The fascinating man known as T.E. Lawrence, born of an adulterous Irish landowner who had run off with his mistress, to Wales. Lawrence was one of 5 boys born of this sinful relationship. Interestingly enough, they were a devout Christian family, with strong bonds to each other, worshipping in an evangelical church. Due to this relationship, Lawrence’s family was forced to move around often, this led Lawrence to experience many new places, and differing local cultures. This may have been the spark that lit his fuse into a fascination with the past. Attending school at Jesus College in Oxford, Lawrence, an honors student, decided to go on a 1000 mile walk around Syria in order to write his thesis paper on medieval castles from the crusades. This was the beginning of his archaeological career and working for the British Museum.
Spending several years in the middle east, learning its people and culture made him a great asset to Great Britain when World War I broke out and the British went to war against the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence having mastered the language and the culture was perfect for the job of Liaison between the British government and Arabs under the control of the Ottomans. Britain’s goal being to convince the Arab peoples to rise up against the ottomans and to help the British secure victory in the region. Lawrence was a masterful tactician and fought bravely and valiantly alongside the Arabs whom he courted. The Arabs had a deep trust and appreciation for Lawrence, as someone who had adopted their language, culture, and even their dress. Lawrence was known to truly have a love for the Arabs. Even lobbying for them against the British government to secure their independence after the war.
After the war Lawrence went on to publish a book, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which detailed his exploits in Arabia, making him even more popular and giving him the nickname, Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence being uncomfortable with all the popularity had his name changed and even went on to join the Royal Air Force under the new alias. Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence, was a man that led an exceptional life, and this introduction has done little to shine a light on his exploits, his importance to archeology, his service to the crown, and his fight for the people of Arabia. The following pages will explore his childhood and schooling, his archeology career, his military career, and the post war years leading to his death. As you continue reading, you will be immersed in the greatness that was Lawrence of Arabia.
“You wonder what I am doing? Well, so do I, in truth. Days seem to dawn, suns seem to shine, evenings to follow, and then I sleep. What have I done, what am I doing, what am I going to do, puzzle and bewilder me. Have you ever been a leaf and fallen from your tree in autumn and been really puzzled about it? That’s the feeling.” _T.E. Lawrence. (T.E. Lawrence to artist Eric Kennington, May 1935)
1888-1914
Thomas Edward Lawrence was born in Tremadog, Wales on August 16th 1888 to Thomas Robert Tighe Chapman and his mistress Sarah Junner. In the year of 1896 The Lawrence’s moved to Oxford English, for the purpose of the children attending the city of Oxford High School. “At the age of 15, he and a friend completed a survey of parish churches in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire, and monitored building sites in Oxford to ensure that any antiquities found were properly catalogued and presented to the Ashmolean Museum.”[1] From 1907 to 1910 he toured France taking photos, making drawings, and taking measurements of medieval castles. In 1909 he traveled 1000 miles across Syria to study crusader castles. From 1911-1914 T.E. Lawrence was a junior archeologist employed by the British Museum and had become an expert at all things Arabian. From the information he gathered in these years, Lawrence wrote his honors B.A. dissertation. It was during this time, in 1909, that Lawrence had a dream of religious peace in the middle east.
In a letter dated to August 2, 1909, he explained, “Galilee was the most Romanized province of Palestine. Also the country was well peopled, and well watered artificially: There were not twenty miles of thistles behind Capernaum! And on the way round the lake they did not come upon dirty, dilapidated Bedouin tents, with the people calling to them to come in and talk, while miserable curs came snapping at their heels: Palestine was a decent country then, and could so easily be made so again. The sooner the Jews farm it all the better: Their colonies are bright spots in a desert.[2]
In 1910 Lawrence was brought to Jerablus, Syria to an archeological dig being done at the site of Carchemish. This was the eastern capital of the Hittite empire that was mentioned many times in the Old Testament. Lawrence went to work photographing, cataloguing, and buying antiquities. The worked he helped do paved the way for future studies of the Hittites. During this time, he also helped to cover up a spying expedition on behalf of the British government.
“In December 1913 a telegram from the British Museum directed Woolley and Lawrence to join Captain Stewart Newcombe of the Royal Engineers in Beersheva, then part of Palestine, for a six-week survey. On the surface, the expedition was archaeological…”[3] This expedition known as the Wilderness of Zin survey, was approved by the ottoman Turkish government. This while, producing archeological results, was the perfect cover to gain intelligence on Turkish army fortifications, topography as we as supply lines for the Turks in the southern Palestine area.
In 1914 Lawrence was again sent on an expedition for the army. This time to the mountains near the site of Carchemish, to spy on Germans building a railroad. By chance they were able to acquire the blueprints to the railroad from an angry engineer. Back in England, the war broke out forcing Lawrence to finish his report quickly to give the appearance of a legitimate archaeological expedition for research purposes only. Maps and photo’s taken from the expedition were sent straight to the British army. Amazingly enough this brief and rushed spy trip produced one of the most important archaeological report in biblical archaeology and is still used today, called The Wilderness of Zin. This report identified and put to rest argument of where the Hebrew people camped at while Moses sent spies into Canaan..
The Wilderness of Zin was a true gem to archaeology, it expanded the fields knowledge of Nabtean and Byzantine sites around Beersheva. The Nabateans were a fascinating people, only disappearing from history after the Roman occupation. They built cited from Petra in Jordan all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. They were masters of engineering water and desert farmers as wellbeing prominent traders in the southern Palestine region. So incredible was their engineering, farming, and so important their cites, that after Rome fell and the Byzantines took over the area, the Byzantines, fortified the cities, repaired the infrastructure, and adopted their farming techniques. The Byzantines also continued using the ancient cited as trading hubs in the desert. Because of this when Lawrence and fellow archeologist Wooley made a survey of the region, all they were able to find were the artifacts of the Byzantine’s. So extensive was Lawrence’s mapping of the area, only in the 1930’s when another expedition led by H.D. Colt, only very minor details of the maps had to be corrected. After the outbreak of War, Lawrence served in the geographical section of the war office in London. Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he was sent to Cairo, Egypt to work in military intelligence
1915-1926
The British used Lawrence as a liaison to the Arabs living under Turkish rule. Their goal was to incite the Arab populations into a revolt against the Turks, prompting the Turkish army to to open up a second front to deal with the insurrection. The tactic worked and Lawrence joined Prince Faisal al Husavn in a revolt, as a political liaison, against the Turks. During this period of his life, Lawrence accomplished some of the feats that he later became most famous over. In one instance Lawrence marched with the Arab army across the northern Arabia desert, a difficult and risky move, catching the Turkish army by surprise and capturing the city of Aqaba. Lawrence also infiltrated and got behind enemy lines, by himself, to meet with the Governor of Damascus, Ali Riza Pasha, who was helping Lawrence and Prince Faisal against the Turks. Lawrence also mastered the guerrilla type warfare still used today, the hit and run. He also perfected the use of propaganda that would be imitated many times in the history of the world that followed.
At the 1919 Paris Conference, Lawrence was the interpreter and negotiator between the Jews and the Arabs, Chaim Weizmann, and Prince Feisal respectively. Lawrence got both sides to come together and reach an agreement to help each other and to work together on building the region. This was the only treaty ever signed between these two parties until 1978 at the Camp David accords. This alone was a testament to Lawrence’s trust that he gained from the Arab people. This was not meant to be as Syria which was promised to the Arabs, was ceded over to France after the war, whereby terminating this deal between the Jews and the Arabs. Lawrence went to bat lobbying for an independent Arab nation even politely refusing his distinguished service cross from King George V in protest for the Arabs.
After the war ended Lawrence began to work on his bibliography The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He completed his work in 1926 and “was published shortly thereafter, becoming known for its vivid descriptions of the incredible breadth and variety of Lawrence's activities in Arabia. The work garnered international fame for Lawrence, who was aptly dubbed Lawrence of Arabia.”[4]
1927-1935
In 1927 T.E. Lawrence release Revolt in the Desert, unabridged for the public. Being sent to Karachi, India and then to near the Afghan border. While there he wrote The Mint and began to work on the translation of Homer’s Odyssey. After being reported to be involved in an Afghan insurrection he was back to England and stationed in Plymouth. From 1931-1935 Lawrence served in the Royal Airforce working on the development of high speed rescue boat, after witnessing a terrible crash involving a Royal Air Force flying boat. Retiring from The Royal Air Force in 1935 Lawrence decided to travel by motorcycle across England to Clouds Hill. Along the way he was involved in a motorcycle accident which out him in a coma, never regaining consciousness. “ Lawrence was buried at Moreton, Dorset. His funeral was attended by a large crowd including Winston Churchill, writers and artists including Augustus John, Eric Kennington and Siegfried Sassoon, and friends from his service days.”[5] “After his death his reputation continued to grow and, in 1962, a Hollywood Blockbuster Lawrence of Arabia was made about his life”[6]
This is the story of T.E. Lawrence. A man of adventure, of service, of science, and of intellect. There are few people that have lived a life of such sustenance and experience. Reading through the points of his life, I have found a fascination with Lawrence of Arabia and have continued to read on him, even after researching this paper. He had amazing discoveries in the middle east as well as his impressive documentations of medieval castles. Lawrence a man of politics, and of military action, fighting battles, infiltrating enemy lines, and completing espionage missions for the crown. Thomas Edward Lawrence is a mixture of Indiana Jones and James Bond, I have no doubt he would have been behind the lines of Nazi Germany researching a castle while spying. T.E. Lawrence, accomplished many great feats, emblazoning the early years of Archeology with research that is till used and quoted to this day. Lawrence used his intellect and outstanding ability to adapt to make friends from England to the Middle East.
Lawrence demonstrated his abilities to adapt and overcome any situation, surviving being captured, intelligent enough to learn multiple languages and assimilating into a new culture. Lawrence proved his loyalty in fighting for the rights of the Arabians and his discipline in serving the crown, more than once. I small interesting fact is when he joined the RAF he did so under an assumed name in order to get out of the spotlight. Lawrence of Arabia lead a unique life, from the circumstance surrounding his parents and his birth, to his childhood and college years. He achieved many things by just the age of 15 and went on exploring, spying, fighting, and learning. He was well read and well written, publishing scientific papers still used today, and writing several books that are still read to this day. He was a man of importance and of mystery always expanding his own knowledge while helping the world expand theirs. Lawrence was, and still is, a man to be respected, he will always be Lawrence of Arabia.
[1] "Lawrence of Arabia: The Man behind the Robes." National Army Museum. Accessed February 20, 2019. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/lawrence-arabia-man-behind-robes.
[2] Bohstrom, Philippe, Amir, Yaniv Kubovich13, Yossi Verter9, Allison Kaplan, Bradley, Amir, Ruth Schusteryesterday, Adam Langlebenyesterday, David Rosenbergyesterday, Chaim Levinson22, Amir Tibonyesterday, and Noa. "Lawrence of Arabia's Bullet Found, Proves He Didn't Lie." Haaretz.com. April 10, 2018. Accessed February 20, 2019. https://www.haaretz.com/archaeology/archaeologist-finds-lawrence-of-arabia-s-bullet-1.5428183
[3] Tabachnick, Stephen E. "Lawrence of Arabia as Archaeologist." Biblical Archaeology Society. June 22, 2018. Accessed February 20, 2019. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/archaeology-today/archaeologists-biblical-scholars-works/lawrence-of-arabia-as-archaeologist/.
[4] "T.E. Lawrence." Biography.com. September 09, 2015. Accessed February 20, 2019. https://www.biography.com/people/te-lawrence-38617.
[5] "T. E. Lawrence Society." T E Lawrence Society. Accessed February 20, 2019. http://www.telsociety.org.uk/about-lawrence/.
[6] "Who Was Lawrence Of Arabia?" Imperial War Museums. June 26, 2018. Accessed February 20, 2019. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/who-was-lawrence-of-arabia