BOTTA, Pam. EMILE, a distinguished French archmologist and traveler, the son of the preceding, was b. in 1805. While yet young, lie undertook a voyage round the world, and remained long about the western coasts of America, where lie zealously collected treasures of natural history. In the year 1830 he went to Egypt, where he entered into the service Of Mehemet All as a physician, and in this capacity accom panied the Egyptian expedition to Scanner. Here he formed a very considerable 7.bological collection, with which Inc returned to Cairo in 1833. The French govern ment now appointed him consul in Alexandria, from which he undertook a journey to Arabia. the results of which he gave to the world in a work entitled Relation, d'un Foyaus dans rY his n, ent•epris 1837, pour Is Museum d'IleWoire Naturals de Paris (Par. 1814). From Alexandria the government sent hint its consular agent to Mosul, and at this place. at the instigation of the German orientalist .1u1*. 3Iohl. he commenced a series of ml:seoveries which form an epoch in arelerologieal science. Early in the spring of 1841. B. began his in the heaps of ruins near the Tigris. for monuments of Assvvian antiquity, and the Journal Ashitique soon contained accounts of the sue Mai with which his enterpriSe and 'perseverance- were rewardc4 and also disquisi Lions on the extremely difficult subject of the cuneiform writing of the Assyrians, which afterwards appeared as a separate publication under the title, Armoires de l'Ecriture 6vneiforme Asqrienne (Par. 1848). The French government took up the mat
ter warmly; a practiced draughtsman was sent out for the purpose of making sketches upon the spot of the sculptures on alabaster, so apt to fall to pieces; and a commission of learned men was appointed, for the purpose of conducting the publication of a mag uificent work, which shortly afterwards appeared under the special super intendence of B. himself, with the title, Monument de Ninite, decourert et decrit par Botta, mesure et dessine par Flandin (Par. 1849-50). In 1848, he published the Inscrip tions decouvertes horsabad. In 1846, B. was appointed consul at Jerusalem, and in 1857 at Tripoli. Be returned to France in 1868, and died at AcUraaa, near Poissy, in 1870. Although in abundance of results B. was far exceeded by Layard (q.v.),--yet he certainly deserves.,the -praise of having laid the foundation of Assyrian urchxology. See AssYRIA.