Civilizations of Ancient Iraq

Author: Benjamin R. Foster
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691149976
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Book Description
In Civilizations of Ancient Iraq, Benjamin and Karen Foster tell the fascinating story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements ten thousand years ago to the Arab conquest in the seventh century. Accessible and concise, this is the most up-to-date and authoritative book on the subject. With illustrations of important works of art and architecture in every chapter, the narrative traces the rise and fall of successive civilizations and peoples in Iraq over the course of millennia--from the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians to the Persians, Seleucids, Parthians, and Sassanians. Ancient Iraq was home to remarkable achievements. One of the birthplaces of civilization, it saw the world's earliest cities and empires, writing and literature, science and mathematics, monumental art, and innumerable other innovations. Civilizations of Ancient Iraq gives special attention to these milestones, as well as to political, social, and economic history. And because archaeology is the source of almost everything we know about ancient Iraq, the book includes an epilogue on the discovery and fate of its antiquities. Compelling and timely, Civilizations of Ancient Iraq is an essential guide to understanding Mesopotamia's central role in the development of human culture.

Civilizations of Ancient Iraq

Author: Benjamin R. Foster
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140083287X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 312

Mathematics in Ancient Iraq

Author: Eleanor Robson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691201404
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 399

Book Description
This monumental book traces the origins and development of mathematics in the ancient Middle East, from its earliest beginnings in the fourth millennium BCE to the end of indigenous intellectual culture in the second century BCE when cuneiform writing was gradually abandoned. Eleanor Robson offers a history like no other, examining ancient mathematics within its broader social, political, economic, and religious contexts, and showing that mathematics was not just an abstract discipline for elites but a key component in ordering society and understanding the world. The region of modern-day Iraq is uniquely rich in evidence for ancient mathematics because its prehistoric inhabitants wrote on clay tablets, many hundreds of thousands of which have been archaeologically excavated, deciphered, and translated. Drawing from these and a wealth of other textual and archaeological evidence, Robson gives an extraordinarily detailed picture of how mathematical ideas and practices were conceived, used, and taught during this period. She challenges the prevailing view that they were merely the simplistic precursors of classical Greek mathematics, and explains how the prevailing view came to be. Robson reveals the true sophistication and beauty of ancient Middle Eastern mathematics as it evolved over three thousand years, from the earliest beginnings of recorded accounting to complex mathematical astronomy. Every chapter provides detailed information on sources, and the book includes an appendix on all mathematical cuneiform tablets published before 2007.

Mesopotamia, Iraq in Ancient Times

Author: Peter Chrisp
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
ISBN: 9781592700240
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 42

Book Description
An amply illustrated book fascinates by explaining what ancient artifacts tell us about the origins of Iraq.

A Universal History of the Destruction of Books

Author: Fernando Báez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 392

Book Description
Examines the many reasons and motivations for the destruction of books throughout history, citing specific acts from the smashing of ancient Sumerian tablets to the looting of libraries in post-war Iraq.

Sumerian Texts from Ancient Iraq

Author: Benjamin Studevent-Hickman
Publisher: Lockwood Press
ISBN: 1937040860
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
The 145 tablets presented in this volume are among a larger group of 302 tablets confiscated by U.S. customs which were being stored in a World Trade Center building when it was destroyed on 9/11. The 145 tablets, which come from an unknown site near Nippur in southern Iraq, are the documents of a high official named Aradmu that detail routine agricultural operations, including receipts and grain loans. The group was repatriated to Iraq in late 2010, after the tablets were conserved and the author had completed his study. The editions offered in this volume complete an incredible journey for the tablets and the stories they hold.

Ancient Iraq

Author: Georges Roux
Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 504

Book Description
Book provides an introduction to the history of ancient Mesopotamia and its civilizations, incorporating archaeological and historical finds up to 1992.

Iraq

Author: Geoff Hann
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
ISBN: 1841624888
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 456

Book Description
Modern Iraq is under threat from every quarter. Politics play havoc with ordinary lives; sanctions cut deep. However, today's rare visitors are met with a broad hospitality that belies years of deprivation

Iraq

Author: John Robertson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1786070251
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 400

Book Description
Cities, scripts, literature, the rule of law – all were born in Iraq. That so many see this ancient land as nothing more than a violent backwater steeped in chaos is a travesty. This is the place where, for the first 5,000 years of human history, all innovations of worth emerged. It was the cradle of civilization. In this unrivalled study, John Robertson details the greatness and grandeur of Iraq’s achievements, the brutality and magnificence of its ancient empires and its extraordinary contributions to the world. The only work in the English language to explore the history of the land of two rivers in its entirety, it takes readers from the seminal advances of its Neolithic inhabitants to the aftermath of the American and British-led invasion, the rise of Islamic State and Iraq today. A fascinating and thought-provoking analysis, it is sure to be greatly appreciated by historians, students and all those with an interest in this diverse and enigmatic country. This paperback edition features a new epilogue, bringing the work up to date and looking ahead to Iraq’s future.

Iraq Then and Now

Author: Karen Dabrowska
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
ISBN: 9781841622439
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 412

Book Description
Unlike other publications since the downfall of Saddam's regime, Iraq: Then & Now traces the history of the country from ancient times until the present. Supplementary boxes, many written by Iraqis themselves, reflect on life today as compared with life in Saddam's Iraq and even earlier, describing their experiences, hopes, fears, ambitions and visions for the future.The book self-consciously avoids making any judgement on the political debate surrounding the 2003 war and subsequent occupation; instead it presents the varying views, and offers a rounded, balanced picture.Published to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the change, this guide to the country and its people, provides information on Iraq's culture and archaeology, the south, Baghdad and the Sunni Triangle. The northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan stands apart as a success story and the travel appendix provides essential information for the increasing numbers of visitors to this region.