Release date is 2022-03-31

The decipherment of the cuneiform inscriptions -- The archæological materials; the excavations at Susa and the origin of bronze -- The Sumerians -- The relation of Babylonian to Egyptian civilization -- Babylonia and Palestine -- Asia Minor -- Canaan in the century before the Exodus.

Wouter Franssen, Karin Spence and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

"The Archæology of the Cuneiform Inscriptions" by A. H. Sayce is a scholarly examination of cuneiform inscriptions, written in the early 20th century. The work seeks to explore the art and science of deciphering these ancient writings, the significance of archaeological findings in the Near East, and their impact on our understanding of ancient civilizations, particularly those of Babylonia and Assyria. The opening of the book sets the stage for a detailed discourse on the challenges faced by early decipherers of cuneiform inscriptions, portraying the quest for knowledge as a form of intellectual adventure akin to a romance. Sayce outlines the historical context of cuneiform writing, tracing its evolution and the collaborative efforts of scholars over decades to unearth its meaning amid prevailing misconceptions about its origins. The narrative emphasizes the transformative implications of these discoveries, which have reshaped our understanding of ancient cultures and illuminated the interconnectedness of civilizations across the ancient Near East, igniting the curiosity of readers regarding the methods and findings in this fascinating field of archaeology. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: United Kingdom: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1908