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Period: to
Hormuzd Rassam
Born in Mosul, Iraq, Rassam's research focused on Mesopotamia and the Assyrian Empire. He identified as ethnically Assyrian, and his important discoveries included clay tablets that contained the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest written narrative poem. He collaborated with Austen Henry Layard, a British archaeologist. Together they excavated at Nimrud. He emigrated to England, and led four expeditions for the British Museum. He facilitated the removal and export of stone monuments from Iraq.