Edward Hincks [1792 – 1866]: the unsung Irish genius and TCD graduate who deciphered cuneiform.

Cuneiform is the oldest writing in the world and was used from about 3400 BC until about 1AD mostly for writing the Sumerian and Akkadian languages. It was extremely difficult to decipher. Irving Finkel, curator of cuneiform tablets at the British Museum, has stated that “Edward Hincks was a genius, he is the true decipherer of cuneiform and there should be a statue to him”. However, not only is there no statue but also he and his achievement  are almost unknown. The purpose of this talk is to go some way to rectifying this situation. Also included in the talk will be a brief account of cuneiform : by whom, where and when it was invented, how it evolved and its decipherment.

Robert Barklie is an Emeritus Fellow of TCD having retired after 34 years lecturing and researching in the Physics department at Trinity. He graduated from TCD in 1966 with a first class degree in physics and then obtained a PhD at Cambridge University in 1969. He spent the next four years as a Lecturer in Physics at Makerere University in Uganda and a further year as a Post- Doctoral Fellow back at Cambridge before joining the staff of the Physics department at TCD in 1974. His interest in cuneiform and Hincks arose from a wonderful talk by Irving Finkel.