It was acquired by

English translation: it was taken into possession by/obtained by/gotten by

09:49 Nov 6, 2009
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Archaeology / Book for Sunday School teachers
English term or phrase: It was acquired by
The Taylor Prism. Last week we heard how Sennacherib's army moved to Jerusalem, confident that they could easily defeat and humiliate Hezekiah. Perhaps you thought it was just an exciting tale. Other people thought so too until the discovery one day of a hollow, six-sided, brown prism, bearing tiny rows of neat Assyrian writing. ***It was acquired by*** Colonel Taylor in 1830 in Nineveh. This prism was Sennacherib's official record, written by his officers. It gives the Assyrian king's version of what took place in Jerusalem in 701 BC (the events recorded in the Bible in 2 Kings 18.13--19.35).

Somebody knows if acquired here means that Colonel Taylor bought it from someone, or simply discovered it?
Ana Juliá
Spain
Local time: 12:04
Selected answer:it was taken into possession by/obtained by/gotten by
Explanation:
I interpreted "it was acquired by" as per the above since the verb " to acquire" means to take possession of, to get.
Selected response from:

Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 18:04
Grading comment
Thank you all
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6it was taken into possession by/obtained by/gotten by
Joyce A
Summary of reference entries provided
Discovered
ibz

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
it was acquired by
it was taken into possession by/obtained by/gotten by


Explanation:
I interpreted "it was acquired by" as per the above since the verb " to acquire" means to take possession of, to get.

Joyce A
Thailand
Local time: 18:04
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Grading comment
Thank you all

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gary D: Generally when some one "Acquires" it is done by devious methods
48 mins
  -> Thank you, Gary. Oh my! (regarding devious) But, acquire is a term used by legitimate auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's. However, I also am familiar with devious acquisitions, too.

agree  Rolf Keiser: Gary makes a valid point
1 hr
  -> Thank you, Goldcoaster. I agree.

neutral  B D Finch: "Taken into possession" is rather laboured and "gotten by" is US (bur not UK) English. I disagree absolutely with Gary's comment. It is perfectly respectable to "acquire" something and it frequently means aquisition by purchase.
1 hr
  -> DB Finch. Thank you for your opinion on "acquire"...Antique and art collectors "acquire" pieces all the time.

agree  Liam Hamilton
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Liam.

neutral  Veronika McLaren: agree with B D Finch re "acquire"
4 hrs
  -> Thank you, Veronika.

agree  jccantrell: With Finch, he could have bought it. In any case, he had it in his possession.
4 hrs
  -> Thank you, jccantrell.

agree  George C.
8 hrs
  -> Thank you, solarstone.

agree  Alfa Trans (X)
2 days 10 hrs
  -> Thank you, Marju.
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Reference comments


17 mins peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: Discovered

Reference information:
According to Wikipedia as well as the link cited below, the prism was discovered by Colonel Taylor.
Hdh,
Irene

Example sentence(s):
  • http://www.bible-history.com/empires/prism.html
ibz
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  B D Finch: Absolutely! This really required minimal research (not putting down your contribution in the slightest). Of course, in those days the British considered that treasure trove applied to Britain only and elsewhere "finders keepers" applied (to themselves).
1 hr
  -> Thank you! That's why I didn't post it as an answer and just as a comment ...
agree  Veronika McLaren: probably the best option, the passive voice is otherwise awkward
4 hrs
neutral  jccantrell: Discovered, Wiki or not, sounds like he was walking in the desert and just picked it up. Acquired needs some sort of effort (or money), imo.
5 hrs
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