The roots of our modern world lie in the civilization of Mesopotamia, which saw the development of the first urban society and the invention of writing. The cuneiform texts reveal the technological and social innovations of Sumer and Babylonia as surprisingly modern, and the influence of this fascinating culture was felt throughout the Near East. Early Mesopotamia gives an entirely new account, integrating the archaeology with historical data which until now have been largely scattered in specialist literature.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
| |||||||||||||||
 Sell Back Your Copy for $10.18
Whether you buy it used on Amazon for $24.95 or somewhere else, you can sell it back through our Book Trade-In Program at the current price of $10.18.
Used Price$24.95
Trade-in Price$10.18
Price after
Trade-in$14.77 |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
This discussion is not just an excellent introduction to the subject: it is full of insights and evidence of the breadth of Postgate's scholarship.
–History Today
Postgate has written the finest available introduction to the ancient world of Mesopotamia. . . . Postgate successfully accomplishes what few others have achieved, namely, a narrative depiction of the lifeways of the people of early Mesopotamia: their law, warfare, crafts, trade, technological achievements, and their political and religious ideologies. . . . Essential reading for all interested in the ancient past.
–Choice
–History Today
Postgate has written the finest available introduction to the ancient world of Mesopotamia. . . . Postgate successfully accomplishes what few others have achieved, namely, a narrative depiction of the lifeways of the people of early Mesopotamia: their law, warfare, crafts, trade, technological achievements, and their political and religious ideologies. . . . Essential reading for all interested in the ancient past.
–Choice
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A 'must' for all serious students of ancient Mesopotamia.,
By
This review is from: Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History (Paperback)
Postgate has written an extremely helpful volume for students of ancient Near Eastern history and culture. It is a scholarly work yet quite readable. His emphasis upon geographical and environmental factors is refreshing and fills a needed gap at this level. Brief citations from contemporanious texts provide helpful illustrations along the way. Always conservative in his own estimation, Postgate provides a variety of alternative solutions to problems and questions raised by the evidence. He does not hesitate, however, to challenge prevailing views where the evidence suggests an alternative like the central role of the temple vs. the palace in this ancient economic setting. The book opens with a historical survey and moves on to provide an understanding of early Mesopotamian society up to the Old Babylonian period. This is a very fine volume.
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, but dry.,
By Tim G. (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History (Paperback)
This is a true scholarly work, exhaustively researched and written by a pre-eminent authority in the field, making it unfortunately very dull. Postgate is unquestionably a master, with a vast knowledge of his field. He leaves no stone unturned, and explores all the critical issues in Mesopotamian archaeology, complete with numerous citations from cuneiform texts. However, being a true academic, his writing is very dry and sometimes awkward, making it difficult to stay awake when reading. Postgate provides detailed information and insightful commentaries on all aspects of Mesopotamian life, making this a worthwhile read. One can't help but wonder however, if the Mesopotamians weren't somewhat more exciting than Postgate's writing makes them.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Our approach to Mesopotamia is that of many westerners before us, from Herodotus on, drawn by the reports of ancient cities in a fertile plain. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
prebend land, copper sickles, land sale documents, sealed receipt, later second millennium, temple hymns, administrative texts, clay sealings, royal corps, cuneiform sources, marsh dwellers, royal inscriptions, clay tokens, palace archives, agricultural regime, temple staff, paternal estate, early third millennium, cylinder seals Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Early Dynastic, Near East, Code of Hammurapi, South Mesopotamia, Abu Salabikh, King List, North Mesopotamia, King of Kish, Trustees of the British Museum, Old Assyrian, Stele of the Vultures, After Dossin, Dynasty of Akkad, Dynasty of Babylon, Habuba Kabira, Jebel Hamrin, After Kraus, Jemdet Nasr, After Frankena, Bau Temple, Ice Age, Jebel Sinjar, New Year, Old Akkadian, Sargon of Akkad New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Our approach to Mesopotamia is that of many westerners before us, from Herodotus on, drawn by the reports of ancient cities in a fertile plain. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
prebend land, copper sickles, land sale documents, sealed receipt, later second millennium, temple hymns, administrative texts, clay sealings, royal corps, cuneiform sources, marsh dwellers, royal inscriptions, clay tokens, palace archives, agricultural regime, temple staff, paternal estate, early third millennium, cylinder seals Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Early Dynastic, Near East, Code of Hammurapi, South Mesopotamia, Abu Salabikh, King List, North Mesopotamia, King of Kish, Trustees of the British Museum, Old Assyrian, Stele of the Vultures, After Dossin, Dynasty of Akkad, Dynasty of Babylon, Habuba Kabira, Jebel Hamrin, After Kraus, Jemdet Nasr, After Frankena, Bau Temple, Ice Age, Jebel Sinjar, New Year, Old Akkadian, Sargon of Akkad New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 50
books:
See all 50 books this book cites
100
books
cite this book:
See all 100 books citing this book
- The Organization of Power: Aspects of Bureaucracy in the Ancient Near East (Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization) by Robert D. Biggs in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Flora of Iraq by Evan R. Guest in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Sources of Social Power: Volume 1, A History of Power from the Beginning to AD 1760 by Michael Mann on page 259, and Back Matter
- The Epic of Gilgamesh by Maureen Gallery Kovacs on page 182, and Back Matter
- Sumerian King List (Assyriological Studies) by Thorkild Jacobsen on page 27
See all 50 books this book cites
- Who Were the Babylonians? (Archaeology and Biblical Studies) (Sbl - Archaeology and Biblical Studies) by Bill T. Arnold on 8 pages
- Life in the Ancient Near East, 3100-332 B.C.E. by Professor Daniel C. Snell on 5 pages
- Text And History: The Old Testament Texts As A Source For The History Of Israel by Jens Bruun Kofoed on 5 pages
- Who Were the Babylonians? (Archaeology and Biblical Studies) by Bill T. Arnold on 4 pages
- The Priest And The Great King: Temple-palace Relations In The Persian Empire (Biblical and Judaic Studies, V. 10.) by Lisbeth S. Fried on 4 pages
See all 100 books citing this book
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > Business & Investing
- Books > History > Ancient > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer
- Books > History > Ancient > Early Civilization
- Books > History > Middle East > Iraq
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Business & Finance
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > History
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Social Sciences > Archaeology
- Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences
