A fascinating tour through the highways and byways of a lost world. Dr. Nemet-Nejat's survey covers every stratum of society, from courtier to slave, and every sphere of human activity, sacred and profane. -- Raymond Westbrook^LProfessor of Near Eastern Studies^LJohns Hopkins University The excavation of the great cities of ancient Mesopotamia and the recovery of their cuneiform archives and libraries have combined to open a unique window on 'the first half of history.' The author has here distilled the essence of a vast number of studies and translations to craft a synthesis that is at once authoritative and eminently readable. -- William W. Hallo^LProfessor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature^LYale University Utilizing a generation of new scholarship, Karen Nemet-Nejat has given us a lively, up-to-date account of daily life in ancient Mesopotamia--from the foods that were eaten, the games that were played, the gods who were served, to methods of surveying and fortune-telling--in short, the whole gamut of life over two thousand years in one of the great literate civilizations of the ancient world. -- Robert Biggs^LProfessor of Assyriology, Oriental Institute^LUniversity of Chicago This is an introduction, for the general reader and student, to the world of ancient Mesopotamia. It offers an unusually comprehensive survey of the range of Mesopotamian culture, society, and everyday activities, and does so in an easily accessible style. -- Peter Machinist^LHancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages^LHarvard University
Time Line Preface Map Introduction General Information Historical Overview Writing, Education and Literature The Sciences Society, Part I: City Life, Country Life, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Life Society, Part II: Private Life Recreation Religion Government Economy The Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia Glossary Selected Bibliography Index
Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat was the first woman to receive her PhD in Ancient Near Eastern/Eastern Languages, History and Cultures at Columbia University. She is the author of a forthcoming Catalogue of the Babylonian Collections at Yale, Cuneiform Mathematical Texts as a Reflection of Everyday Life in Mesopotamia, and Late Babylonian Field Plans in the British Museum. She is currently working on her fifth book. She has also taught at University of Connecticut at Stamford and has held two fellowships at Yale.
"[A] readable and comprehensive overview of daily-life aspects of
Mesopotamian civilization." - Religious Studies Review
"Nemet-Nejat should be congratulated for her attempts to make
ancient Mesopotamia civilization accessible to the public, an
effort that has been accomplished without an excessive reliance on
biblical parallels that appeal to religious sensibilities. Thus,
her work will contribute to the establishment of the idea of
Mesopotamia's cultural autonomy and its importance to the study of
world history." - Journal of Near Eastern Studies
"There is something to interest everyone in this book." - The
Historian
"Nemet-Nejat's lively account of daily life in ancient Mesopotamia
fills an important gap in the literature. . . . This is a
fascinating and authortative synthesis of an extensive body of
material pertaining to life in ancient Mesopotamia, and it will be
a frequently consulted reference by those with an interest in this
subject. This work is highly recommended." - ARBA
"This volume is an important teaching tool for students of the
ancient Near East, because it uses primary texts and artifacts to
write about daily life in ancient Mesopotamia." - Religious Studies
Review
"The book is well illustrated by black-and-white photographs and
drawings. It is written at a level that an educated layperson will
find it accessible and fascinating, and scholars will find it a
good textbook for classes in ancient Near Eastern civilization.
Church, public, college and seminary libraries should have this
volume on their shelves." - Ashland Theological Journal
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