Archibald Henry Sayce (Rev.) (1845-1933)

Sayce was born in Shirehampton, near Bristol, on 25 September 1845. Although the start of his education was delayed due to ill health he has suffered since birth, Sayce was a quick learner. When his first tutor was appointed in 1855, he was already reading works in Latin and Ancient Greek. He began his formal education at Grosvenor College shortly after his family moved to Bath in 1858.

By the age of 18, he had already taught himself to read some Ancient Egyptian, Sanskrit and Hebrew and had become interested in cuneiform. He published his first academic paper, Cuneiform inscriptions of Van in 1865. In 1865 he became a classical scholar at The Queen's College, Oxford.

While a student at Oxford, Sayce became friends with Max Müller, John Rhys, John Ruskin and Henry Acland. Due to his poor health, Sayce spent time away from Oxford, and carried out his studies at home and on visits to the Pyrenees and Switzerland.

Sayce achieved a first-class in his examinations in 1868, and was elected to a vacant Fellowship in the same year. In 1869 Sayce was appointed a Lecturer at Queen's College. Ongoing problems with his sight almost led to the end of his Oxford career and Sayce spent much of his time travelling Europe. It was only from 1874, when he came under the supervision of ophthalmologist Richard Liebreich, that Sayce was able to continue his academic career. In the same year he was appointed as the University's representative in the Old Testament Revision Company.

Sayce also began to delivered lectures to the Nineveh Society of Biblical Archaeology and contributed to The Times and the New York Independent. In 1876 Sayce was appointed the Deputy Professor of Comparative Philology, a role shared with the continuing Professor, Max Müller, who wanted to reduce his duties.

From 1872, Sayce spent most of his summers travelling for his health and in search of new texts. In 1879 he resigned from his tutorship at Oxford to dedicate his time to his research and exploring the near East. Sayce resigned his professorship in 1890 and briefly moved to Egypt, where he was instrumental in reopening of the Museum of Cairo in 1891.

In 1891, Sayce returned to Oxford to become the University's first Professor of Assyriology. Lectures were his favourite vehicle for publication, and he published his Hibbert Lecture on Babylonian religion in 1887. Sayce was also the Gifford Lecturer, 1900-1902; Rhind Lecturer, 1906.

Sayce was a founding member of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, and was the organisation's President from 1898 until it was absorbed into the Royal Asiatic Society in 1919. He was also an active member of the Royal Asiatic Society from 1874 and a founding member of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies.

After his retirement in 1915, Sayce continued to write and spent his time in Edinburgh, Oxford and Egypt. By the end of his life, Sayce was considered an amateur rather than a specialist and was criticised for his lack of intellectual penetration and outdated opposition to the work of continental orientalists.

In 1923, he published Reminiscences, an account of his life and his numerous travels. At the time of his death was working on a translation of inscriptions discovered at Ras Shamra.[6] Sayce died on the 4th February 1933 in Bath.

References

1. wikipedia