Sir Henry Rawlinson. Portrait of the English diplomat and Assyriologist, Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (1810-1895). Rawlinson, regarded as the father of Assyriology, is famous for his excavat- ions and translation of cuneiform scripts in the region of Persia. From 1827-1849 he served in the army of the East India Company and held various governmental posts in other parts of Asia. During this time he deciphered the old Persian portion of the trilingual cuneiform inscription of Darius the Great at Bisitun, Persia. This feat greatly expanded the knowledge of the ancient Middle East. On his return to England he was knighted (1855) and was later elected to Parliament (1858).