Lesley Adkins

Lesley Adkins, an archaeologist and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, is the author of several books on archaeology and ancient history, including The Keys of Egypt, written with her husband Roy Adkins and published to acclaim in 2000. This is the gripping tale of Jean-François Champollion and his decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs, set against a background of late 18th and early 19th-century France and Egypt.

Her latest book, this time as sole author, is Empires of the Plain, a biography of Henry Rawlinson, a fearless soldier, gifted sportsman, brilliant linguist and tireless explorer. The book details Rawlinson’s tremendous achievement in copying and deciphering ancient cuneiform writing, as well as his adventures and discoveries in what is today India, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Lesley lives near Exeter in Devon. She has a degree in archaeology, ancient history and Latin from the University of Bristol. Her previous books include The Handbook of British Archaeology, Introduction to Archaeology, Introduction to the Romans and The Little Book of Egyptian Hieroglyphs.