author
George Smith
1840–1876
A self-taught scholar who helped open the ancient Near East to modern readers, this pioneering Assyriologist is best known for discovering and translating key parts of the Epic of Gilgamesh. His work brought some of the world’s oldest surviving literature back into public view.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Chelsea, London, on March 26, 1840, he began working as an engraver while teaching himself to read cuneiform from the growing collections of the British Museum. That unusual path—from tradesman to expert in ancient scripts—made him one of the most remarkable scholarly figures of his time.
He became famous for identifying and translating important Babylonian texts, especially the flood story within the Epic of Gilgamesh. His discoveries helped transform the study of Assyria and Babylonia and gave English-speaking readers an early glimpse of one of humanity’s oldest known literary works.
He later joined expeditions connected with the British Museum and traveled in the Near East in search of additional tablets and inscriptions. He died in Aleppo on August 19, 1876, at only 36, but his work left a lasting mark on archaeology, Assyriology, and the history of literature.