Layard, Austen Henry

Austen Henry Layard, Esq., DCL (1817-1894) was a traveler, archeologist, art historian, author, and politician. He led a series of excavations in the Middle East, primarily in Persia, from 1845 to 1847. His most famous discovery was the Library of Ashurbanipal in 1849. Layard also served as trustee of the British Museum, where many of his excavated relics still reside on display.