Albert von Le Coq was a German archaeologist and explorer of Central Asia. He was heir to a sizable fortune derived from breweries and wineries scattered throughout Central and Eastern Europe, thus allowing him the luxury of travel and study at the - no longer existing - Ethnology Museum (German: Museum f?r V?lkerkunde) in Berlin. Serving as assistant to the head of the Museum, Professor Albert Gr?nwedel, Le Coq helped plan and organize expeditions into the regions of western Asia, specifically areas near the Silk Road such as Gaochang. When Gr?nwedel fell ill before the departure of the second expedition, Le Coq was assigned to lead it. His account of the second and third German Turpan expeditions was published in English in 1928 as 'Buried Treasures of Chinese Turkestan'. He is remembered by generations of Chinese archaeiologists and historians as one of the 'looters' of that nation's history, especially at the Bezeklik Caves.