Contents
Introduction
Place in History / 6
What Mesopotamia Did for Us / 7
Landscape and Climate / 8
A Brief History of Mesopotamia, 6000–539 BCE / 10
Table of Major Dates / 12
Chapter 1: The Sumerians
Expanding onto the Plain / 14
Building Southern Mesopotamia / 16
Early Village Life / 18
Invention of the Wheel, 3500–3250 BCE / 20
Tepe Gawra—a Temple Through Time / 23
The Bronze Age Begins, 3500 BCE / 24
Growth of the Town / 26
The Invention of Writing, 5000–2000 BCE / 28
A City Dwelling / 30
An Aristocrat’s House / 33
Sumerian Family Life—the Family Structure / 34
Sumerian Family Life—Clothing and Adornment / 36
Sumerian Family Life—Daily Food / 38
The Government of Sumer, c.2300 BCE / 40
A Visit to the Temple / 42
Worshipping the Gods / 44
War Gets Organized / 46
Akkad Conquers Sumer / 48
Chapter 2: Creating Order
The Legacy of Hammurabi / 50
Making New Laws / 52
Reaching for the Heavens / 54
Reading the Heavens / 56
Medicine in Mesopotamia / 58
Mesopotamian Literature—Creation and Gilgamesh / 60
Exit from Ur—the Spread of Mesopotamian Culture / 62
Chapter 3: The Age of Super States
Indo-Europeans Occupy Mesopotamia / 64
The Rise and Fall of Assyria, 1420–609 BCE / 66
Assyrian Society / 68
The Assyrian Family / 70
An Assyrian Soldier’s Life / 72
Forced Migrations / 75
Hunting—the Sport of Kings / 76
Cities of Splendor and Learning / 78
Chapter 4: New Babylonia
The Glory of Nebuchadnezzar’s City / 80
A Society Run by Priests / 82
Daily Life in Babylon—Home and Festival / 84
The Hanging Gardens / 86
The God Marduk / 88
The Tower of Babel / 91
Achaemenids, Seleucids, Arsacids, and Sassanids / 92
Glossary / 94
Index / 96
| 
