Mesopotamia (British Museum) - Softcover

An attractively illustrated account of the history of Mesopotamia from the prehistoric times to the rise of Babylon, up to 1500 B.C. Drawing on archaeology and ancient texts, [Julian Reade] describes the central position of Mesopotamia in early Western civilization. It was one of the leading centers of literacy in the world, and the development of agriculture, mathematics, and cities is often traced to this Fertile Crescent. Different cultures lived and clashed in the region, in cycles of 'alternating consolidation and disintegration.' -- Paula F. Rohrlick "Kliatt"

A concise, yet thorough study of early Mesopotamia before c.1500 BC. The history of this area of modern-day Syria and Iraq and the people that inhabited it are discussed alongside some wonderful photographs of objects from the British Museum collection. Mesopotamia was a leading centre for literacy and spear-headed innovation and change in the 3rd-2nd millennium BC. Julian Reade discusses the archaeological and textual evidence for early agriculture, the development of social and political complexity, the emergence of the city-states and later empires.