Reviews (15)

richcontent,easy to read
The Sumerians is a very interesting book about ancient Mesopotamia andSumerian civilisation.
The best source of information on Sumeria
This is one of the best books ever written on any ancient culture. One of the nicest things is extended passages from original source documents. Frequently books written on ancient civilizations only give very brief excerpts. I have given this book as a gift to friends and family and highly recommend it to everyone.

Please take caution with one of the reviews
Do not bother with the nazist review you will find below. L.A. Waddell was a crackpot with no formal training in Assiriology, and a typical old-fashioned german anti-semite, full of aryan theories and praise for ''the great white warriors''. It's very disturbing for a foreigner to see how anti-semitism has poured into almost all fields of learning - even Ancient Near-East studies. And his rather demented theories have been dead for decades, by the way. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. General    4. Sociology    5. Sumerians    6. Middle & Near Eastern archaeology    7. Travel / Essays & Travelogues    8. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (15)

This is the one scholars quote from . . .
A collection of the major Mesopotamian myths translated by a respected scholar.This is an excellent source for those desiring an authoritative translation.Even so, these myths can be somewhat awkward to read given Dalley's use of square brackets to indicate gaps in the text and omission dots to indicate an unknown word or phrase.No doubt these are accepted academic techniques for translating ancient texts, but I do hope someone will come along and render these myths in a more enthralling format.For just such an example of how ancient texts can be made to come alive for the modern reader, see "Gilgamesh: A New English Version" by Stephen Mitchell .Nonetheless, I give Dalley five stars, but also highly, highly recommend Mitchell's new version of Gilgamesh.

Very Interesting
This is a thorough compilation of Akkadian myths.These are modern translations based on up to date scholarship.While Dalley does a good job of bringing out the poetry of these myths, these are direct translations of the original texts showing all omissions and as yet untranslated words and phrases.This approach gives a very good idea of both the character of the myths and also of the difficulties encountered by scholars in reconstructing these texts from the fragmentary available records.Readers will end numerous echoes of better known myths in these translations.The introductoryessays, footnotes, and background information are excellent.

Great Collection Of Early Mesopotamian Literature
This is an excellent collection of several ancient Mesopotamian mythical stories.The original sources used for these translations were all written in Akkadian (which includes Semitic Babylonian and Assyrian dialects).Included in this collection are "Atrahasis", "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (standard and Old Babylonian versions), "The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld", "Nergal and Ereshkigal" (standard and Amarna versions), "Adapa", "Etana", "Anzu" (standard and Old Babylonian versions), "The Epic of Creation", "Theogony of Dunnu", and "Erra and Ishum".
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Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Comparative Religion    3. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    4. Folklore & Mythology    5. Literary Criticism    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics    8. Mythology, Assyro-Babylonian    9. Alternative belief systems    10. Anthropology | Folklore    11. British Isles    12. Myths & mythology    13. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    14. Social Science / Folklore & Mythology   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient Archaeology    3. General    4. Hamito-Semitic Languages    5. Literary Collections    6. Literary Criticism    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Literature: Classics    9. History / Ancient / General    10. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    11. Semitic languages   

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Architecture    2. Architecture    3. City planning    4. Forecasting    5. General    6. History - General    7. Philosophy Of Architecture    8. Planning    9. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    10. Research    11. Architectural structure & design    12. Architecture / General    13. Theory of architecture   

Reviews (7)

A paradigm shift for Assyriology?
"Ancient Mesopotamia" struck me as being a wake-up call to Assyriologists to get their act together regarding the study of Mesopotamia.In his preface and introduction, Oppenheim bewails the Western bias of Assyriology and its imminent fossilization if things didn't change.It seemed to me that the crux of Oppenheim's argument was that the field's emphasis on the humanities put undue focus on the surviving literary texts, which as he pointed out, make up only a tiny fraction of the cuneiform tablets that the ancients deemed worthy of collecting in their libraries.As a result, in our attempts to understand Mesopotamian culture, too much importance may have been placed on texts that were not even part of the "mainstream of tradition".Even if we ignore this difficulty, Oppenheim argued that using literary techniques to study these texts ignores the possibility that the tablets had an altogether different meaning for the ancient Mesopotamians than just "great literature".
more racism whats next, white ppl come from a differ planet
This is just another sad attempt to put Euro-asia ahead of Africa.The reason why there are not a lot of artifacts which would show that mesopotamia is older than Eypt is the same reason why a few racist moronic (pretend) scholars would go out of their way to make up false claims.For the record, migration started from Africa to Euro-Asia and before then, Africa had already produced its pyramids in its mother country of Nubia, or Sudanic territory (black negroids), and its agriculture through out the continent.Come on ppl lets get beyond ones short comings, besides, there is more validation for hinduism coming from the iranian aryans.Who in turn receive their influences from the contact of African so called animist, which in fact is the belief that everything is the supreme source in a loop sequence of vibrating which is believe to be the only way the sun gods, rock gods, animal gods, human gods(neteru), etc., can exist.It was the greeks,iranian aryans who took this knowledge out of context, as they were the ones who were truly polytheistic in their beginning, as they treated there different gods as seperate beings who existed independant of one another.Hindu, and greek mythology went through a change once the invading Europeans were reeducated by the Egyptians, and Dravidians influences which in the beginning they were accused of being inferior civilizations with lame gods, but more likely it was just the ignorant outside view, as proved.Mesopotamians were a combination of African negroids (Sudanic-Nubians), Mediterranean Indo-Euro's, and pre-nomadic Arabs(the offspring of different ethnic groups).The teachings were concentrated around the African stories of civilization from beings of a different world which can be dated earlier in African stories throughout South Africa spreading up to the later north, east, and central migrations.The Ancient Africans claim to have gotten their knowledge about space-time, geometrics of objects, and consciousness being absolute, from these beings, inwhich the universe was said to exist psycho-physically, from a supreme being that was absolute conscious reality.Not all Africans societies receive the exact same knowledge so this is why it varies, other reasons were do to fueds domestically and abroad.There is no evidence that Mesopotamians invaded South Africa and brought there knowledge and stories with them of e.t visitors, but the migration from Africa to Euro-Asia supports the latter.The sad truth is the more that white racist try to seperate themselves from their source they will only reveal it more.

Classic Introduction
Georges Roux's outstanding book on ancient Iraq - which opens my eyes - seems amateurish compared to this one - probably the single best introduction to ancient Mesopotamia written in the English language.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Civilization    4. Civilization, Assyro-Babylonia    5. History    6. History: World    7. Iraq    8. To 634    9. Ancient Near East    10. Archaeology    11. History / Civilization    12. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world    13. Mesopotamia   

Reviews (1)

Triumph and Tragedy in the Christian East
One of the most intriguing and in the end most tragic stories in all of Church history is that of the Church of the East. This church, with its roots in those churches existing outside the Roman Empire once had millions of followers stretching from what is now Iraq to China and possibly Japan. Yet by the twentieth century all that was left of this once vast communion were scattered communities of ethnic Assyrians and Indians with the distinct possibility of complete disintegration. The tale of its birth, rise, fall, and recent signs of rebirth is one all of the Church needs to hear.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient World History    3. Christianity    4. Christianity - History - General    5. Religion    6. Religion - Church History    7. Early Church    8. Religion / Church History   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Social Science    3. Sociology    4. Sociology - Urban    5. Ancient Greece    6. Ancient Rome    7. China    8. Cities and towns - History    9. Europe    10. Human geography    11. Japan    12. Mesopotamia    13. Middle East    14. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural    15. Urban communities   

Reviews (1)

New, small paperback teaches Judaism
Thoroughly readable, yet acknowledging scholarly differences, FROM MESOPOTAMIA TO MODERNITY presents the history and literature of Judaism from Tanakh to the State of Israel in 245 pages. The instructor can basean adult education series, an undergraduate course or a graduate seminar onthis book, its references and other sources as s/he chooses. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History and criticism    5. History: World    6. Jewish - General    7. Jewish literature    8. Jews    9. Judaism    10. World - General    11. Jewish studies    12. Literary studies: general   

Reviews (3)

I find it still helpful
Because there is so little covering Mesopotamia, I still find this book helpful even if it is not as good as the others in this series. It would be nice if more resources were written on the ancient Mesopotamian culture, especially considering what is happening today. Meanwhile, we will use what we can, including this book, in our homeschooling. We use all the books of this series, the 'Gilgamesh' series by Ludmila Zeman, "Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors-An Activity Guide (including Hittites, Nubians, Mesopotamians and Egyptians), and "Our Young Folks' Josephus" (primary history spine covering Israel and its relationship with the surrounding cultures of that time) in our homeschool. It works well for us.

Disappointing
The editorial review of this series from School Library Journal is wrong.The new editions of these books do not "expand greatly" on the original 1988 editions; they greatly contract.The 1988 edition of the books on Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia had eight chapters and 92 pages.This new edition gives them only only six chapters and 64 pages, and the word count per page is reduced. Indeed color pictures and illustrations were added and the glossary expanded, but the text is reduced to about two thirds of the original.Students are better off reading the original editions in the Watts "First Book" series.

Pretty pictures, but not much text
This book is part of the Science of the Past series. This book examines the Mesopotamians' knowledge of medicine, mathematics, astronomy and metallurgy. It concludes with a glossary, and a list of Internet sites.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Science    3. Children: Grades 2-3    4. History    5. History - Other    6. Iraq    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. People & Places - Mexico    10. Science    11. Science & Nature - General    12. Science & Technology - General    13. Science, Ancient    14. Sumerians   

Reviews (2)

What life was like for the people of Ancient Mesopotamia
"Ancient Mesopotamia: The Sumerians, Babylonian, and Assyrians" would be considered the first volume in the People of the Ancient World series since it deals with the three ancient civilizations that thrived in the Fertile Crescent.These are usually the first civilizations you learn about when you study World History, as this part of the globe is known as the Cradle of Civilization.The goal of the books in this series is to portray what life was like for the different parts of its society, so rather than organizing the book by cultures, Virginia Schomp looks at the various social strata of these societies.She starts at the top with the warrior-kings, nobles, government officials, and priests, then looks at the merchants and traders, artisans and artists, before moving down to the peasant farmers, soldiers and slaves.Attention is also paid to the doctors and scientists, scribes and poets, who represented the cutting edge of these civilizations.
Solid information, good illustrations
This book is good for anyone seeking an overview of ancient Mesopotamia.There are plenty of color photographs of artifacts, as well as substantial information that seems to be well-researched.Chapters focus on the daily life of people in different occupations (e.g., Merchants and Traders, Peasant Farmers, Doctors and Scientists).The glossary, biographical dictionary, and timeline (covering the period c. 9000 BC to 539 BC) add to the value of this resource.
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Civilization    4. General    5. History - Ancient    6. History - Asia    7. Iraq    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. To 634   

Editorial Review

At once heartbreaking and inspiring, this remarkable art book seeks to document what was lost when 15,000 objects at Baghdad's Iraq Museum were lost in the 2003 war and the ongoing art destruction. Treasures like the beautiful carved-ivory Mona Lisa of Nimrud survived ten centuries, only to fall victim to chaos and looters, some sent by international art dealers. The scholar authors show that the loss isn't local, it's everybody's. Iraq saw the birth of cities, epic verse, and codified religion; the lions guarding the New York Public Library are esthetic descendants of the smashed terracotta masterpieces of Baghdad. The book is a quickie history course, with 190 handsome color illustrations. Editorially, it's a bit rushed and confusing. But look: these aren't ivory-tower scholars, they're heroes putting themselves on the line to save humanity’s legacy. One had to be rescued from kidnappers with the help of Muqtada al-Sadr. Part of what you pay for the book goes to reconstruct the museum, and the book itself constitutes a kind of virtual museum preserving some works that are lost, and some that will be relocated, in part because it exists. Read more

Reviews (7)

"The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Bagdad -- a Disappointment
Instead of writing about the looting, what was lost, what has since been recovered and how, the various contributors seem to be very busy tell the reader how they had discovered the various items in the museum.If one were interested in discoveries, there are plenty of places to have read about them previously.The book seems to have been put together with minimum thought, poor photos of items that have already been published in much better form.

The Pity of War
As discontent over the continued American presence and the mounting loss of lives of not only soldiers from this country but also from other supporting countries and certainly for the countless loss of civilian lives in Iraq, artists and writers are responding in kind to the woe of war.One of the saddest tragedies of the Iraq invasion was the decimation of the Iraq Museum of Baghdad.Many of the rarest of antiquities housed there are now reduced to dust while others suffered irreparable damage.
Lootng of the Iraq Museum
This edited book offers a summary of archaeology in Iraq and some assessment of the damage done by the Iraq war. It will serve as a basic source, which can be amplified by a growing specialist literature. Useful for students and people teaching about conservation and the archaeology of Mesopotamia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. Archaeological thefts    3. Archaeology    4. Art    5. Civilization    6. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    7. Destruction and pillage    8. General    9. History - General History    10. Iraq    11. Iraq War, 2003    12. Iraq War, 2003-    13. Middle East - General    14. Art / Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    15. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    16. Mesopotamia   

Reviews (1)

Tour de Force
This is a fantastic survey of the problems (and joys) of writing histories of the ancient Near East. This book rewards both novices and scholars in the field! The author is obviously familiar with the most up to datescholarship in Assyriology. The treatment of issues relating tointellectual history and the role of women in antiquity are expeciallysatisfying. Accessible and brief, the editors of the series are to becommended for inlcuding this treatment of the cuneiform world! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Cuneiform inscriptions    3. Cuneiform tablets    4. Historiography    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Iraq    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Linguistics    11. Sources    12. To 634    13. Ancient Near East    14. History / Ancient / General    15. Mesopotamia    16. Palaeography (history of writing)   

Subjects:  1. African    2. Ancient - General    3. Ancient, Classical & Medieval    4. Epic poetry, Assyro-Babylonian    5. Gilgamesh    6. History - General History    7. History and criticism    8. Literary Collections    9. Literary Criticism    10. Ancient Near East    11. Assyro-Babylonian (Akkadian) languages    12. BCE to c 500 CE    13. Classical Studies | Classical Literature in Translation    14. Literary Collections / Ancient, Classical & Medieval    15. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    16. Middle East    17. Myths & mythology    18. Poetry & poets: classical, early & medieval    19. Sumerian   

Subjects:  1. Ancient civilization    2. Animals - Foxes    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Civilization, Assyro-Babylonian    6. History - Ancient    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Assyria    10. Babylonia    11. Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Foxes & Wolves    12. Sumeria    13. The ancient Near East   

Reviews (4)

Good Prime Source Usage--Well Ordered
I. Author, Title, Publication Data.
Into the light...
The book 'Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion' by Thorkild Jacobsen is a text used by courses in my seminary and others to provide a background to religious feeling and development over a long stretch of human history -- nearly three thousand years. Whether one accepts that the patriarchs of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are real historical figures or not, no one can plausibly deny that the religious development of the peoples of Canaan (and indeed of all the ancient world around the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus river) were affected by the cultural and religious developments in Mesopotamia, the centre of the region, and a fertile region second to none known in the world, on a par with the Nile, around which another major civilisation arose. Splendor in the Dark
Jacobsen is a giant in his field, but as an introduction to the subject "Treasures of Darkness" can be heavy going.Most helpful to me was the way that he tackles the myths chronologically, starting the book with the Dumuzi cults recored in the earliest Sumerian sources and ending with the stories of Marduk and Gilgamesh from later records.In between he covers topics from the rise of kingship to the growth of personal religion in a way that makes the beliefs come alive as an evolving response to the world rather than an inert collection of tablets.Read more

Subjects:  1. Archaeology    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Civilization    4. History: World    5. Iraq    6. Religion    7. ASIA    8. Alternative belief systems    9. History of religion    10. Social Science / Archaeology   

Reviews (32)

Inanna Queen of Heaven
Inanna is about the Sumerian goddess of fertility and the grain.This epic is one of sacred love and worship.It celebrates the goddess religion.This epic predates that of the Iliad and the Bible and yet it predicts the great flood and other events in both.If you wish to read a book rich in Sumerian culture this is the epic for you.It gives a sense of what life was like in one of the very first cultures on earth.Reading Inanna by Wolkstein will broaden your horizons and give you an enjoyable read.

Inanna review: Eshleman 2
The story of Inanna is the heroine tale of a Sumerian Goddess.It tells the story of her coming into her power as a Goddess and the struggles she had to deal with along the way.It covers the making of her symbols of power from the Huluppu Tree, her acceptance of the holy me from, a gift from Enki, the god of Wisdom.It also tells of her marraige to the shepherd Dumuzi and their relationship.Most significantly, it tells of her journey to the underworld and her resurection.This story opens the eyes of the reader to the culture and the religious beliefs of the Ancient Sumerians.It portrays a respect and reverence for women and fertility which is unusual in present day society.Inanna and her ability to overcome struggles however, can be applied to the world of today.Through reading this book, you will learn much about overcoming adversity and becoming your own individual person.

Inanna Review
This story accounts important events in the life of the Sumerian fertility goddess Inanna. The story begins with "The Huluppu Tree", and then to "Inanna the Goddess of Wisdom", at which point in the story Inanna receives the precious "me" from the god Enki. The story then follows Inanna through "The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi." The final part of the story is called "The Descent of Inanna." In this part Inanna travels to the underworld to see her sister, Erishkegal. Inanna dies in the underworld, only to be brought back to life with the help of Enki.
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Subjects:  1. Comparative Religion    2. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    3. Inanna (Sumerian deity)    4. Mythology, Sumerian    5. Poetry    6. Sociology    7. Spirituality - General    8. Religion / Spirituality   

Reviews (2)

Mesopotamia: The Mighty Kings
This is an excellent book of interest to scholars and average readers. The illustrations are fabulous, the writing excellent, the choice of subject matter interesting, and the contributers are proven scholars.

A solid book with many wonderful stories
Although the title focuses on kings, the book actually provides a brief history of the great empires of Iraq from 2000 BC to 600 BC.I enjoyed the many stories about the many kings who shaped the ancient history of Iraq.Unfortunately, the book does not do justice to the many great kings who lived prior to 2000 BC. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiquities    2. Archaeology    3. Civilization    4. Excavations (Archaeology)    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Iraq    8. Iraq - History    9. Ancient Near East    10. Cultural studies    11. Mesopotamia   

Reviews (2)

A different eternal city...
Gwendolyn Leick, a lecturer and author of many books on the ancient Near East, has written a very accessible and interesting book on the Babylonians here.Babylon has long been a place of mystery and enigmatic reputation.The biblical text often speaks in disparaging tones of the place, but in fact this text often disguises a respect for the power of the place.Alexander the Great recognised the power inherent in the major city, which was also home to one of the ancient wonders of the world.
Suitable Introduction, easy read, but at that price?!?
The book is only 150 pages excluding the notes, yet 26.00?The book covers the pre-Mesopotamian roots through Babylon and Assyria, the culture and the history.What I liked in this book were the nuggets about Mesopotamian economics, how centralized planning led to overproduction of resources and ecological disaster.Slaves and women were entreprenuers, investing in bars and brothels.That is not something that is usually mentioned in surveys of the Ancient Mid-East.Other than that, it is an overall satisfactory introduction to an important period, if you can get it used or through a book club. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Civilization    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Babylonia    7. History / Ancient / General    8. Social history    9. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Subjects:  1. Ancient World History    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Divination - General    4. General    5. History - General History    6. Magick Studies    7. New Age    8. Occult Sciences    9. Faith healing & religious therapy    10. Magic & alchemy    11. Mesopotamia   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful, readable, brilliant, comprehensive.
Informative and engrossing. Well-organized and well-researched. The best book on Mesopotamia I've read! It definitely gets a lot more of the daily-life issues correct than others (which occasionally suggest citizens lived in large two-story houses--what a joke).
Helpful addition to general ANE studies
Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia is an excellent volume and highly recommended for the general audience, especially those who are interested in learning more about ancient Near Eastern backgrounds. Chapters center on major areas of life and society, for example, society, scholarship, recreation, religion, economy, and etc. Nemet-Nejat is sensitive to both the diachronic and synchronic development of topics so discussion is quite well developed in each chapter. With such an arrangement, however, there is some repetition, though minor, throughout the book. The beginning historical review is very helpful, even if most brief, and sets the stage for the development of topics in each chapter. The author's strength is in the area of mathematics and technology and they get emphasis in the book. Less discussion is found on integrated matters like environmental issues. There is a wealth of material in this book and so much is covered it is a bit encyclopedic at times but, nevertheless, well done. This book will be of interest to students of ancient history or any seeking a greater appreciation of biblical background material. There are very limited reference to the Bible and some strange. Saul's change of mind (literally heart) is take by the author as "he went off his rocker," 81, an older and limited perspective, indeed. Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat is conversant in many areas of ANE studies and balances her discussion with excerpts from ancient texts and relevant contemporary sources. The book would be enhanced by a better bibliography. The book is a welcome contribution to the field and will be a very informative to any who read it!

Excellent Overview of Ancient Mesopotamia
Nemet-Nejat has compiled a great deal of information into this book.Although the historical overview was a little long and dry, most of the book was very interesting. Nemet-Nejat quotes from a number of originalwritings of the ancient Mesopotamians, giving a unique view into thethinking and culture of this ancient civilization.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Antiquities & Archaeology    3. Civilization    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Iraq    8. Middle East - General    9. Social life and customs    10. To 634    11. Ancient Near East    12. BCE to c 500 CE    13. Christian life & practice    14. Mesopotamia