Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of BabylonHow 19th century soldier, adventurer and scholar Henry Rawlinson deciphered cuneiform, the worlds earliest writing, and rediscovered Iraq's ancient civilisations. This is the exciting, true adventure story of Henry Rawlinson, a fearless soldier, sportsman and explorer. From 1827 he spent twenty five years in India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. A brilliant linguist, fascinated by history, he became obsessed with cuneiform, the worlds earliest writing.