read_100_books's review against another edition
4.0
This book is great if you are looking for a very general history of Mesopotamia. If you are looking for an in-depth look at some of history's earliest civilizations then you will have to look elsewhere.
Pros: Babylon is an easy read because it a popular history rather than an academic history. The tradeoff is the loss of hard facts/data and a less extensive bibliography but the author certainly keeps the reader engaged
Cons: The author uses too many modern comparisons that throw off his narrative and don't always make sense when looking at civilizations where there is limited data available. There were some that were poignant and helped give readers relatable context for these ancient cities but overall I felt that a lot of the comparisons were personal conjecture rather than historical fact.
Pros: Babylon is an easy read because it a popular history rather than an academic history. The tradeoff is the loss of hard facts/data and a less extensive bibliography but the author certainly keeps the reader engaged
Cons: The author uses too many modern comparisons that throw off his narrative and don't always make sense when looking at civilizations where there is limited data available. There were some that were poignant and helped give readers relatable context for these ancient cities but overall I felt that a lot of the comparisons were personal conjecture rather than historical fact.
enbyglitch's review against another edition
4.0
A well-researched and fairly wide-lens look at the early history of civilization in the Mesopotamian region. The title felt a little misleading given the small portion of the book that actually explored Babylon, and chunk of that frustratingly focused on coinage and finances.
Still learned a few things and enjoyed the connections made to stories I remember from the bible growing up.
Still learned a few things and enjoyed the connections made to stories I remember from the bible growing up.
professor_x's review against another edition
4.0
I read this because the bible mentions Nebuchadnezzar, among other kings, of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. I wanted more context of what was going on in the Near East, and how that affected the religion and philosophy of the writers of the Old Testament. Currently my studies are focused on religion, and this book was great in showing how the civilizations of Mesopotamia influenced the Abrahamic faiths.
I enjoyed Kriwaczek's writing -- concise and easy to follow along the three thousand millennia that's covered. I particularly enjoyed the sections on myth and religion. Interestingly, the Mesopotamian creation myth included a great flood that consumed the earth, and other sections mention a holy trinity of sorts. Sounds familiar. There was of course war, and plenty of it. I don't believe that will ever change. Humans can live in harmony, as we learn with ancient Sumer and what is considered the first city of Uruk. We also won't hesitate to subject pain and torture on our fellow species.
Cuneiform writing was also born from the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. This is the earliest form of handwriting, of language. Although many of the tablets discovered speak mostly of commerce and business transactions, we were also lucky enough to dig up the earliest known work of fiction, the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is pre-Homer! Amazing.
Though this is my first book on Mesopotamia, I thought it was a great starting point for those looking to learn more about our ancient human heritage.
I enjoyed Kriwaczek's writing -- concise and easy to follow along the three thousand millennia that's covered. I particularly enjoyed the sections on myth and religion. Interestingly, the Mesopotamian creation myth included a great flood that consumed the earth, and other sections mention a holy trinity of sorts. Sounds familiar. There was of course war, and plenty of it. I don't believe that will ever change. Humans can live in harmony, as we learn with ancient Sumer and what is considered the first city of Uruk. We also won't hesitate to subject pain and torture on our fellow species.
Cuneiform writing was also born from the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. This is the earliest form of handwriting, of language. Although many of the tablets discovered speak mostly of commerce and business transactions, we were also lucky enough to dig up the earliest known work of fiction, the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is pre-Homer! Amazing.
Though this is my first book on Mesopotamia, I thought it was a great starting point for those looking to learn more about our ancient human heritage.
iteechesinglish's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Unfortunately not quite what I was hoping for. To be fair, there aren't a lot of books about Mesopotamia written for a general audience so I appreciate the effort, but part of the problem is there's a lot we just don't know. The author remedies this by frequently veering into speculation, but the book itself was heavy on his own musings and light historical insights about subject matter. He also makes many sweeping statements about certain things being "the first" and "the beginning" which I'm always suspicious of and sometimes simply aren't true. For example he touts Eridu as "the first true city" even though there were other similar settlements at the time and, well, define "true city." He also makes many distinctions between "civilization" and "barbarians" which problematic concepts in themselves.
kahawa's review against another edition
5.0
Very well written and researched. There was perhaps a little bit of jumping around geographically and chronologically that required concentration to follow, but otherwise it was very clear. I liked how he interwove the effects and patterns of history with both modern history and judeo-christian events. I don't think we can understand judeo-christianity without understanding its roots, and those roots for the most part are Mesopotamian.
A nit-pick with the title, this book wasn't really about Babylon per se, but about ancient Mesopotamia, its geology, history, cities and societies.
A nit-pick with the title, this book wasn't really about Babylon per se, but about ancient Mesopotamia, its geology, history, cities and societies.