author
L. W. (Leonard William) King
1869–1919
An English archaeologist and Assyriologist, he helped open up the worlds of ancient Babylon and Assyria for modern readers. His books blend fieldwork, museum scholarship, and a gift for making difficult ancient texts approachable.
4 Audiobooks
History of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria in the Light of Recent Discovery
by L. W. (Leonard William) King, H. R. (Harry Reginald) Hall
A History of Sumer and Akkad An account of the early races of Babylonia from prehistoric times to the foundation of the Babylonian monarchy
by L. W. (Leonard William) King
Legends of Babylon and Egypt in Relation to Hebrew Tradition
by L. W. (Leonard William) King
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 (8 December 1869 – 20 August 1919) was an English archaeologist and Assyriologist who studied at Rugby School and King's College, Cambridge. He later worked in the Egyptian and Assyrian Department of the British Museum, where his research centered on the languages, history, and material culture of ancient Mesopotamia.
He traveled widely in the Near East, collecting and studying rock inscriptions, and he also taught Assyrian and Babylonian archaeology at King's College for several years. King became especially well known for editing and translating important ancient texts, including material connected with the Epic of Gilgamesh, while also publishing broader historical works on Sumer, Akkad, and Babylon.
His writing still appeals to readers interested in the first great civilizations because it combines careful scholarship with a clear sense of story. Though he died in 1919, his books remain part of the long tradition of introducing English-language readers to the cultures of ancient Iraq and the wider Near East.