History Book Discussion Group: Empires of the Plain, by Lesley Adkins, and The Mesopotamian Riddle, by Joshua Hammer

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Falcon Room, 3rd floor, Main Library. Choose between these two books on the very same subject, one written by an archaeologist (Adkins), the other by a journalist (Hammer). Both books describe the intersection of military conquest, archaeological discovery, and detailed linguistic analysis at the high-water mark of the British Empire in the Ancient Near East in the middle of the 19th century. Let's start with Lesley Adkins' title. He focuses primarily on Sir Henry Rawlinson (1810-1895), who almost perfectly fit the Kiplingesque model of the Victorian soldier and officer. He was daring and fearless, fighting and barely surviving campaigns across South Asia, including the grim defeat and slaughter of the British in Afghanistan in 1842. However, Rawlinson was also a brilliant linguist, most famously known for deciphering Old Persian and other cuneiform languages. He ended his career with a wealth of honorary degrees from Oxford and other universities. This is a biography of a remarkable individual, but also a revealing examination of the British Empire at its peak. Hammer's is the jauntier retelling of the race to decipher ancient cuneiform. Vying for glory in the race to decipher the script that would enable humans to peer farther back into our history than ever before were "a swashbuckling archaeologist, a suave military officer turned diplomat, and a cloistered Irish rector." From the ruins of Persepolis to lawless outposts of the crumbling Ottoman Empire, The Mesopotamian Riddle whisks the reader off on “an epic intellectual adventure.” (WSJ) Published in 2004, Empires of the Plain is now out of print, but you can read it as an ebook on Libby, EPL's ebook portal. Joshua Hammer's The Mesopotamian Riddle, published in 2025, is available in an ample number of partner libraries, but we are currently trying to secure both the ebook and the e-audiobook versions from Libby. Be sure to register to receive updates on the availability of these versions. But paper copies can be put on hold from our partner…

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