A review by professor_x
Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek
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.