The Sumerian World

Description

Cover; Title; Copyright; CONTENTS; List of illustrations; List of contributors; Chronological framework for fourth millennium southern Mesopotamia; Historical phases and kings of the third millennium BC; Introduction; PART I: THE BACKGROUND; 1 Physical geography; 2 Hydraulic landscapes and irrigation systems of Sumer; 3 Sumerian agriculture and land management; 4 The end of prehistory and the Uruk period; 5 The Sumerian language; 6 History and chronology; PART II: SUMERIAN SOCIETY: THE MATERIAL REMAINS; 7 Patterns of settlement in Sumer and Akkad.;The Sumerian World explores the archaeology, history and art of southern Mesopotamia and its relationships with its neighbours from c.3,000 - 2,000BC. Including material hitherto unpublished from recent excavations, the articles are organised thematically using evidence from archaeology, texts and the natural sciences. This broad treatment will also make the volume of interest to students looking for comparative data in allied subjects such as ancient literature and early religions. Providing an authoritative, comprehensive and up to date overview of the Sumerian period writt. Cover Title Copyright CONTENTS List of illustrations List of contributors Chronological framework for fourth millennium southern Mesopotamia Historical phases and kings of the third millennium BC Introduction PART I: THE BACKGROUND 1 Physical geography 2 Hydraulic landscapes and irrigation systems of Sumer 3 Sumerian agriculture and land management 4 The end of prehistory and the Uruk period 5 The Sumerian language 6 History and chronology PART II: SUMERIAN SOCIETY: THE MATERIAL REMAINS 7 Patterns of settlement in Sumer and Akkad. 8 The organisation of a Sumerian town: the physical remains of ancient social systems9 Public buildings, palaces and temples 10 Kings and queens: representation and reality 11 The Sumerian sacred marriage: texts and images 12 In the service of the gods: the ministering clergy PART III: SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT 13 Democracy and the rule of law, the assembly and the first law code 14 Administrators and scholars: the first scribes 15 Calendars and counting 16 Seals and sealings in the Sumerian World PART IV: LIFE AND DEATH 17 Everyday life in Sumer. 18 Women and agency: a survey from Late Uruk to the end of Ur III19 A note on Sumerian fashion 20 Sumerian and Akkadian industries: crafting textiles 21 Death and burial 22 Sumerian mythology PART V: THE NEIGHBOURS 23 Trade in the Sumerian World 24 North Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC 25 Cultural developments in western Syria and the middle Euphrates Valley during the third millennium BC 26 Sumer, Akkad, Ebla and Anatolia 27 The Kingdom of Mari 28 Ebla PART VI: THE ENDS OF THE SUMERIAN WORLD 29 Iran and its neighbors 30 The Sumerians and the Gulf. 31 Mesopotamia, Meluhha, and those in between32 Egypt and Mesopotamia POSTSCRIPT The Mesopotamian marshlands: a personal recollection Index.