Edward Hincks

Edward Hincks ( born August 19, 1792 in Cork, Ireland, † December 3, 1866 in Killyleagh ) was an Irish Assyriologist and one of the earliest cryptanalysts of cuneiform.

Hincks studied from 1807 to 1811 at Trinity College, Dublin and in 1825 the Protestant rector in Killyleagh ( County Down ). Since 1833, he dealt with hieroglyphic studies, which he published in 12 papers in the Dublin University Review and in the Memoirs of the Irish Academy of Sciences. The discovery of the remains of the city of Nineveh in 1846 and the resulting correspondence with Austen Henry Layard led him to deal with the cuneiform, in the deciphering of which he pioneered worked with brilliant acumen. He first recognized the syllabic character of the Assyrian script, read the name of Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, and a large number of non- Assyrian proper names, said a lot of words and phrases. Furthermore, he occupied himself with historical and archaeological questions that he laid down in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy in particular. Because of his scientific contributions to the decipherment of cuneiform Hincks was taken on May 31, 1863 in the Prussian Order Pour le Mérite for Arts and Science as a foreign member.

Writings

• On Assyrian verbs. In: Journal of Sacred Literature. (1855-1856)
• Specimen chapter of an Assyrian grammar. In: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.