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This book deals with the agronomy of ancient Mesopotamia. It relies on theoriginal, yet hardly known, agronomic encyclopaedia: The "Book ofNabatean Agriculture" written by Qutama (end of Antiquity).The three parts of the book analyze the origin of the Mesopotamian school ofagriculture and its economic and agro-technical conceptions.The material is a considerable contribution to the history of theMesopotamian agriculture. It also contains the knowledge which was basic tothe establishment of the agronomic culture of Islam. Besides, the historiansof agronomy could, thanks to this new material, relate the Mesopotamiancontribution to the development of the science of agriculture. FR Ce livre traite de l'agronomie de la Mesopotamie antique. Il se base sur uneencyclopedie agronomique originale et tres peu connue: le `Livre del'Agriculture Nabateenne', ecrit par un auteur babylonien, Qutama, vers la finde l'Antiquite.Les trois parties de l'ouvrage etudient l'origine de l'ecole agronomiquemesopotamienne et ses conceptions economiques et agro-techniques.L'ensemble de la matiere constitue un apport considerable pour l'histoire del'agriculture mesopotamienne. On peut egalement y trouver la richesse d'unsavoir qui a ete a l'origine de la fondation de la culture agronomique del'Islam.En outre, les historiens de l'agronomie pourront, grace a ce materielnouveau, integrer la contribution mesopotamienne au progres de la scienceagricole.CURRIC.Mohammed El Faiz, Doctorat d'Etat (1987) en economie, Universite deCasablanca, est professeur d'Histoire Economique a l'Universite de Marrakech.Il a publie des articles et collabore a des ouvrages consacres aux themes del'agronomie mesopotamienne et musulmane. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting
This book is part of the Technology of the Ancient World series, a group of books intended to give the younger reader a glimpse into the technology of various ancient civilizations. This book is divided into six chapters: the technology of materials, creating cities and buildings, the art of transportation, irrigation and agriculture, the technology of writing, and the technology of mathematics and numbers. At the tail end of the book are an interesting timeline of Egyptian discoveries and accomplishments, a glossary, a "for more information" page of resources, and a list of books "for further reading."

Overall, I found this to be an interesting book. It has a lot of bright and colorful pictures, and gives the reader a good introduction into ancient Mesopotamian technology. Now, as you might expect with a book written for younger readers, this book does not go into great depth, and serves only as an introduction. But, overall I did find it to be a very good introduction.

So, if you have a younger reader who wants to know about ancient Mesopotamian, and how they did the things that they did, then this is a good book for you to get.
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In April of 2003, the world reacted in shock at the news of the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. Priceless antiquities, spanning ten thousand years of human history, were smashed into pieces or stolen, and one of the most important storehouses of ancient culture was forever compromised. This exquisitely illustrated volume is a reconstruction in book form of one of the world's great museums, and it stands as the definitive single-volume history of the art and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia-the cradle of civilization.

The contributors to this book consist of a cadre of international archaeologists whose excavations helped piece together the rich tapestry of Mesopotamian life from earliest prehistory to the advent of Islam. A portion of the book's royalties will aid in the reconstruction of the museum and in the preservation of Mesopotamia's cultural treasures. Told through the art and artifacts that were lost recently in Iraq, this fascinating history of the civilizations of the Near East is sure to be a timeless and enduring book.AUTHOR BIO: Milbry Polk, a photojournalist and author of A History of Arabian Transportation and Egyptian Mummies, has edited a series of biographies on women explorers and coauthored the award-winning book Women of Discovery. Angela M. H. Schuster, editor of the award-winning preservation magazine Icon and The Explorers Journal, is also a contributing editor of Archaeology magazine and frequent contributor to The New York Times.Amazon.com Review
At once heartbreaking and inspiring, this remarkable art book seeks to document what was lost when 15,000 objects at Baghdad's Iraq Museum were lost in the 2003 war and the ongoing art destruction. Treasures like the beautiful carved-ivory Mona Lisa of Nimrud survived ten centuries, only to fall victim to chaos and looters, some sent by international art dealers. The scholar authors show that the loss isn't local, it's everybody's. Iraq saw the birth of cities, epic verse, and codified religion; the lions guarding the New York Public Library are esthetic descendants of the smashed terracotta masterpieces of Baghdad. The book is a quickie history course, with 190 handsome color illustrations. Editorially, it's a bit rushed and confusing. But look: these aren't ivory-tower scholars, they're heroes putting themselves on the line to save humanity’s legacy. One had to be rescued from kidnappers with the help of Muqtada al-Sadr. Part of what you pay for the book goes to reconstruct the museum, and the book itself constitutes a kind of virtual museum preserving some works that are lost, and some that will be relocated, in part because it exists. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A valuable and moving read
This is a beautifully illustrated, highly informative, and ultimately very poignant book: it has appeal and meaning both for general readers with any sort of interest in archaeology and far places, and for those concerned with what we have done to Iraq.

"The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Bagdad -- a Disappointment
Instead of writing about the looting, what was lost, what has since been recovered and how, the various contributors seem to be very busy tell the reader how they had discovered the various items in the museum.If one were interested in discoveries, there are plenty of places to have read about them previously.The book seems to have been put together with minimum thought, poor photos of items that have already been published in much better form.

The Pity of War
As discontent over the continued American presence and the mounting loss of lives of not only soldiers from this country but also from other supporting countries and certainly for the countless loss of civilian lives in Iraq, artists and writers are responding in kind to the woe of war.One of the saddest tragedies of the Iraq invasion was the decimation of the Iraq Museum of Baghdad.Many of the rarest of antiquities housed there are now reduced to dust while others suffered irreparable damage.

This fine book provides many illustrations of the collection of the Iraq Museum and with that, naturally, comes a timeline of civilization as we know it.The treasures are/were wondrous and the history as summarized by Milbry and William Polk, Selma Al-Radi, Angela Schuster, Zainab Bahrani, Usam Ghaidan, Anna Paolini, and Donny George in their fine essays should be required reading for all of us.

This fine and beautifully designed book marks a sad moment in our history, but it also provides an invaluable resource guide for those interested in the cradle of civilization that was Mesopotamia - aka Iraq!Highly recommended.Grady Harp, August 05

Lootng of the Iraq Museum
This edited book offers a summary of archaeology in Iraq and some assessment of the damage done by the Iraq war. It will serve as a basic source, which can be amplified by a growing specialist literature. Useful for students and people teaching about conservation and the archaeology of Mesopotamia.

The Looting of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad
This gorgeously illustrated and very detailed guide to the cultural atrocoties committed in April of 2003 is a masterpiece of literature. I am very glad that someone took the time to make a wonderful guide to this event. Flipping through the pages and looking at the many artifacts, one cannot help feeling a sense of melancholy. Looking at the gorgeous photos of the artifacts taken much before the looting occured, admiring them, and knowing that they are now damaged are destroyed is very unsettling, but it is wonderful that many of these brilliant archeologists, curators, and journalists took the time to create such a wonderful book to aknowledge the horrible event and show the world, even just the few people that actually buy the book and spend the time reading it. I truly enjoyed the book, which has so much information not just about the looting, but of the history of Mesopotamian, Persian and Islamic society, and the country of Iraq, specifically Baghdad, a beautiful, but tragic metropolis between the Tigris and Euphrates. The Land Between Two Rivers is brought back to life, for a brief, but beautiful, glimpse. ... Read more

Product Description

Ancient Mesopotamia, the fertile crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now western Iraq and eastern Syria, is considered to be the cradle of civilization—home of the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, as well as the great Code of Hammurabi. The Code was only part of a rich juridical culture from 2200–1600 BCE that saw the invention of writing and the development of its relationship to law, among other remarkable firsts.

Though ancient history offers inexhaustible riches, Dominique Charpin focuses here on the legal systems of Old Babylonian Mesopotamia and offers considerable insight into how writing and the law evolved together to forge the principles of authority, precedent, and documentation that dominate us to this day. As legal codes throughout the region evolved through advances in cuneiform writing, kings and governments were able to stabilize their control over distant realms and impose a common language—which gave rise to complex social systems overseen by magistrates, judges, and scribes that eventually became the vast empires of history books. Sure to attract any reader with an interest in the ancient Near East, as well as rhetoric, legal history, and classical studies, this book is an innovative account of the intertwined histories of law and language.

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Enemies of Civilization is a work of comparative history and cultural consciousness that discusses how "others" were perceived in three ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. Each civilization was the dominant culture in its part of the world, and each developed a mind-set that regarded itself as culturally superior to its neighbors. Mu-chou Poo compares these societies' attitudes toward other cultures and finds differences and similarities that reveal the self-perceptions of each society.

Notably, this work shows that in contrast to modern racism based on biophysical features, such prejudice did not exist in these ancient societies. It was culture rather than biophysical nature that was the most important criterion for distinguishing us from them. By examining how societies conceive their prejudices, this book breaks new ground in the study of ancient history and opens new ways to look at human society, both ancient and modern. ... Read more

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This volume deals with the religious practices of the family in the ancientBabylonian, Syrian, and Israelite civilizations. On the basis of a wealth ofdocuments from both the private and the literary realm, the book gives anexhaustive description and analysis of the rites of the ancestor cult and thedevotion to local gods. The author demonstrates the role of these two aspectsof family religion in the identity construction of its followers. The sectiondealing with Israel pays particular attention to the relationship betweenfamily religion and state religion. The emergence of the state religion underKing Saul marked the beginning of a competition between civil and privatereligion. Though the two had great influence upon each other, the tensionbetween them was never resolved. A study of their interaction proves to be akey for the understanding of the development of Israelite religion during themonarchic period.The book is of particular importance to biblical scholars, Assyriologists,and all those interested in the history of ancient Near Eastern religion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Mesopotamia: The Mighty Kings
This is an excellent book of interest to scholars and average readers. The illustrations are fabulous, the writing excellent, the choice of subject matter interesting, and the contributers are proven scholars.

A solid book with many wonderful stories
Although the title focuses on kings, the book actually provides a brief history of the great empires of Iraq from 2000 BC to 600 BC.I enjoyed the many stories about the many kings who shaped the ancient history of Iraq.Unfortunately, the book does not do justice to the many great kings who lived prior to 2000 BC. ... Read more

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In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements around 5400 BC, to the eclipse of Babylon by the Persians in the sixth century BC. He chronicles the rise and fall of dynastic power during this period; he examines its numerous material, social and cultural innovations and inventions: The wheel, civil, engineering, building bricks, the centralized state, the division of labour, organised religion, sculpture, education, mathematics, law and monumental building. At the heart of Kriwaczek's magisterial account, though, is the glory of Babylon - 'gateway to the gods' - which rose to glorious prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi, who unified Babylonia between 1800 and 1750 BC. While Babylonian power would rise and fall over the ensuing centuries, it retained its importance as a cultural, religious and political centre until its fall to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC. ... Read more

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This is the perfect introduction to Mesopotamian history and the way the Assyrian, Babylonian and Sumerian peoples lived--for school or home study, for reference and for practical learning. With themes such as Family, Food, Religion, Clothes, Weapons and Medicine, the book is stimulating, authoritative, accessible and fun to use, and the 15 step-by-step practical projects are the perfect way for children aged 8-to-12 years to learn about the lives of these fascinating peoples. ... Read more

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The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia defines concepts, customs, and notions peculiar to the civilization of ancient Mesopotamia, from adult adoption to ziggurats. This is accomplished through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, appendixes, and hundreds of cross-reference dictionary entries on religion, economy, society, geography, and important kings and rulers. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

This book is not for average students
The information in this book is amazing, but do not expect your average student to grasp the material or even want to eagerly participate in the activities.

Written for 5th grade and up, this book is dense with information for you to impart to your students. Most activities involve some sort of logic problem or writing with logic-based analysis. While noteworthy endeavors, the curricular direction does nothing to directly connect students with the material.

I would keep this book generally for information for yourself to refer to. Otherwise, leave it to an accelerated/high interest program teacher. There is also no ability to allow students from a full inclusion program to participate with minimal accommodations. ... Read more

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Women of Babylon is a much-needed historical/art historical study that investigates the concepts of femininity which prevailed in Assyro-Babylonian society. Zainab Bahrani's detailed analysis of how the culture of ancient Mesopotamia defined sexuality and gender roles both in, and through, representation is enhanced by a rich selection of visual material extending from 6500 BC - 1891 AD. ... Read more

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This collection explores the spread of culture through literacy from Mesopotamia into Egypt, Palestine and Greece after a system of writing was developed. By gathering evidence from a vast range of material and literary sources from 3000 BC onwards, threads of influence and continuity are traced into the Middle Ages. The effect of recent rediscovery on European art is also explored. ... Read more

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First cultivated by the Sumerians, who were replaced by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, Mesopotamia is commonly known as the cradle of civilization, for it was there that the first cities and monumental temples were built, and there too that writing, schools, libraries, written law codes, mathematics and astronomy developed. Today this land is known as Iraq.

Beginning with irrigation and the formation of cities, Mesopotamia: Iraq in Ancient Times covers such topics as farming, writing, craft, trade, domestic life, religion, warfare, burial, kingship and law. Using artifacts, such as a vase or a cuneiform tablet, geographical sites, and archaeological evidence, this book looks at the past in a new and exciting way. It does this by showing in simple graphic terms how ancient buildings and objects were actually used, and by providing examples of numerous everyday objects.

Each two-page spread covers a different topic. text, photographs, illustrations, archaeology information boxes and time-lines are used to great affect. Captions and diagramming also are used to relate the different elements of the presentation, and each spread contains a link to an authoritative website for further information.A chronology of political and social history, as well as a glossary and index are included.

Informative and amply illustrated, Mesopotamia: Iraq in Ancient Times is sure to prove of great interest, particularly at this time, in the aftermath of war and the looting of the Iraqi National Museum, which housed many of the oldest artifacts of Western Civilization.

The Picturing the Past Series:
How do we know what we know about ancient peoples and their cultures that have disappeared? Ultimately, there are three main sources of information: the images that survive in wall paintings, ceramics and sculptures; artifacts, such a jewelry, utensils, toys, clothing, and tools; and the writings of ancient authors that have survived the ravages of time. From such sources, it is possible to begin to reconstruct the life of the distant past with an astonishing degree of accuracy.
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This book focuses on certain local powers in Old Babylonian Mesopotamia (ca. 2000-1595 BC), namely the chief of the city (rabianum), the elders, the 'city', and the assembly. This is a novel approach to Old Babylonian history that allows us to understand the constituency, activities, and sphere of influence of local institutions of authority, and the way they coped with state officials and royal policies. This focus on local power allows refreshing changes to traditional studies of the state. ... Read more

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The daily life, eating habits, clothing, arts and crafts, religion, technology, and warfare of ancient civilizations is explored through the sites and artefacts of the people of Mesopotamia. ... Read more