Research Guides: Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia

Library Catalog

On the Shelf at CCBC Libraries

Mesopotamia by Ariane Thomas (Editor); Timothy Potts (Editor) Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq, was home to the remarkable ancient civilizations of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria. From the rise of the first cities around 3500 BCE, through the mighty empires of Nineveh and Babylon, to the demise of its native culture around 100 CE, Mesopotamia produced some of the most powerful and captivating art of antiquity and led the world in astronomy, mathematics, and other sciences--a legacy that lives on today. Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins presents a rich panorama of ancient Mesopotamia's history, from its earliest prehistoric cultures to its conquest by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE. This catalogue records the beauty and variety of the objects on display, on loan from the Louvre's unparalleled collection of ancient Near Eastern antiquities: cylinder seals, monumental sculptures, cuneiform tablets, jewelry, glazed bricks, paintings, figurines, and more. Essays by international experts explore a range of topics, from the earliest French excavations to Mesopotamia's economy, religion, cities, cuneiform writing, rulers, and history--as well as its enduring presence in the contemporary imagination. This volume is published to accompany an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa April 12 to August 16, 2021.
Call Number: DS69.L68 H5713 2020
Mesopotamia and the Rise of Civilization by Jane R. McIntosh A broad introduction to a major turning point in human development, this book guides the reader through the emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia, when city life began and writing was invented. Covering Mesopotamia from around 3000 BCE to the fall of Babylon in 539 BCE, Mesopotamia and the Rise of Civilization: History, Documents, and Key Questions combines narrative history material and reference entries that enable students to learn about the rise of civilization in Mesopotamia and its enormous influence on western civilization with primary source documents that promote critical thinking skills. The book provides essential background via a historical overview of early development of society in Mesopotamia. This introduction is followed by reference entries on key topics; 4,000-year-old primary sources that explore Mesopotamian civilization through voices of the time and bring to light the events of a schoolboy's day, the boasts of kings, and personal letters about family concerns, for example; and a section of argumentative essays that presents thought-provoking perspectives on key issues. While the intended readership is high school students, the book's authoritative coverage of intriguing subject matter will also appeal to the wider public, especially in these times of heightened focus on the Middle East.
Publication Date: 2017-08-18
Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Don Nardo Presents a description of life in ancient Mesopotamia, covering such topics as family life, class structure, religion, technology, writing, science, and the rise of cities.
Call Number: DS69.5 .N33 2014
Myths from Mesopotamia by Stephanie Dalley (Edited and Translated by)
Call Number: BL1620 .M98 2008

Databases

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Articles, essays, and primary sources on the history of the world.

Streaming Video

Mesopotamia: I Have Conquered the River
Literally "the land between the rivers," Mesopotamia was host to some of the world’s earliest and most powerful civilizations. Shot on location, this program seeks to understand how the Sumerian city-states, cradled by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, built a vibrant agricultural economy—and why, after centuries, the wheat crop suddenly failed. Commentary by Asli Ozdogan, of Istanbul University, and Kazuya Maekawa, of Kyoto University; discussion of cuneiform, the Code of Hammurabi, and the Epic of Gilgamesh; and a remarkable 3-D computer re-creation of a peopled street scene offer a glimpse of life in Lower Mesopotamia. (59 minutes)
Mesopotamia
n which John presents Mesopotamia, and the early civilizations that arose around the Fertile Crescent. Topics covered include the birth of territorial kingdoms, empires, Neo-Assyrian torture tactics, sacred marriages, ancient labor practices, and the world's first law code,

Map of the Fertile Crescent

Online From CCBC Libraries

Mesopotamia and the Rise of Civilization by Jane R. McIntosh; Watson Little Ltd Staff A broad introduction to a major turning point in human development, this book guides the reader through the emergence of civilization in Mesopotamia, when city life began and writing was invented. Includes reference entries that explore important aspects of Mesopotamian civilization, such as key historical developments, technological and intellectual innovations, and aspects of social, economic, political, and domestic life. The book also enables readers to gain insight into the thinking and life experience of ancient Mesopotamians through primary sources, and provokes discussion through the debate of three major questions about the rise of civilization. -- From publisher description. Series Crossroads in world history
Publication Date: 2017
Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia by Gwendolyn Leick The Greek name Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers." The Romans used this term for an area that they controlled only briefly (between 115 and 117 A.D.): the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, from the south Anatolian mountains ranges to the Persian Gulf. It comprises the civilizations of Sumer and Akkad (third millennium B.C.) as well as the later Babylonian and Assyrian empires of the second and first millennium. Although the "history" of Mesopotamia in the strict sense of the term only begins with the inscriptions of Sumerian rulers around the 27th century B.C., the foundations for Mesopotamian civilization, especially the beginnings of irrigation and the emergence of large permanent settlements, were laid much earlier, in the fifth and fourth millennium. 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.
Publication Date: 2009
From Mesopotamia to Iraq by Hans J. Nissen (Translator); Peter Heine The recent reopening of Iraq's National Museum attracted worldwide attention, underscoring the country's dual image as both the cradle of civilization and a contemporary geopolitical battleground. A sweeping account of the rich history that has played out between these chronological poles, From Mesopotamia to Iraq looks back through 10,000 years of the region's deeply significant yet increasingly overshadowed past. Hans J. Nissen and Peter Heine begin by explaining how ancient Mesopotamian inventions--including urban society, a system of writing, and mathematical texts that anticipated Pythagoras--profoundly influenced the course of human history. These towering innovations, they go on to reveal, have sometimes obscured the major role Mesopotamia continued to play on the world stage. Alexander the Great, for example, was fascinated by Babylon and eventually died there. Seventh-century Muslim armies made the region one of their first conquests outside the Arabian peninsula. And the Arab caliphs who ruled for centuries after the invasion built the magnificent city of Baghdad, attracting legions of artists and scientists. Tracing the evolution of this vibrant country into a contested part of the Ottoman Empire, a twentieth-century British colony, a republic ruled by Saddam Hussein, and the democracy it has become, Nissen and Heine repair the fragmented image of Iraq that has come to dominate our collective imagination. In hardly any other continuously inhabited part of the globe can we chart such developments in politics, economy, and culture across so extended a period of time. By doing just that, the authors illuminate nothing less than the forces that have made the world what it is today.
Publication Date: 2009