Papers of David Gordon Lyon

David Gordon Lyon, Hollis Professor of Divinity (1882-1910) and Hancock Professor of Hebrew and other Oriental Languages (1910-1922), was a noted Assyriologist and scholar of Semitic languages and culture.

Lyon was born on May 24, 1852 in Benton, Alabama to Doctor Isaac Lyon and Sarah Caroline (Arnold) Lyon. His undergraduate education began at William Jewell College (1869-1872) and continued at Howard College (1872-1875) where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. An interest in Hebrew and other Semitic languages lead Lyon to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1876-1879) and to the University of Leipzig (1879-1882). At Leipzig, Lyon took special courses in Semitic philology and he developed an interest in Assyrian research. His doctoral thesis, Keilschrifttexte Sargons Königs von Assyrien, included the cuneiform text, translation, and a commentary on the inscriptions of Sargon, King of Assyria.

Lyon had a long and distinguished career at Harvard University. He became the first professor of Assyriology in the United States when he was appointed the Hollis Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School. In 1910, Lyon became the Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages. He served as chairman of the Division of Semitic Languages and History from 1910 to 1922. In 1901, he was given an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.

During his forty years at Harvard, Lyon lectured extensively on the history and culture of Assyria and Babylon. He offered courses in the Old Testament, the History of Israel, Assyrian antiquities, and cuneiform inscriptions. Moreover, he taught a number of linguistic courses that included the study of Hebrew, Assyrian, Syriac, and Aramaic languages. Lyon became noted for his research and writings about Semitic language and culture. He helped to establish the Division of Semitic Languages and History at Harvard and through his singular efforts Harvard became the first university in the United States to engage in excavations in Palestine.

Lyon's interests were not confined to the Bible and Semitic philology. He was also interested in the archaeology of the Near East. As a result, in the late 1880's, Lyon conceived the idea of establishing a Semitic Museum at Harvard University. In 1887, he obtained the funding to purchase two collections of Babylonian tablets, items which later became the nucleus of his new museum. In 1890, Lyon began what became a forty-year quest, the purchase of archaeological artifacts from Europe and the Middle East. During his tenure as curator of the Museum (1891-1922), Lyon oversaw the design and construction of the museum building and the development of its collections. He solicited funds for books, excavations, exhibits, publications, and staff. In 1922, upon retirement from Harvard, he was made honorary curator of the museum and served in this capacity until 1931.

In his addition to his duties at Harvard, Lyon served as Director of the American School for Oriental Research in Jerusalem from 1906 to 1907. As director, he traveled to Palestine and oversaw the excavations at Samaria. Over the years, Lyon continued to assist and promote the archaeological exploration of the Middle East, and in 1927, with the cooperation of the Fogg Art Museum, Lyon helped organize the Harvard-Baghdad School Expedition to Nuzi, near Kirkuk, Iraq.

Although Lyon was recognized as one of the foremost Semitic scholars in the country, he did not write widely on the topic. Some of his more prominent publications were An Assyrian Manual for the Use of Beginners in the Study of the Assyrian Language (1886), Harvard Excavations of Samaria, 1908-1910 (1924), and Studies in the History of Religion (1912). Lyon also published studies of the Hammurabi Code (1904, 1912) and translations of ancient Hebrew tablets that were discovered in Palestine (1930). Finally, Lyon served as an editor for the Harvard Semitic Series from 1912 to 1934.

Lyon was a member of the American Oriental Society and served as its recording secretary from 1886 to 1895. He was correspondence secretary (1894-1899) and president (1910) of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis. Lyon was also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 1883, Lyon married Tosca Woehler of Leipzig, Germany. Tosca died in 1904. In 1910, Lyon married Mabel Everett Harris. Mabel died in 1931. David and Mabel had one son: David Gordon Jr.

David Gordon Lyon died on December 4, 1935 after a brief illness.

David Gordon Lyon was noted for his exacting standards and his attention to detail. He was considered a kindly and dignified southern gentlemen. He commanded the respect of acquaintances and friends and was popular among his students. His religious upbringing made a lasting impression upon Lyon and he became a devout member of the Baptist Church. He wrote poetry and prose in his private moments and was devoted to his family. In 1934, Lyon was honored by the Semitic Museum when his portrait was hung among those of the founders of the institution, a gift from his many friends, colleagues, and former students.

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