Theophilus Goldridge Pinches
M.R.A.S. (1856 – 6 June 1934 Muswell Hill, London), was a pioneer British assyriologist.
Pinches was originally employed in father's business as a die-sinker, but, following an amateur interest in cuneiform inscriptions, joined the staff of the British Museum in 1878, working there as assistant then curator till retirement in 1900. He was lecturer in
Assyriology at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
and in the
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
till 1932 or 1933, and died in 1934.
During his tenure at the Egyptian and Assyrian Department, British Museum, he gave assistance to scholars including
Abraham Sachs and taught at London University. It was largely due to his "painstaking work" during his time as assistant keeper at the British Museum between 1895 and 1900, that many pieces acquired by the museum were joined again. He also translated some Babylonian tablets which related to the
Battle of the Vale of Siddim and was one of the editors of ''The Babylonian and Oriental Record'' from 1886. In 1890, Pinches discovered and published the correct reading of the name of
Gilgamesh
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, caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assy ...
, instead of Izdubar. The document known as ''
Chronicle P
Chronicle P, known as ''Chronicle 22'' in Grayson’s ''Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles'' and ''Mesopotamian Chronicle 45'': "Chronicle of the Kassite Kings" in Glassner's ''Mesopotamian Chronicles'' is named for T. G. Pinches, the first edito ...
'' - providing important historical information despite its bad condition - is named for Pinches, who was its first editor.
Pinches died in 1934 and "bequeathed much of his large personal collection of cuneiform tablets" to a favorite student,
Archibald Cecil Chappelow.
Works
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* ''Texts in the Babylonian wedge-writing'', 1880
* ''The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria'', 1906
* ''The Old Testament in the Light of the Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and Babylonia'', 1908
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinches, Theophilus
1856 births
1934 deaths
British Assyriologists
Employees of the British Museum
Assyriologists