Customer Reviews

The Ancient Near East (Volume II): A New Anthology of Texts and Pictures

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This is one of those books that is not very accessible to the casual reader with no previous knowledge, but very well worth sticking with. It contains a large number of texts - history, myth, hymns, poetry of many kinds - from about 2000 BC to the the 4th century BC. Many of the texts are damaged, some more severely than others, and this is indicated in the notes and text. Those with an interest in the Old Testament should find it very valuable as a help to their understanding of the religions and cultures with which Israel interacted, but this selection deserves to be widely read. There are about 200 black and white photographs of archaeological finds, in the back of the book - which is almost worth buying for them alone. If you have ever wanted to know more about the Canaanites, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, in their own words, this is an excellent place to start. Those with an interest in comparative religion should find much of interest to them.

What might put some people off, is that the texts do look a bit unsightly. Where words are missing, and impossible to restore with any certainty, plenty of dots appear. Italics, Roman type, square brackets, and dots, may make some texts look messy. But the damage should not be exaggerated. There is even a certain amountain of humour at times. And there is an index of Biblical references. There is a second volume as well, some of the texts in which fill up gaps in the texts printed in the first.

I obtained this volume of translations of Ancient Near Eastern texts and pictures along with its companion Volume I - An Anthology of Texts and Pictures which was first published in 1958. This volume, which was published in 1975, includes translations of more recently discovered material selected from the 1969 anthology of Supplementary Texts and Pictures Relating to the Old Testament.

This volume contains 72 texts and about 110 black and white photographs of artefacts from various and states and cities of Ancient Near East. The documents include myths, laws, treaties, inscriptions, hymns, letters, wisdom literature etc, from Egypt, and from the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and later periods of Mesopotamia.

The format is similar to that of Volume I with cross references to the ANET text number. Translations have been made by 13 eminent scholars, most of whom have provided some explanation of the content and meaning of the texts they have translated. In general, however, there are fewer notes than in Volume I, and no cross references to illustration number or to any biblical passages.

I found the translations to be generally quite readable, but, in the same way as for Volume I, they definitely had to be read with full care and concentration to understand them, and some, being somewhat fragmentary, are rather more difficult to follow than others. In reading the texts, I was, of course completely dependent upon the translations and the interpretations of the scholars themselves. In particular, I found the comments and notes by Professor S N Kramer on the various Sumerian Texts to be most helpful.

I am happy to have read this book and its companion, because they have given me some direct insight into the cultures of the Ancient Near East. Whether it is better to obtain the larger parent anthologies is, I think, a matter of whether you are prepared over US$250 for the latest editions of these two volumes ( ISBN 0691035032 for the texts, and ISBN 0691035024 for the pictures). But if these smaller volumes are anything to go by, then they are probably worth it.

I didn't want to spend that much on this subject at this stage of my studies. So for the moment, I have decided to be selective about next set of texts to read, and as a next step, will be studying Volume II and III of Miriam Lichtheim's translations of Egyptian texts, and William L Moran's translations of the Amarna Letters.

Volume II or "The Ancient Near East" is a good companion to Volume I, containing mythic, legal, and monumental information from the Middle East Bronze and Iron Ages. It really puts you back there to read actual letters and contracts, or to see the developments in poetic, narrative and visual arts. The only real problem is the lack of consistent dating infomation, particularly for the artwork. It makes it difficult to form a conceptual picture if things are presented in what appears to be a random order.

This is volume II of Pritchard's collection of ancient Near Eastern (NE) texts. Both volumes are priceless and indispensable for anyone seriously interested in the ancient NE. Like the first volume, this collection is an anthology of texts translated by various scholars, experts in their respective languages and fields of study. Each section of texts or chapter includes a brief introduction to the types of texts, where they come from, how they were found, and other information that helps put them into context.

Although this is the second volume of the series, it has some of the oldest texts we know. Majority of texts in this volume are Sumerian and Akkadian texts. These are myths, epics, treaties, hymns, wisdom literature, prophecies as well as miscellaneous letters. There are also a few Hittite texts and some Egyptian historical texts. Babylonian and Assyrian historical texts are also included, adding upon texts from the first volume. There are also some Aramaic texts and inscriptions in Aramaic, Canaanite, such as a letter from the time of Josiah -- for those interested in biblical connections. Lastly, this volume also includes some South-Arabian inscription to round up representation of the NE. And just as the first volume, this publication also includes 110 black and white photographs and illustration of artifacts, texts, inscriptions, archeological sites, etc.

This isn't every day reading and not necessarily for everyone, but it is indispensable for the student of the ancient NE. The language, style and form of these ancient texts is a great aid to understanding of the ancient world, its peoples and how they communicated. It's not cheap for a paperback edition, but the content is priceless.

This book by Pritchard best serves serious historians though not necessarily those specializing in the Near East. Indeed the images and the translations are valuable for the mythologist or the art historian. I have found it to be very useful in my own research.

This book is an excellent intro. to mans cultural, physical and spiritial beginings. The culture is emphazised in layman terms for better understanding. The book outlines the kingdoms of Sumaria, Egypt, and also the tribes of the different nations along with an understanding of the people living in each one. I found it valuable.

I love ancient history and found the book interesting, but just a little bit stale.