israeli, 1931–2012), poet, translator, writer, editor and literary critic who published adaptations for children of the Sumerian and Akkadian cultural heritage. *

Åke W. Sjöberg Åke W. Sjöberg (August 1, 1924 – August 8, 2014) was a leading Assyriologist, specialized in Sumerian language and literature. Biography Early years Åke Waldemar Sjöberg, Emeritus Clark Research Professor of Assyriology and Emeritus C ...

(Swedish, 1924–2014), Assyriologist who specialized in Sumerian language and literature. * George Smith (British, 1840–1876), pioneering Assyriologist who first discovered and translated the Epic of Gilgamesh.Budge 1925, pp. 89, 106, 119, 152, 155, 162, 223, 224, 262, 267. * Wolfram von Soden (German, 1908–1996), scholar of ancient Semitic languages whose scholarship greatly influenced his field during the post World War II era. * Matthew Stolper (American, born 1944), expert on Babylonian legal texts, currently involved in the Persepolis Fortification Project. * Ephraim Avigdor Speiser (Polish, born American, 1902-1965), Assyriologist who discovered the Tepe Gawra (or “Great Mound”) in Mosul * Vasily Struve (Soviet, 1889–1965), historian who studied the history and arts of Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, the Hittite Empire and other civilizations of the Ancient Near East. * Saana Svärd (Finnish, born 1977), expert on the cultural history of the Ancient Near East, most notably the Neo-Assyrian Empire, social and political power relations, and ancient concepts of gender.

T

Claudet, Jean Francois Antoine - Fox Talbot (Detail) (Zeno Fotografie)

* Hayim Tadmor (Israeli, 1923–2005), specialist in biblical history and Ancient Near Eastern History. *

Henry Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot FRS FRSE FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later ...

(British, 1800–1877), scientist, inventor and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, but was involved in many other subjects, including the decipherment of cuneiform. * John George Taylor (British, ), early archaeologist who investigated antiquities of the Middle East and as one of the first archaeologists to explore the burial mounds near the Persian Gulf. * Reginald Campbell Thompson (British, 1876–1941), excavated at

Nineveh Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...

, Ur, Nebo and Carchemish, produced an early critical edition of ''Gilgamesh'' in 1930. *

Raymond-Jacques Tournay Raymond-Jacques Tournay (1912-1999) was a French Dominican, member of the École Biblique, Biblical scholar and assyriologist. Honours Tournay is recipient of two French titles: ordre national du Mérite (1972) then Légion d'honneur (1981) ...

(French, 1912–1999), author of ''L'Épopée de Gilgamesh Introduction, traduction et notes''.

V

Klaas Veenhof Klaas Roelof Veenhof (born 9 November 1935, in Groningen) is a Dutch Assyriologist and professor at the University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherl ...

(Dutch, born 1935), professor at the University of Leiden, specialist in the Old-Babylonian time and the Old-Assyrian trade colonies such as Kanesh.

W

* James Kinnier Wilson (British, 1921–2022), expert in Mesopotamian legends and epics, with an interest in the study of the organic and mental diseases of ancient Mesopotamia. * Hugo Winckler (German, 1863–1913), archaeologist and historian who uncovered the capital of the Hittite Empire ( Hattusa) at

Boğazkale Boğazkale ("Gorge Fortress") is a district of Çorum Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, located from the city of Çorum. Formerly known as Boğazköy ("Gorge Village"), Boghaz Keui or Boghazköy, this small town (basically one street of ...

, Turkey, and student of the languages of the ancient Middle East, *

Donald Wiseman Donald John Wiseman (25 October 1918 – 2 February 2010) was a biblical scholar, archaeologist and Assyriologist. He was Professor of Assyriology at the University of London from 1961 to 1982. Early life and beliefs Wiseman was born in Emswo ...

(British, 1918–2010), Professor of Assyriology at the University of London from 1961 to 1982, compiled a catalogue of the cuneiform tablets unearthed at Nimrud.

Y

Donny George Youkhanna Donny George Youkhanna (Arabic: , syr, ܕܘܢܝ ܓܘܪܓ ܝܘܚܢܢ) (October 23, 1950 – March 11, 2011) was an Iraqi-Assyrian archaeologist, anthropologist, author, curator, and scholar, and a visiting professor at Stony Brook Universi ...

(Iraqi, 1950–2011), archaeologist instrumental in recovering Mesopotamian artefacts looted from the National Museum in Baghdad during the American invasion of Iraq.

Z

Richard L. Zettler Richard L. Zettler (born 1949) is an American archaeologist of Early Bronze-Age Mesopotamia, with special interests in urban development and the organization of complex societies. At the University of Pennsylvania, he is a professor in the De ...

(American, born 1949), professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Pennsylvania, with special interests in urban development and the organization of complex societies in Early Bronze-Age Mesopotamia.

References

Sources

* Budge, E. A. Wallis (1925). '' The Rise and Progress of Assyriology''. London: Richard Clay & Sons, Limited. * Kramer, Samuel Noah (1963). '' The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character''. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press. {{Archaeology, state=collapsed * Assyriologists Assyriologists Lists of scientists by field

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

V

W

Y

Z

See also

References

Sources