A. H. Sayce letters

Archibald Henry Sayce was born in Shirehampton, England, on September 25, 1845. Despite poor health as a child, Sayce was reading Greek classics by the age of ten. In 1858, he began studying Hebrew. Sayce entered Oxford in 1865 where his education was hampered by poor eyesight and failing health. He earned his degree, however, and was elected a fellow and lecturer at Oxford in 1869 and was ordained the following year. Sayce remained a professor at Oxford the rest of his career with substantial sabbaticals. He studied in the Sudan from 1908 to 1910 and in the Far East from 1911 to 1912. Sayce resigned his professorship in 1915. He died on February 4, 1933.

Sayce was known as a student of Ancient Near Eastern civilization and culture, a philologist and Orientalist. He is best known for his work The History of Hebrews. Also of note is Sayce’s work with the Assyrian language.