Part 3/11:
Sir Austin Henry Layard's archaeological discovery in the mid-19th century revealed the library of Ashurbanipal and ultimately unearthed a cache of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform—a writing system that bore the secrets of ancient civilizations, including the lost Akkadian legacy. It was through the scrupulous work of contemporaries such as Sir Henry Rawlinson that scholars began to understand the tantalizing mysteries enshrined in the ancient texts. Rawlinson's perseverance in deciphering cuneiform inscriptions led to the first concrete recognition of the Akkadian Empire, further illuminating its history.