Middle East - Civilization, Egyptian & Mesopotamian Art, Middle East & North Africa - Archaeology, Iraq - History
Log in to track your reading progress.
Overview
Down through the centuries, travelers hurried across the bleak deserts of Syria and Iraq little knowing that, only a few yards off the beaten track, cities that had once loomed over a green, fertile landscape now lay buried under blank, enigmatic mounds of earth. To the uninformed eye the skeletons of glittering royal palaces and towering temples would have been barely detectable in the glare of the punishing sun. French archaeologist Andr Parrot, however, was not such an oblivious passerby. Tramping through these wind-scoured wastes in the 1920's, Parrot heard, as he put it, the 'overtones' of humanity's earliest achievements, 'an orchestration of mighty names: Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar, ' that evoked for him not only such giants of ancient history but also whole scenes out of the Bible. - from chapter one of the book.Editorials
Library Journal
This handsomely illustrated book spans the history and culture of ancient Mesopotamia during the last two millennia B.C.-from the rise of Hammurabi to the conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C.-with emphasis on the archaeological evidence. The stories of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, along with the history of their excavation, are told in well-written style threaded through with quotations from ancient texts and data from excavators themselves. More recently acquired information from sites dug over the last 30 years right up to 1990 adds to the value of this work. While the lavish format will capture any reader's interest, the target audience, 12 years to adult, will in most cases need more background reading before they can assimilate the contents. Thus, it is unfortunate that there are no cross references to an earlier volume in this series, Sumer: Cities of Eden (Time-Life, dist. by Silver Burdett, 1993). This problem is especially evident with regard to the history of cuneiform writing, which is underrepresented here. Readers are advised to read the earlier book in the series first. For history collections.-Joan Gartland, Detroit P.L.School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-This excellent series entry covers the empires that rose and fell over a span of 3,000 years in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. While not a basic introduction to Mesopotamian civilization per se, the text conveys the achievements of various cultures and empires in a coherent manner without oversimplification. The editors discuss the reign of Hammurabi in Babylon, the Assyrians, and the short lived Neo-Babylonian empire. Along with the historical information, an overview of the archaeology of the region, including profiles of some of the pioneers who first excavated cities such as Babylon and Nineveh, is provided. Numerous full-color photographs and reproductions make this title a good choice for most libraries. For an understanding of the beginnings of civilization in this region, Sumer (Time-Life, 1993), is a better choice.-David N. Pauli, Missoula Public Library, MTBook Details
Published
July 27, 1995
Publisher
Time Life UK
Pages
168
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780809490417