ABSTRACT
We know surprisingly little about Botta. There are only brief biographical notes available dealing with his life and personality, he appears only in some French biographical lexica, and is usually passed over in the great national encyclopaedias. When he is mentioned, his work is often summed up in a few kind sentences, and he disappeared completely from public life and archaeological activities at a very early stage. He seems almost to have been erased from history. And yet, his accomplishment was quite unique and he created one of the greatest archaeological sensations of all time.
