Artefact in Focus: The Taylor Prism

Posted on August 1, 2026 
Filed under History

From Tyndale House in Cambridge – this page and short video by George Heath-Whyte, Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church College, Oxford.

“The ‘Taylor Prism’ has stood on display in the British Museum for 170 years. Named after Colonel R. Taylor, the British diplomat who purchased it in the 1830s, it is a masterful example of ancient Assyrian cuneiform and craftsmanship, with its six tightly-inscribed columns standing almost 40 cm tall.

Remarkable to look at, it is even more remarkable to read. …”

– Watch the video and read the accompanying story.