Rich, Claudius James

(1787-1821)

   An English scholar, linguist, traveler, and archaeologist who played a key role in educating the English and other Europeans about the then still largely mysterious ancient wonders of Mesopotamia. Rich early exhibited a gift for learning languages, and by the time he was a young man he was fluent in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Syriac, Turkish, and others. on a journey to Egypt, he added Arabic to his growing repertoire. An important turning point for Rich was his move to the Iraqi city of Baghdad in 1808. He immediately became fascinated by the many mounds of ancient ruins in the region and was the first European to scientifically and methodically investigate the site of Babylon.

   In 1815 he published his Narrative of a Journey to the Site of Babylon in 1811. Rich also visited and explored the sites of Nineveh and Persepolis and described his adventures in more books. In fact, his main contribution was, through these writings, to create public interest in Mesopotamia among Europeans, an effort that inspired later Assyriologists such as Austen Henry Layard.

   See also: Assyriology; languages; Layard, Austen Henry