r/Mesopotamia

Well the original thread is 4 years old. So here is another.

This thread is a work in progress. If anyone has any suggestions to add to this list, please post them and I will add them. Also say if you have any concerns with any books I've added to the list and why, and I'll look at removing them.

Also, most books here lack a short (1-3 sentence) description-- if you see a book here and can provide a blurb about it, please let me know!

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General Reading for the Region

• A History of the Ancient Near East: ca 3000-323 BC - Marc van der Mieroop - An expansive history of the entire region. This book is a must read for you to realise the scale and get a sense of perspective over the region's history, while not overwhelming you with information

• Ancient Iraq - Georges Roux - This is an older book (1992), and there are recommendations for more recent ones in this list, however this is a classic, it provides an excellent introduction to the history of ancient Mesopotamia and its civilizations, while incorporating archaeological and historical finds up to 1992.

• Civilizations of Ancient Iraq - Benjamin Foster, Karen Foster - This is a more recent book on the same topic as the one posted above. It details the story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements ten thousand years ago to the Arab conquest in the seventh century.

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Literature and Myth in Mesopotamia

• Epic of Gilgamesh - Considered the one of the world's first truly great work of literature, while not being history per se, it does offer valuable insight into the mindset of the era

• Before the Muses - Benjamin R. Foster - An anthology of translated Akkadian literature

• The Literature of Ancient Sumer - Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham and Eleanor Robson - An anthology of translated Sumerian literature. Many of the translations are offered online free here however the explanatory notes in the book do come in handy for understanding the history.

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Books on Specific Civilisations

Sumer

• The Sumerians: Their History, Culture and Character - Samuel Kramer - A guide to the history of the Sumerian civilizationm their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Also, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world.

Babylon

• King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography - Marc van der Mieroop - Hammurabi is one of the most famous Near Eastern figures in history, and this extensively researched account of his life is a good introduction both to Hammurabi and the society he existed in. It's also a keen illustration of the depth of cuneiform resources.

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Science and Mathematics

• Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History - Eleanor Robson

• The Fabric of the Heavens - Stephen Toulmin, June Goodfield - Not completely about Mesopotamia, however the book is about astronomy, physics, and their relationship starting from the Babylonians (up until Newton in the 1700's.) Great book anyway

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Cuneiform Script

• The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture - edited by Karen Radner and Eleanor Robson - a large collection of essays dealing with every aspect of the culture of the "cuneiform world" from food to education to political organization to music. Very readable and extensive in its coverage and throughly up-to-date.

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Podcasts

• Ancient World Podcast - "There are plenty of parts that are dedicated to beyond Mesopotamia, but it's well done. He's currently doing episodes related to archaeology of the area, which is also fascinating."

Here is this week’s text. It is much shorter so let’s have some fun conversation while many of us are trapped at home. Stay safe!