KING, Leonard William. London 8.12.1869 — 20.8.1919. British Archaeologist and Assyriologist. Professor in London. Son of Robert King (d. 1886) and Mary Scarborough, educated at Rugby and King’s College, Cambridge (B.A. 1891, M.A. 1895, D.litt. 1914). From 1892 in British Museum, working under Wallis Budge, from 1913 Assistant Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities. In 1910-15 Lecturer and 1915-19 Professor of Assyrian and Babylonian Archaeology at King’s College, University of London. In 1901 he was sent to Mesopotamia and conducted excavations for the Museum at Quyunjuk. In 1904 —> R. C. Thompson became his Assistant and together they visited Behistun and made copies of the trilingual inscriptions. Died in complications of a vaccination when planning to go to excavate Eridu and Ur. Married 1906 Anna Burke, one daughter, one son.
Publications: Edited: Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in British Museum. Vols. 1, 1896, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, 15, 21, 24-26, 29 & 32-34.
– Babylonian Magic and Sorcery. 31+199 p. L. 1895; The Letters and Inscriptions of Khammurabi. 1-3. L. 1898-1900; Babylonian Religion and Mythology. 16+220 p. L. 1899; The Seven Tablets of Creation. 1-2. L. 1902; Annals of the Kings of Assyria. L. 1903; Records of the Reign of Tukulti-Ninib I. 17+185 p. L. 1904; Chronicles concerning Early Babylonian Kings. 1-2. L. 1907; some further works.
– With R. C. Thompson: The Sculptures and Inscriptions of Darius the Great on the Rock of Behistûn. 82+223 p. L. 1907.
– History of Sumer, Akkad (Babylonia) and Assyria. 1-2. 1910-15 (3 never appeared).
– Babylonian Boundary-stones. 17+136 p. 1 pl. L. 1912; Bronze Reliefs from the Gate of Shalmaneser. 1915.
– The Legends of Egypt and Babylonia in relation to Hebrew Tradition. 9+155 p. L. 1916.
Sources: R.W. Rogers, Am. J. of Semitic Lang. & Lit. 36, 1920, 89-94; *R.C. Thompson, JRAS 1919, 625f.; Who Was Who; Wallis Budge, Rice and Progress of Assyriology 37f., 175-178; not in D.N.B.; Wikipedia briefly.
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