The Sumerians [Paperback]

C. Leonard Woolley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1965 | Series: The Norton Library

In this book Professor Woolley, one of the world's foremost archaeologists, shows quite clearly that when Egyptian civilization began the civilization of the Sumerians had already flourished for at least 2,000 years.

The idea that Egypt was the earliest civilization has been entirely exploded. The Sumerians had reached a very high level of culture by 3500 B.C.E., and may be said with some justice to be the forerunners of all the Old World civilizations of Egypt, Assyria, Asia Minor, Crete, and Greece. This book will appeal to everyone interested in the early history of humankind.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, as leader of the joint expedition of the University of Pennsylvania Museum and the British Museum, directed important excavations on the site of Ur of the Chaldees, a famous city long buried in the desert sand of Mesopotamia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 17, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393002926
• ISBN-13: 978-0393002928
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,424 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > History > Ancient > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Look Inside the Mind of a Great Archaeologist, July 22, 2000

By 

Jonathan S. Mark "marjo_wycam" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sumerians (Paperback)

If you were lucky enough to visit the Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur exhibit at the Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. last year then you saw many of the results of Woolley's genius. The exhibit featured the objects which Woolley recovered in the first part of the last century from the tomb of Puabi, a Sumerian priestess whose court was sacrificed and buried with her.

This book is a look inside his mind, how he viewed the people whose past he was uncovering. Sure, he got some things wrong. He did not have the benefit of the research of countless others who came after him. In particular, he appears convinced that there was something he calls "Sumerian nationalism" which was in conflict with rise of Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia. There is no evidence that the ancient Mesopotamians had a concept of an ethnic group or that this concept was a source of conflict.

Woolley was also writing during an era when it was considered scientific to view history in terms of what he called "race," so he returns regularly to contrast his view of the racial stock of the Sumerians with that of the Semites in Mesopotamia.

Yes, this book is a period piece, but I learned a lot from it, and I am a beginner. Indeed, this is the first history of the Sumerians I have ever read from cover to cover. The listing of the Sumerian King's List early in the book is particularly valuable. I find myself returning to it from time to time. What city was Gilgamesh king of? Oh yes, Erech.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good, but dated, March 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sumerians (Paperback)

This is a good book, but not the best choice for someone relativly new to the subject. The book is fairly old, and the reader should relize it doesn't match up to well with modern scholarship in the field.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction for the lay reader, March 26, 2001

By 

Marco J. Jimenez (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sumerians (Paperback)

Professor Woolley's relatively short book (194 pages) is divided into seven chapters:

I. The beginnings II. The early history of sumer III. The Period of civil wars IV. Sumerian Society V. The Third Dynasty of Ur VI. Isin and Larsa VII. The claim of Sumer

The first and second chapters are thrilling, introducing the reader to the history, peoples, and ideas of Sumeria. The last chapter summarizes the contributions Sumerian society has made to Egyptian, Greek, and Western Civilization, and I found this particularly fascinating as well. In between, however, I found the text dry, the writing style obtuse, many of the details too cumbersome for the lay reader (but perhaps of interest to the archeologist), and, as a reader below pointed out, the lack of citations disturbing.

One of Woolley's goals in writing this books was to debunk the myth that the Egyptians were the most advanced ancient civilization. In this respect, he has succeeded admirably. His discussion of the development of law was similarly fascinating. However, unless you are particularly interested in law or are an avid reader and collecter of books on Sumeria, I would recommend checking this book out from the library rather than buying it.