Georges Raymond Nicolas Albert Roux (; November 16, 1914 – August 12, 1999) was a French writer, author of the popular history books about the

Ancient Near East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran ( Elam, ...

, ''Ancient Iraq'' and ''La Mésopotamie''. Son of a French Army officer, Roux moved with his family to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

at the age of nine where he subsequently lived for 12 years in Syria and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

before returning to France in 1935. Roux was educated by Jesuits in Beirut and studied medicine at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, where he graduated in medicine in 1941 and later studied Oriental studies at

École pratique des hautes études The École pratique des hautes études (), abbreviated EPHE, is a Grand Établissement in Paris, France. It is highly selective, and counted among France's most prestigious research and higher education institutions. It is a constituent college o ...

. In 1950 Roux became a medical officer for the

Iraq Petroleum Company The Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), formerly known as the Turkish Petroleum Company (TPC), is an oil company that had a virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq between 1925 and 1961. It is jointly owned by some of the worl ...

(IPC), spending his first two years in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

and the remainder in Iraq. During his time with the IPC the company produced the magazines ''Iraq Petroleum'' and ''The Crescent'', and Roux was commissioned to produce articles. Through the duration of 1956-1960, Roux published a series of articles, ''The Story of Ancient Iraq''. They form the basis of his later books. After the

14 July Revolution The 14 July Revolution, also known as the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, took place on 14 July 1958 in Iraq, and resulted in the overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq that had been established by King Faisal I in 1921 under the auspices of the B ...

of Iraq in 1958, Roux returned to Europe and headed the International medical department at GlaxoWellcome, retiring in 1980. In 1964, he published in English ''Ancient Iraq'', a book covering the political, cultural, and socioeconomic history of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

. In 1985 he published a fuller French work, ''La Mésopotamie'', but the English book's third edition, of 1992, has further enhancements.

Notable works

* ''Ancient Iraq'' (1964), ; 1992, * ''La Mésopotamie'' (1997),

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roux, Georges French Assyriologists 1914 births 1999 deaths University of Paris alumni French expatriates in Iraq Assyriologists