William Kennett Loftus (13 November 1820, in Linton, Kent – 27 November 1858, at sea) was a British geologist, naturalist, explorer and archaeological excavator. He discovered the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk in 1849.[1]
Briefly, in February to April 1851, Loftus was released from the work of the commission to excavate at Susa on behalf of the British Museum, but was in June replaced by Hormuzd Rassam, together with whom Loftus subsequently explored the sites and collaborated on a report on the work at Susa. He is credited with the discovery of the Apadana, later excavated by the French amateur archaeologist Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy.
Engaged in 1853 by the newly founded Assyrian Excavation Fund to conduct excavations in Warka, Loftus worked at the site from January to April 1854, uncovering the famous coloured clay cone wall and some tablets written in cuneiform script. In October of the same year he transferred to Nineveh, and also worked at Nimrud, where in February 1855 he found the so-called "Burnt Palace" of the Assyrian king Assurnasirpal II and a hoard of exquisite ivories. In 1854 he briefly excavated at Tell Sifr.
In September 1856 Loftus was engaged as assistant geologist to the Geological Survey of India, but in India he suffered declining health and died at sea on the voyage back to Britain, aged 38.
Worksedit
Travels and Researches in Chaldaea and Susiana in 1849-52 (1857)
Reports of the Assyrian Excavation Fund I and II, published in R.D. Barnett, Sculptures from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (668-627 B.C.) (1976)
william, loftus, archaeologist, william, kennett, loftus, november, 1820, linton, kent, november, 1858, british, geologist, naturalist, explorer, archaeological, excavator, discovered, ancient, sumerian, city, uruk, 1849, william, loftus, contents, biography, . William Kennett Loftus 13 November 1820 in Linton Kent 27 November 1858 at sea was a British geologist naturalist explorer and archaeological excavator He discovered the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk in 1849 1 William Loftus Contents 1 Biography 2 Works 3 References 4 External linksBiography editLoftus was brought up in Rye East Sussex and went to school at Newcastle Royal Grammar School In Cambridge where from 1840 he studied geology he was a resident of Caius College 2 In 1845 he married Charlotte Thulbourne From 1849 he served as geologist and naturalist with the British government s Turco Persian Boundary Commission under Colonel Fenwick Williams Royal Artillery The work of the mission gave Loftus and his friend Henry Adrian Churchill the chance to visit ancient sites and in 1850 to excavate for a month at Uruk Warka and Larsa Senkereh discovering the Ziggurat of Ur Briefly in February to April 1851 Loftus was released from the work of the commission to excavate at Susa on behalf of the British Museum but was in June replaced by Hormuzd Rassam together with whom Loftus subsequently explored the sites and collaborated on a report on the work at Susa He is credited with the discovery of the Apadana later excavated by the French amateur archaeologist Marcel Auguste Dieulafoy Engaged in 1853 by the newly founded Assyrian Excavation Fund to conduct excavations in Warka Loftus worked at the site from January to April 1854 uncovering the famous coloured clay cone wall and some tablets written in cuneiform script In October of the same year he transferred to Nineveh and also worked at Nimrud where in February 1855 he found the so called Burnt Palace of the Assyrian king Assurnasirpal II and a hoard of exquisite ivories In 1854 he briefly excavated at Tell Sifr In September 1856 Loftus was engaged as assistant geologist to the Geological Survey of India but in India he suffered declining health and died at sea on the voyage back to Britain aged 38 Works editTravels and Researches in Chaldaea and Susiana in 1849 52 1857 Reports of the Assyrian Excavation Fund I and II published in R D Barnett Sculptures from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh 668 627 B C 1976 References edit Boulger George Simonds 1893 Loftus William Kennett In Lee Sidney ed Dictionary of National Biography Vol 34 London Smith Elder amp Co pp 80 81 Loftus William Kennett LFTS840WK A Cambridge Alumni Database University of Cambridge External links editWilliam Kennett Loftus at the Wayback Machine archived 13 February 2005 nbsp This article about a British explorer is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte nbsp This biographical article about a British archaeologist is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title William Loftus archaeologist amp oldid 1217881978, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
