, ▁B anks ▁bought ▁hundreds ▁of ▁c une iform ▁table ts ▁on ▁the ▁market ▁in ▁the ▁closing ▁days ▁of ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire ▁and ▁res old ▁them ▁in ▁small ▁batch es ▁to ▁museum s , ▁libraries , ▁univers ities , ▁and ▁the ological ▁sem in aries , ▁several ▁in ▁Ut ah ▁and ▁the ▁American ▁South west ▁and ▁across ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁These ▁table ts ▁had ▁been ▁d ug ▁up ▁by ▁loc als ▁at ▁sites ▁like ▁T ello h ▁and ▁the ▁many ▁other ▁tells ▁of ▁central ▁Mes op ot am ia . ▁B anks ▁purchased ▁many ▁more ▁c une iform ▁ins cri ptions ▁from ▁a ▁deal er ▁in ▁Ist an bul . ▁The ▁Ott oman ▁government ▁did ▁not ▁reg ulate ▁the ▁trade ▁in ▁such ▁minor ▁anti qu ities . ▁ ▁He ▁wrote ▁a ▁book , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 2 , ▁about ▁his ▁exc av ations ▁of ▁the ▁ancient ▁S umer ian ▁city ▁of ▁Ad ab , ▁located ▁in ▁what ▁is ▁now ▁Bis my a / B ism aya ▁in ▁Ira q . ▁The ▁book ▁contains ▁l ively ▁accounts ▁of ▁his ▁exc av ations ▁in ▁Ad ab ▁and ▁discover ies ▁of ▁a ▁sequence ▁of ▁buildings ▁from ▁the ▁pre histor ic ▁into ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁Ur - N am mu ▁in ▁the ▁ancient ▁S umer ian ▁city . ▁It ▁details ▁also ▁his ▁extensive ▁exped itions ▁in ▁the ▁region ▁and ▁strugg les ▁with ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁b ureau c racy ▁who , ▁though ▁he ▁had ▁been ▁fund ed ▁for ▁an ▁expedition ▁to ▁the