H. W. F. Saggs
Encyclopedia
Henry William Frederick Saggs (1920–2005) was an English
classicist and orientalist
.
in 1920. He studied theology at King's College London
, graduating in 1942 and receiving a major injury in the Second World War. His brother, Arthur Roy Saggs, a sergeant in the RAF, known as Roy, died on 4 January 1945 in South Africa on a training flight. He was 20.
His obituary in The Independent
newspaper describes him as "one of the outstanding Assyriologists of his generation".
Continuing his biblical and linguistic studies after the war at King's College, he was awarded his PhD degree by the School of Oriental and African Studies
in London in 1953 and became Lecturer in Akkadian
. By the mid-1960s, Saggs's many publications on Akkadian texts, combined with his skill in other Semitic languages
made him one of the leading international scholars in the field. He was asked in 1966 to take the Chair of Semitic Languages in University College, Cardiff and was Professor from 1966 to 1983.
He wrote a series of books designed for the layman which were very successful and which continue in print and in wide use. The Greatness That Was Babylon
(1962) is described by his Independent obituary as "a scholarly classic of the 20th century". He also wrote The Might That Was Assyria
(1984).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
classicist and orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
.
Biography
He was born in East AngliaEast Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
in 1920. He studied theology at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, graduating in 1942 and receiving a major injury in the Second World War. His brother, Arthur Roy Saggs, a sergeant in the RAF, known as Roy, died on 4 January 1945 in South Africa on a training flight. He was 20.
His obituary in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper describes him as "one of the outstanding Assyriologists of his generation".
Continuing his biblical and linguistic studies after the war at King's College, he was awarded his PhD degree by the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
in London in 1953 and became Lecturer in Akkadian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
. By the mid-1960s, Saggs's many publications on Akkadian texts, combined with his skill in other Semitic languages
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
made him one of the leading international scholars in the field. He was asked in 1966 to take the Chair of Semitic Languages in University College, Cardiff and was Professor from 1966 to 1983.
He wrote a series of books designed for the layman which were very successful and which continue in print and in wide use. The Greatness That Was Babylon
The Greatness That Was Babylon
The greatness that was Babylon is a book by Assyriologist H. W. F. Saggs. It describes the ancient Babylonians before and during the ancient Assyrian Empire.-External links:*...
(1962) is described by his Independent obituary as "a scholarly classic of the 20th century". He also wrote The Might That Was Assyria
The Might That Was Assyria
The Might That Was Assyria is written by Assyriologist H. W. F. Saggs. It illustrates the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Saggs spent half of his life, studying the ancient Assyrians, before he wrote this book....
(1984).