Product Description
Addressed to students of classical mythology, religion, and comparative mythology, this volume contains myths of creation from three ancient cultures. Included are selections from the Hebrew Bible, the Mesopotamian Enuma Elish and Atrahasis, and Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days. The texts are complemented by essays on the cultural contexts in which the myths arose. ... Read more

Product Description
This work explores the interaction between magic and medicine in ancient Mesopotamia, as applied specifically to ghosts. Included is a discussion of sin and natural causes in Mesopotamian medicine. Additionally, it transliterates and translates 352 prescriptions designed to cure psychological and physical ailments thought to be caused by ghosts. ... Read more

Product Description
Ancient kings who did not honor the gods overlooked an indispensable means for ruling effectively in their communities. In many traditional societies royal authority was regarded as a divine gift bestowed according to the quality of the relationship of the king both to God or the gods and to the people. The tension and the harmony within these human and divine relationships demanded that the king repeatedly strive to integrate the community's piety with his political strategies. This fascinating study explores the relationship between religion and royal authority in three of history's most influential civilizations: Homeric Greece, biblical Israel, and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia. Dale Launderville identifies similar, contrasting, and analogous ways that piety functioned in these distinct cultures to legitimate the rule of particular kings and promote community well-being. Key to this religiopolitical dynamic was the use of royal rhetoric, which necessarily took the form of political theology. By examining a host of ancient texts and drawing on the insights of philosophers, poets, historians, anthropologists, social theorists, and theologians, Launderville shows how kings increased their status the more they demonstrated through their speech and actions that they ruled on behalf of God or the gods. Launderville's work also sheds light on a number of perennial questions about ancient political life. How could the people call the king to account? Did the people forfeit too much of their freedom and initiative by giving obedience to a king who symbolized their unity as a community? How did the religious traditions serve as a check on the king's power and keep alive the voice of the people? This study in comparative political theology elucidates these engaging concerns from multiple perspectives, making Piety and Politics of interest to readers in fields ranging from biblical studies and theology to ancient history and ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Overview
This book really is a fantastic introduction to the interaction of politcs and relgiion in biblical Israel, OB Mesopotamia, and Homeric Greece - easy to read, engaging, and informative.

Perfect for an introduction into the Ancient World
This book is great for anyone interested in learning how kings were viewed in Ancient Greece, Babylon and Israel.It is a wonderful introduction into the documents, stories and myths that informed the decisions and shaped the consciousness of the people.The wealth of knowledge and the summaries of the stories that shaped the people will initiate any reader into the cultures of the ancient world, but the author's examination and evaluation of particular texts can inform the experts as well. ... Read more

Product Description
Delights from the Garden of Eden is the revised edition of the 2003 publication by the author. This new edition is luxuriously illustrated with color food photos, paintings, medieval miniatures, sketches, and much more.

It is a unique Iraqi cookbook, which displays the diversity of the region's traditional culinary practices, delicious and enduring. It contains more than 400 recipes, all tested and easy to follow, with practical weights and measures applicable everywhere. The recipes cover all food categories with ample choice for both vegetarians and meat lovers, and many that will satisfy a sweet tooth. Light healthy touches are suggested throughout, and ingredients and cooking techniques indigenous to the region are duly explained.

Preceding the recipes is a comprehensive thoroughly researched introductory chapter, which traces the genesis and development of the Iraqi cuisine over the centuries, starting with the ancient Mesopotamians, through medieval times and leading to the present, aided throughout by the author's intimate native knowledge of cookery. Research on the ancient Sumerian and Akkadian cuisine draws extensively on archaeological findings, such as the Babylonian recipe collection and literary sources. The medieval era focuses on the Abbasid cuisine as exemplified by the contemporaneous luxurious culinary culture that encouraged the trend of writing cookbooks.

Of particular interest are the book's numerous food-related folkloric stories, reminiscences, anecdotes, songs, poems, excerpts from narratives written by foreign visitors to the region, and cultural explications of customs, all interwoven with the recipes. The book is supplemented with detailed menus and an extended Glossary to familiarize the reader with the indigenous ingredients used in creating authentic Iraqi meals.

A reliable source on the culinary history of Iraq. It is the only Iraqi book which tends to the needs of the appetite and the intellect in an interesting fashion: Informative, practical, and entertaining.

A valuable addition to the shelves of specialized and general libraries, and a must-have for food lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Great book! Fun and very useful
I bought this as a gift for my wife and she really loves it. It is not just simply a recipe book but tells you some stories and history about the recipe as well...I find it interesting to read myself.

I use it almost everyday!
I bought my cookbook a couple months ago, and I must say I've never used a cookbook so much. That being said, my husband is Iraqi and really loves Iraqi cuisine. For me it's improved my "iraqi cooking" tremendously. Everyone has noticed that I am now making authentic Iraqi food. I am very happy with it. I bought the the other Iraqi cookbook called Iraqi Family Cookbook. While that one is good, it is small. If you are deciding which one to buy, I would definetly get this one. While it doesn't have the beautiful colorful presentations as the other one,it does have a whole lot more recipes.

AMAZING!!
I can't stop flipping through the pages of this book. Each page sparks a different memory from Iraq. The recipes are so easy to follow and turn out so well. The best cook book EVER.

Delights from the Garden of Eden a Cookbook and History of Iraqi Cusuine
My wife is a first class Chef and needed information abiout Iraqi Cooking
to prepare and serve at Master classes
On the WWW there was only 11 recipies
So doing a search on AMazon.com walla a book. The book has many recipies and information about Iraqi Culture it is easily to read and is very informative, it is pity that the Americans went in on a false premise and are surely destroying a vibrant culture.

Incredible!
I received this cookbook as a birthday gift two years ago. When I opened it, I was excited to find a Middle Eastern cookbook, but was not expecting it to 'measure up' to the 10 or so Middle Eastern/North African cookbooks in my collection, as the author is not well known as are the authors of many of the other books. After all this time, I have made quite a few recipes from this book, and all were fantastic. That being said, I feel that I haven't even scratched the surface of this book. The number of good recipes in the book is astounding, and the history portion of the book is very interesting. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in learning more about cooking Middle Eastern food, and learning about its roots. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Good introduction to ancient middle east culture
This is a readable and informative review of our ancient heritage. Even though the civilizations discussed are 3000 to 5000 years old - many of their ideas have come down to us - although in a transmuted sense and changed through many generations.

This is a good introduction to the peoples and culture that predate the greeks, romans and egyptians: where western civilization usually starts its history.

Review of Roaf's Atlas of Mesopotamia
If you want to read just one work in ancient Mesopotamia and its ancient neighbors, make it this one.

Roaf presents an impressive, chronological narrative of the region complemented by a stunning array of photographs, maps and tables. The scholarship is so excellent that I've seen it 'borrowed' by other scholars-Van Der Mieroop, for instance.

Not to be missed.

"Worth its weight in Gold"
This is what a professor claimed of this book as I was beginning my readings on ANE history and looking for good sources. I could not agree more, I constantly find myself returning to this book for reference. I would say that there are three primary strengths of this book (for the beginner especially).

1.It will give you a basic understanding of how archaeology works within the context of ANE studies. When virtually everything we know about the region comes from archaeological data, it is imperative for a beginner to understand the basics of the methodology being used and how scholars interpret the data. Being that archaeology is central to the book, some may find the book tedious.
2. The maps and illustrations are phenomenal. This is what I most often use it for now and have found nothing better in this respect.
3. The historical summary is interesting, clear, and well organized. However, there are certain parts that seem disorganized. Most of this is due to complete gaps in historical data where the author chose to refrain from speculation. This is simply the nature of the beast in ANE history. The scarcity of the material is accurately conveyed when it is necessary.


I would recommend using this (the text and maps) in conjunction with A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 - 323 BC (Blackwell History of the Ancient World) by Marc Van De Mieroop

Great Picture Book for the Casually Interested
I slowly worked my way through this book over that last year and learned quite a lot from it.From the contents of Neolithic villiages to the slow evolution on Cuniform script from it's origional pictograms.I was fascinated by the Assyrian's system of empire.A system that kept things in tact so well that the subsequent empires of the Babylonians, Medes, Persions, and Greeks were able to conquer vast swaths of the world in releativly short time spans.

I kind of a technically minded person so it's easy for me to forget that this is a "Cultural Atlas".The book is filled with full-color pictures of ancient art ranging from every-day pottery to artifacts from the greatest temples and palaces of their times.

I'm a born-again Christian and one reason I got this book to try to get a glimpse of what cultures influenced the ancient Hebrews of the Old Testament and to see what evidence actually exists of the Hebrew monarchy besides the bible and temple ruins (Answer - not a lot).Roaf does give the Hebrews an honorable mention and often mentions how archaeologists use passages from the Old Testament as a cross-refernce to literature and records from neighboring cultures.

I gave the book 5 stars but it does have it's flaws.Many of the figures have a baffling lack of legend and captions to allow a better understanding of what, when, and where one is looking at.Sometimes one has to look real hard at the map figures to understand exactly what part of Mesopotamia one is looking at as there is no indication of scale or landmarks.

The figures were only a minor nuisance.Get this book for the great array of photographs and easy read.

INCORRECT CRITICISM
I was re-reading the above book and saw the comments of 'Susanna', who faulted the book because of a lack of information associated with the pictures shown. He/she is entirely wrong -- and in addition no one else commented in this (supposed) fault.
Each photo I saw (all) not only gave a good description, but, contrary to many similar type books, indicates from where each item was/is to be found. This is a definite 'plus'.

This is an incorrect and inaccurate criticism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Absurdly overpriced for unoriginal research
Can anyone remember when the law was passed allowing textbook publishers legally to rape consumers?Anyone??

Seventy-five dollars, folks!Seventy-five dollars for a serviceable text consisting entirely of summarization from other works of both primary and secondary research, of citations from on-line encyclopedias (!?), and of graphics mainly drawn from the "Land of the Bible Picture Archive" and from an 1894 "History of the World".

Again, that's "seventy-five dollars".

Caveat, it should go without saying, emptor.Go to your local library and borrow a copy. ... Read more

Product Description
Mesopotamia was one of the earliest regions to produce writing, literature and the fine arts, as well as being one of the first areas to construct states. This comprehensive and detailed survey of the region's prehistory and protohistory shows how these fascinating developments were possible.
Petr Charvát explores the economic, social and spiritual spheres in Mesopotamia from the Palaeolithic to the time of the early states, c. 100,000 BC to 2334 BC. The narrative is supplemented by numerous descriptions of the principal archaeological sites for each phase, and by conclusions outlining the most important developments and changes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not a best buy
This is an attractive volume which will disappoint most readers.The text is difficult to read and needed a good editor, which it did not have.Photos and other illustrations are plentiful, but placed in locations far from the relevant text.Artifact photgraphs are sometimes out of focus. Production issues aside, the author (an expert on state formation in Mesopotamia) does not have command of prehistoric periods and these sections are already outdated.A specialist in Mesopotamia will find things of interest, but there are far better books for anyone else.Finally, the price is outrageous. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

The first in its kind
This book is the first in its kind of historical perspective of creation of economic enterprises from ancient to modern. Rather academic but easy to read. A must-have list for visionary managers as well as advanced scholars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Children's Book
This book is about 15 pages long, and has perhaps 100 total words in it.It's a great little primer for kids who have no idea about early languages, but I wish I had taken 25 seconds to read the categories on this page before buying it.I also wish there was a picture of it! ... Read more

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A collection of essays by specialists in their fields. ... Read more

Product Description
This textbook is a reliable resource with an outstanding reputation for research and scholarship. The authors are well known and the new edition features a substantial updating of the material. Ideal for undergraduate studies in ancient history and history of the near east, the book is also appropriate as a supplement for instructors teaching corresponding sections or chapters in World History or Western Civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another great undergraduate book
Hallo and Simpson provide another choice to instructors of ancient Near Eastern history.Well researched, supported, and clearly written, it can easily serve as the only text for an introductory class. Non-specialistsand laypeople may wish to consult it for basic facts. ... Read more

Product Description
Utilizing a variety of ancient sources, including cuneiform texts, images and archaeological finds, this book explores how the collecting of luxury objects contributed to the formation of royal identity in one of the world's oldest civilizations, ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). ... Read more