author

L. W. (Leonard William) King

1869–1919

An early explorer of the ancient Near East, this British Assyriologist helped bring Babylonian myths, cuneiform texts, and Mesopotamian history to a wider English-speaking audience. His books blend close scholarship with a real sense of discovery.

4 Audiobooks

History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria in the Light of Recent Discovery

History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria in the Light of Recent Discovery

by H. R. (Harry Reginald) Hall, L. W. (Leonard William) King

Legends of Babylon and Egypt in Relation to Hebrew Tradition

Legends of Babylon and Egypt in Relation to Hebrew Tradition

by L. W. (Leonard William) King

A History of Sumer and Akkad

A History of Sumer and Akkad

by L. W. (Leonard William) King

A History of Babylon, from the Foundation of the Monarchy to the Persian Conquest

A History of Babylon, from the Foundation of the Monarchy to the Persian Conquest

by L. W. (Leonard William) King

About the author

Leonard William King was an English archaeologist and Assyriologist born in 1869 and active in the study of ancient Mesopotamia. He was educated at Rugby School and King's College, Cambridge, and became known for his work on Assyrian and Babylonian history, religion, and inscriptions.

He collected and studied stone inscriptions in the Near East, taught Assyrian and Babylonian archaeology at King's College, and published widely on the ancient world. He is especially remembered for works connected with Babylonian religion and mythology and for helping introduce texts such as the Babylonian creation stories and flood traditions to general readers.

For audiobook listeners, his writing offers a window into the moment when many foundational Mesopotamian texts were being edited, translated, and explained for modern audiences. Even when later scholarship has revised details, his books remain lively records of early archaeological scholarship and of the excitement surrounding the recovery of the ancient Near East.