Land Between the Rivers: A 5,000-Year History of Iraq

by Bartle Bull

The epic, five millennia history of the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers that was the birthplace of civilization and remains today the essential crossroads between East and West

At the start of the fourth millennium BC, at the edge of historical time, civilization first arrived with the advent of cities and the invention of writing that began to replace legend with history. This occurred on the floodplains of southern Iraq where the great rivers Tigris and Euphrates meet the Persian Gulf. By 3000 BC, a city called Uruk (from which “Iraq” is derived) had 80,000 residents. Indeed, as Bartle Bull reveals in his magisterial history, “if one divides the 5,000 years of human civilization into ten periods of five centuries each, during the first nine of these the world’s leading city was in one of the three regions of current day Iraq”—or to use its Greek name, Mesopotamia. 

Inspired by extensive reporting from the region to spend a decade delving deep into its history, Bull chronicles the story of Iraq from the exploits of Gilgamesh (almost certainly an historical figure) to the fall of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958 that ushered in its familiar modern era. The land between the rivers has been the melting pot and battleground of countless outsiders, from the Akkadians of Hammurabi and the Greeks of Alexander to the Ottomans of Suleiman the Magnificent. Here, by the waters of Babylon, Judaism was born and the Sunni-Shia schism took its bloody shape.

Central themes play out over the humanity’s need for freedom versus the co-eternal urge of tyranny; the ever-present conflict and cross-fertilization of East and West with Iraq so often the hinge. We tend to view today’s tensions in the Middle East through the prism of the last hundred years since the Treaty of Versailles imposed a controversial realignment of its borders. Bartle Bull’s remarkable, sweeping achievement reminds us that the region defined by the land between the rivers has for five millennia played a uniquely central role on the global stage.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle East, Politics, Ancient History, Audiobook, Religion

576 pages, Hardcover

First published August 22, 2024

About the author

Bartle Bull was born in London and educated at Harvard and at Magdalen College, Oxford. A student of the China coast since he first worked in Hong Kong over thirty years ago, he is a member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club. He is the author of Safari: A chronicle of Adventure and the novels The White Rhino Hotel, A Cafe on the Nile, and The Devil's Oasis.

Reviews

[Alexandra]

Received via NetGalley.

This isn't a book for me.

Who this book IS for: the person with an interest in history who doesn't have much specific knowledge about the history of Mesopotamia/Iraq, and is after a broad-sweep understanding of that area and how its history has had an effect on its neighbours. You're not too worried about historiography and questioning sources at this time, you just want to know the main players and events and issues. If that's you, this is likely to be a very good book for you! I'm glad it exists.

That's not me, though. I already have a broad-sweep understanding of the area. I'm also impatient these days with writers who seem to take ancient sources largely at their word, with only the occasional "here's how these two differ." My other main issue is that this is basically a Great Man history. I understand that the sources for the time do often concentrate on the dudes, and that skipping from Cyrus to Alexander is the straightforward/easy/exciting option. But for me, this is also the boring option, when it's not made more complex by questioning or further exploring the issues.

So: I read 1/4 of the book before deciding I wouldn't continue. Overall, it's well written and accessible; the author is a journalist, rather than an academic historian, and he reflects on his personal experiences in reporting from Iraq, which generally adds to the accessibility. Whether this book works for you will depend on what sort of history you're looking for.

[Caleb Fogler · Rating 3 out of 5]

“There he lived by his pen, attracting the attention of Ma’mun, and writing hundreds of works. [al]-Jahiz died at 93 crushed by an avalanche of books in his library at home in Basra. He was the greatest of Arabic prose writers.” -Bartle Bull, Land Between the Rivers: a 5000-Year History of Iraq

Al-Jahiz is one of history’s greatest polymaths with works in literature, theology, and zoology just to name a few. Unfortunately for Jahiz, I found his death too interesting to leave out and his short biography is a perfect summary of this book. Jahiz, and the other Arabian scholars of his era, were the key players for the Arabian world’s excellence in science and innovation in the medieval world and yet Jahiz gets a few pages in one of the smaller chapters of this book.

Land Between the Rivers is an interesting book but I think it bites off too much. 5000 years is covered in less than 600 pages, starting from the first city of Uruk and its fall with the rise of Babylon to the eventual demise of Saddam Hussein in America’s invasion of Iraq in the 21st century.

Some sections I found interesting and useful such as the archaeology of Nineveh by British archaeologists but these were more like introductions to key moments in this region’s history and I desired more in-depth exploration of the events. So if you’re looking for something that skims the surface of the history of this country then this book might be of interest to you, but you might find yourself desiring more information on the events and people than what this book has to offer.

[Umer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Beware of this sweeping history of Mesopotamia, even though it covers a great deal and reads well (the ridiculous epilogue in which the the author shamelessly tries to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq in a twisted manner notwithstanding), in addition to such obviously debunked neo-con talking points it is also tainted with typical orientalist hubris and colonial mindset.

One is best served to read the likes of The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan or How the World Made the West by Josephine Quinn for expansive but informed world history (including history of this land). For commentary on different ideologies and background of peoples one may refer to the works of Reza Aslan or Karen Armstrong or even Tim Mackintosh-Smith.

Only read Land between the rivers if you’re already well versed with the subject material and can tune out and compensate for author’s biases and prejudices. If you’re new to ancient or more recent history of this area, stay away from this book and look elsewhere including the few suggestions above.

Note to author: The purpose of studying history among other things is an attempt to understand and make sense of the present. Projecting one’s partiality into the past and seeing it through biased lens of current prejudices defeats the whole purpose.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to decide what to say about this book. One word I would use to describe it is 'baggy' - I am very familiar with the desire to find a way to include EVERYTHING YOU KNOW whether it's necessary or not! but there were times when I wasn't sure I really needed as much of the exhaustive history of Islam as Bull provides, for example - there are whole books about this, and some are actually written by Muslims as opposed to the many early 20th century British authors who seem to have been a main source of information. I particularly noted one comment as typical of the omniscient tone the author assumes throughout the book no matter what epoch or subject he is addressing: "The heterodoxy and humanness of the Greek pantheon reflected the independence of mind at the heart of the classical outlook." Really? How do we know this? It's rather a sweeping statement, and this book isn't really about classical Greece anyway although classical Greece impinged on the part of the world where the nation of Iraq was created. Here's another one: "Blood-and-soil nationalism was an entirely new notion. No one had ever been a 'Turk' or an 'Arab' before, just as in Europe until recently nobody had ever been an 'Italian' or a 'German.'" In the second sentence, he carefully chooses his examples to be true (Italy and Germany had been forged into nations from little warring principalities), but that does not make the first sentence true; ask Shakespeare's Henry V or John of Gaunt about nationalism, just as one example. Things like this kept me feeling wary about what else might be going on here that would be similar, but that I didn't have the background to notice.

There is a lot of interesting material in what might properly be called these "episodes in the history of the area from Turkey to Iran." The actual focus on what was going on in Mesopotamia was more or less maintained from section to section, frequently less - I can understand why, as there was always some external force sweeping across the area and attempting to own it, but at times it was easy to lose sight of Mesopotamia itself as we spoke in detail of what was going on in Alexander's Macedonia, or in Mecca and Medina, or Constantinople.

Bull believes that the nation of Iraq as created by the European powers in the early 20th century had a previously existing identity, with only minor squabbles about specific borders, and thus he refers to it as Iraq throughout the book. I have not read deeply in this area but I know this is debatable. And he does seem to feel that the Shia/followers of Ali and the imams were always marginalized and suppressed by the Sunni Arabs throughout the region. He makes the interesting assertion that the Judaean population who were taken in captivity to Babylon formulated a religious outlook and body of scripture there, and returned to Palestine as a new phenomenon called Jews; again I do not have the background to have an opinion about this. And the idea that the Persian emperor Cyrus was essentially a liberal humanist was also new to me...

The context he places around the defeat of Rommel in north Africa in World War II, and Hitler's choice to invade Russia, was striking. If Hitler had invaded the Levant, which was poorly defended, and moved east to take ownership of Syria and Iraq, he might well have become undisputed master of Eurasia because he would have had control of all the oil in the region and kept it from the allies. As it was, he continued, energy-poor, north and east, and failed there.

The narrative of the three Hashemite kings placed upon the throne of the newly created Iraq, and their eventual destruction at the hands of the Baath party, was a sad story of people mostly trying to do their best with the nation they were handed. (Editing needs to clean up the two different birth years given, a few pages apart, for Faisal I.) Thankfully Bull places the 21st century invasion of Iraq by the US led forces in an epilogue. He seems to feel that the invasion was justified, although he does not touch at all upon the aftermath and how it might have been better handled if people understood the history he'd spent 500 pages telling us. His final summation makes a handful of important points concisely: "The nostalgic Sunni revivalism of Al Qaeda, the modern secular national socialism of the Baath: these two outlooks were fundamental enemies. Shia Iran was an even bigger foe for each. And then there were the foreigners from the world to the west. There was nothing new about any of it."

In sum, a flawed book with a lot of important information as well as the occasional assertion that made me go ???? Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an advance proof of this book.

[Mai H.]

Non-fiction November TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a historian, which means I can review this book from an average reader's POV only.
It took me a good few months to read this, not because it's boring (it is NOT), but because I kept googling lots of information.
If you have little to no knowledge of this region's history then this book is perfect for you. It's like a speedy history lesson. The author doesn`t explore matters too deeply to spare you from overwhelming confusion, he rather touches the surface to make you aware of some important historical events. After all, covering 5 thousand years on 500 pages is quite a challenge.
The author has definitely inspired me to look for more detailed books about this fascinating, yet scary region.

[Jifu · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley)

Bartle Bull has expertly taken several thousand years of history and has contained it within a remarkably accessible narrative. Not once did I feel overwhelmed or tired, as has been the case with other historical reads - all the while I was deeply immersed and happily absorbing all that he had to share on a region that has been so central to humanity in a sweeping myriad of ways since the dawn of civilization.

[BJ Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweeping overview of the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is nothing if not ambitious. Beginning with a time so ancient that the legendary Gilgamesh is treated as a historical figure, the book gallops through millennia of history, leaving no stone unturned—or at least, no major historical event unmentioned. The journey barrels forward with a journalist's sense of urgency, speeding past Sumerians, Cyrus the Great, and Alexander before drawing to a close with the 1958 Revolution and a brief epilogue that hurries us all the way up to George Bush’s “Mission Accomplished.” It’s a book for those who want to see all the sights from a moving car without having to get out and actually walk around.

Of course, the author is a journalist, and his professional background is, shall we say, evident. This is not a book for those who are a stickler for things like sourcing, historiography, or a nuanced engagement with alternate theories. The narrative tends to stick to the well-trodden path of "Great Man history," assuming an omniscient tone and taking ancient sources largely at their word, which is, of course, the most straightforward and least complicated way to write history. He also makes the choice to be inoffensive when discussing the early Muslim era, a move that is much better for his personal safety if he is reporting from that area than it is for the reader's historical enlightenment.

The book's scope, while impressive in its breadth, can also feel a bit "baggy," as if the author was determined to include every last bit of information he ever learned. At times, the focus on Mesopotamia itself seems to get lost in the whirlwind of external forces, such as the exhaustive history of Islam or the rather detailed biography of a British explorer who was apparently more interesting to the author than the very discoveries he made. The lack of social history is particularly striking; if you were hoping to learn anything about the lives of ordinary people, women, or what anyone ate, you're out of luck. The narrative focuses squarely on the rulers, the battles, the shifting borders, and the other usual suspects of high-level historical analysis.

In the end, whether this book is a triumph or a tedious list of names and dates depends entirely on what you’re looking for. If you’re a serious historian, someone who likes to question sources and dive into the messy details of social context, you should probably pass this by. However, if you're a curious individual with little prior knowledge and a healthy impatience for academic debate, this might be a very good starting point. It’s an accessible, well-written introduction to a complex region, as long as you’re willing to take a lot of what it says at face value without having to think for yourself.

[pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Takes sources at face value, but great breadth of info. Overall interesting.

[Erik Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off the library shelf almost on a whim. As soon as it starts getting dull, I told myself, I’ll quit reading and return it. I read every page.

Tackling 5,000 years of history in a cohesive narrative is a tough task that the author accomplishes with aplomb.

In 482 pages, the reader gets a selection of pivotal people in pivotal moments, from Gilgamesh to Alexander to Mohammed to Sadaam Hussein.

The book also covers religious developments. The story of Islam and its various competing factions and worldviews — not just Sunni/Shia — and how they came to be be gave me a much better understanding of the religion and the religious politics of the Middle East than I’d had before.

It’s a great overview. I highly recommend.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learnt a lot from this book but, after a promising start, the lack of any social history turned large parts of the narrative into a bewildering list of rulers, battles, religious groups and ever changing borders.
I liked the initial setting of the story in the land between the rivers and the expansion out into the surrounding regions. I did find the blurring of the lines between factually grounded history and supposition based on biblical stories a little off-putting. I kept having to dig out other books to check facts, which isn't what I expected from a history book, but it was good storytelling.
As the narrative moved into the long and complex history of Islam, I became increasingly frustrated by the lack of any social context to the broader events. Why did one prophet attract such a following? What was the social context that allowed this religion to flourish? There was nothing about the everyday lives of people or what drove their actions. Instead, it was all about the life of the Prophet and his descendents, the battles they fought, and the constant moving of the centres of power. This was interesting, but I got no real sense of place or focus on the area that became Iraq.
And so it continued. After hundreds of pages and masses of information, I still knew nothing about anyone outside the ruling classes, and women barely got mentioned at all, unless they lived in a harem or married someone important. There were barely any descriptions of the cities, the architecture, the food or the culture, and nothing about the lifestyles outside of the ruling classes. There is, however, a whole chapter on the British explorer and diplomat, Austen Henry Layard, detailing his entire life and not just his excavations of Nimrod. The discovery of those ancient wonders was fascinating, but the author seems far more interested in Layard than the discoveries he made, which was odd in a book about Iraq.
The final chapters were more interesting, as the narrative took the story through the end of Ottoman rule and the impact of the World Wars on the politics and the borders. So many of today's horrific problems stem from this period, but the author clearly shows how they date much further back to the age-old conflicts of a region forever squeezed between east and west.

[Elizabeth]

At the risk of sounding dismissive, this book is very much written by a white man for a white audience with the aim of reinforcing white assumptions. At first, I thought the author was just taking a critical stance on religion in keeping with journalistic fashion, but the bias became obvious as soon as white explorers entered history. No thank you.

[XJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who knew journalistic integrity was such a low bar compared to historical rigour. Really good storytelling, though. Vivid, emotional, entertaining etc. but I can’t forgive the lack of rigour and overconfidence in interpreting random sources

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odds are your ancient or world history class began with a study of the Sumerians and thus in Mesopotamia. You may have spent a day or two learning about the Assyrians and Babylonians. But then your study of history would have been directed elsewhere. Yet the land of Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, would continue, and often would prove of great importance to world affairs and events.

In Land Between the Rivers: A 5,000 Year History of Iraq (galley received as part of an early review program), Bartle Bull attempted to tell the long story of the history and heritage of Mesopotamia and Iraq by means of major characters in its history.

Thus he would begin with Gilgamesh and the early days of Sumerian civilization in the southern marshes of the land, and yet so much of Gilgamesh and his epic would redound through the ages. Abraham and his journey to Canaan are described, with the long-term influence of his descendants on Mesopotamia noted. Ashurbanipal and Nebuchadnezzar feature prominently as the greatest kings of the last great native Mesopotamian empires. Persian kings, Greek soldiers, and Jewish exiles are then described.

With Alexander the Great we begin a long period during which we learn comparatively little about Mesopotamia/Iraq itself, and more about the imperial powers, centered in Syria and Rome to the west or in Persia to the east, which would dominate from 333 BCE to 630s CE: Alexander, the Seleucids, the Romans, the Parthians, the Byzantines, and the Sassanids. Then there was Khalid ibn al Walid, the “Sword of Allah,” who would bring down the great empires; the author’s description of the Umayyad state along with Ali and his son Hussein in the latter part of the seventh century is the best description of the Sunni/Shiite division and differences between the Sunni and Shiite ideologies I have yet come across. And for good reason: the story of Iraq would strongly feature the divisions between the Sunni and the Shiite.

Much is then made of the Abbasid period from 750 to 1258 since it was centered at Baghdad. With the destruction by the Mongols there is the recognition of the devastation of Mesopotamian irrigation and thus its population which would only really see reverses in the last century. The story again shifted away from Mesopotamia proper, and this time to the northwest, as the Ottomans ruled over the land from 1520 until 1918.

The author then dived in with rich detail regarding the elevation of Faisal I as King of Iraq and the development of the Kingdom of Iraq from the British Mandate. The work ends with a discussion of the period of independence from 1932 until the coup of 1958, with the aftereffects of the coup, and especially Saddam Hussein and all which came after him, reserved for the afterword.

Thus the history of Iraq over a 5,000 year period is covered, but rather unevenly. This is mostly a “big man” historical work: you learn much more about the major characters and players and far less about what life was like for the average person in Iraq at any point in its history. Nevertheless, this is a great work for anyone interested in the history of Mesopotamia and Iraq, especially if you would like to better understand why and how Iraq is as it is today.

[The Rat's Attic · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received through NetGalley.

Mesopotamia, the eponymous Land Between the Rivers, is a region of the world I have to admit always took a back seat in my interest in historical reading. The Egyptians were a childhood obsession, astounding with architectural feats still standing proud to this day and giving me the name of my dog - Anubis. The Greeks and the Norse excited my teenage imagination with colourful myths and legends, and their stories of exploring foreign lands (in more or less friendly ways). My early twenties saw a somewhat hipster-ish disinterest in all things Rome, and a budding love-affair with Genghis Khan's Mongolia, pre-British Raj India, Warring States and Three Kingdoms China, Sengoku Jidai Japan, pre- and colonial Southern Africa, the Khazar Khaganate, and many more. And of course my student years were spent studying (and partying) the European

Middle-Ages and early Modern Era. But throughout all this, the lands of Sumer, Babylon, Akkadia, Assyria and and the whole of the Middle-East were typically absent. Sure, these lands would make a guest appearance in other peoples' shows - the Hittites as enemies of the Egyptians, the Persians as the eternal enemies of the Greeks and the Eastern Romans, the Zoroastrians as part of my general interest in religious history and syncretism in Eurasia. Yet they never stuck. And this is doing the "cradle of civilisation" a great disservice, one which Mr. Bartle Bull remedies through out the book.

Covering the 5000 year-ish history of what is now Iraq and its surrounding regions, from ancient Sumer to the 1950s, "Land Between the Rivers' is not an in-depth paper written with academic rigour on a highly specific historical topic. It is a summary of highlights to peak the interest of people who know little of the region and its cultural weight in history. I was especially intrigued by the sections on the region's relationship with religion, namely the Abrahamic faiths.

Well written, and rather familiar in styling, "Land Between the Rivers" is an easy read, but it needs to be said that this is an easy read because it avoids a lot of the pedantry inherent to proper academic historical writing. This means that at times the author skips over a lot of the detail, which often colours the reader's understanding of what is being discussed at any time.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is terrible & I’m a worse person for having read it.

From the beginning, the author’s assertion that being a journalist in the area for 10 years makes him an authority on the subject made me raise an eyebrow. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and trudged on.

Throughout, Bull’s disdain for Muslims and Arabs is palpable. He very clearly sees them as less-than human and goes out of his way and seemingly without purpose, to include nasty quotes from old white men about Arabs being “beasts.”

His description of Prophet Mohammad included claims I have literally never read or heard in my life - i.e. “he never laughed or smiled.” Like, what? I’ve read a lot of books about early Islam and I’ve never, ever heard this, quite the opposite. Bull is also sure to avoid any evidence of positive descriptors of Mohammad or his companions during his lifetime or anything positive from his legacy.

I’m sad that so many reviewers think that this “book” is a good overview of history in the region. I mean, my god, just take a look at the epilogue to see that this man is blinded by his hate for these people. He justifies the US’s invasion of Iraq where Bull basically says “Saddam *was* being sneaky.” He also blames Iraq for 9/11 (WHAT?!) & claims Saddam was linked with al-queda despite admitting all reports say otherwise and tries to say they still ‘may’ have had WMD. He says Hussein did not comply with UN weapons inspections which is such an insane claim that the war hawks aren’t even saying this!

I have a hard time believing that Dick Cheney himself would have gone this hard justifying the invasion in 2024.

Also, the author has clear fetishizing tendencies. Any time he can find a vague reference to anything sexual, you can bet he’s included it. As if he’s saying “oh, you think these people were modest? No! They wrote a book called ‘Masturbation’!” His descriptions of vast amounts of time are boiled down to an Eastern fetish with Harems. His aim is to humiliate but it comes across as an unhealthy infatuation on Bull’s behalf.

He is loath to credit Arabs or Muslims with any of their achievements - forcing in a way to credit ancient Greeks instead.

tldr: this guy/book are the worst & I’m so pissed I wasted my time/$ on garbage that Tucker Carlson may as well have written. Pretty sure Saddam slept with his mom or something.

[Beatrice Tibaldini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always deeply appreciated curiosity about foreign lands, and Iraq is certainly a land with a rich history behind it, one that not everyone knows about or is truly interested in. When I found this book, I was honestly happy to be able to read it and gain new insights into Iraq, both past and present.

Five thousand years is a long time, and of course, many things have happened during this period, some better, others less positive. Summarizing all of those events in one book is honestly a task that certainly requires great care and passion.

I found the entire book extremely well-researched, paying close attention to the events of various eras and maintaining a broad perspective, though at times this led to a certain loss in readability. In some sections, the tone became overly omniscient, and it felt like I was conversing with someone who positioned themselves as an authority on everything, claiming to possess an enormous and complete knowledge on the subject, and therefore, infallible. This resulted in some annoying phrases because they weren’t fully supported by historical reasoning but were instead presented as a simple mix of opinions and facts that "had to be that way because, for the author, they were the logical outcome of certain other events."

Overall, I consider this to be the most meticulously researched and attentive work on history that I’ve had the chance to read. It’s certainly rich in details—sometimes even too many for a reader who thinks they can absorb them all at once—which pushes you to read the book multiple times and in intervals, making it easier to digest the information. My advice is to read it in small doses, a little at a time, and focus primarily on the historically verified information, leaving aside those conclusions that seem like they're "made by" the author alone.

Really thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

[Nicholas (was Allison) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.54 Stars
Notes: I read this book over several weeks, so that I could try to understand it more. I have been researching history for a while, as well as reading nonfiction on it. I had an advanced history class when I was in high school. I could understand this novel and I was okay enough reading through it.

There are long paragraphs and lengthy descriptions in this novel. There are several chapters that have to be fully understood to be read through. The writing style properly describes enough of what happens in the plotline of the book.

Should someone have enough time to try to read through this book, it can be read through. There are enough accurate descriptions of researched information for even unknown concepts to then be further understood.

This book is going to be difficult for some to read through. It is over 500 pages long and contains factual information on Iraq and some other countries in the eastern half of the world. I read through and understood as much as I possibly could at the moment. However - this is a warning. I read this book by choice [from an interest of history], I am going to automatically include that. I have an interest in history going back for thousands and thousands of years. I have read and been okay with historical research articles that got minimal ratings on them.

I would recommend this novel to those who can understand what it is about. The content inside of it is okay enough to be understood and read through under stress.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this fascinatingly complex and detailed history of Iraq over the last five thousand years, Bartle Bull traces the development of modern civilization through Uruk and the Mesopotamian city-states to the Akkadian, Alexandrian, and Ottoman empires and the fall of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958. Analyzing several critical historical themes like religion and religious schism, freedom versus tyranny, cultural exchange and evolution, and conflicts and tensions both ancient and modern, Bull makes the ancient history of the region relevant to its more modern situation and the familiar elements dissected in the news media apparatus. In exploring Iraq and its central role in world and global history, Bull brings it to life in incredible detail through his thematic focuses and chronological organization. Perfect for historians and interested readers alike, the precise historical research and the excellent language and prose make this an engaging and informative read. Despite covering five thousand years in a single book, it does not feel overwhelming or needlessly dense, so readers still new to historical nonfiction should still manage to read and understand this new release. Complex, brilliantly written, and very detailed, Bull’s new book about the history of Iraq and its international importance is a must-read for historians and other readers interested in global politics over the millennia.

Thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Atlantic Monthly Press for the advance copy.

[Alessandra Downey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just started reading this book and while it is written in a manner that is easy to read, once I looked at the included photographs, including one of a sculpture of the Sumerian goddess Ishtar (Inanna), I started having serious misgivings about his possible bias.

Anyone who knows anything about the Sumerian era knows of Ishtar, knows of this iconic image of her. Yet Bartle Bull seemingly does not. He captioned the photo with the words, "Sumerian devotional statuary, late third millennium BC". Ok. So no. No longer impressed by his background, his writing, or his "facts". As I continue to read this book, I will be assessing it's entirety for signs of bias, as I feel like he's just another good ol' boy writing for the boys. He gives the goddess no respect so I find it hard to respect him. Already in his telling of the story of Gilgamesh I am finding it a tale of boys hanging out with boys, doing the things that boys do, with a disparaging description of Ishtar/Inanna.

I use the term boys deliberately, as anyone who cannot accept women goddesses as forces in their own right, are boys. Not men.

I was hoping for a fair and balanced history, but I don't know if I will find it here. The beginning is not promising, and if he's just going to go along with the status quo in his depiction of the history of Iraq I will give this book even less stars. Not interested in your bull, Bartle.

[Evelyn Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Land Between the Rivers: A 5000-Year History of Iraq by Bartle Bull is an extraordinary chronicle of civilization’s birthplace, a sweeping narrative that spans from the epic of Gilgamesh to the fall of Iraq’s last monarchy. With ten years of research distilled into one masterful volume, Bull delivers a work of breathtaking scope, insight, and literary grace.

Through five millennia of triumph and turmoil, Bull traces the evolution of a land where empires rose and fell where East met West, myth met history, and power met faith. His storytelling moves seamlessly from the walls of Uruk to the royal palaces of Baghdad, revealing how Iraq’s complex history reflects humanity’s own struggle between humanism and domination, creation and destruction.

Richly detailed yet deeply human, Land Between the Rivers stands as both a historical epic and a philosophical reflection. Bull’s command of narrative turns ancient history into living memory, offering readers not just facts, but perspective a meditation on civilization’s resilience and fragility.

For readers of A History of the World in 100 Objects and Jerusalem: The Biography, this is a landmark work of narrative history vast in vision, intimate in understanding, and essential to grasping the currents that still shape our modern world.

[Sobia A Khan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would have loved to give this book more stars (not 5) for the history aspect spanning the 5000 years as stated in the title. However, the author is very biased in his tellings of sooo many accounts that it's hard to believe him. His historical accounts on Islam and depiction of the main people associated with its inception is WRONG. He takes Quranic verses out of context to support his examples of actions and behaviors. There are just so many things wrong to list. Anyone not a Muslim or a student of Islam would think what the author says is correct. For a book published fairly recently, the author consistently used 19th and early 20th century sources for his information on Islam, Muslims, and the people of that area.

The author also purposely NEVER used the name Istanbul once it was conquered and changed from Constantinople. However, for other places if the name was changed, the author used the new one.

Narrators should be able to pronounce the names of people and places correctly.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (3.5 stars) A solid if not spectacular work that looks at the human history of the region now known as Iraq. This is not so much a straight political or socio-economic one, but rather, just a history of human interaction. There is no shortage of activity and going in, one volume is not going to offer the most complete picture possible. That being said, this work spends as much time reviewing literature/religion as it does any political/written human history. Those offer some broad, important context, but at times, this work feels as much literary criticisms as history. The later stages seem a bit rushed, as the author tries to cover all of the dynamics of the region, as the modern state of Iraq is overtaken by various factions and forces. It does come across more as a regional sort of history vs. strictly “Iraq”. It had its moments, but perhaps it tried to bite off more than it could chew.

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book isn’t really a 5000-year history of Iraq. It’s a book of great moments in the history of Iraq. It really gets down into the weeds of those great moments, going into far more detail than I wanted. The book is full of misogyny and homophobia, perhaps simply reflecting the era, but it showed no sensitivity in dealing with those subjects. It just was not a pleasant read.

I gave up when I reached the infighting after the death of the prophet Mohammed. I felt like this book took a bunch of familiar topics available from other sources, and bundled them together into a single book. There was no sense of continuity, no real analysis of why things happened. In that sense, it’s more biography than history. Maybe other readers will find it interesting, but I just found it wearying.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

[Arjun Butani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this epic book a couple of hours ago. It is indeed a commitment because the book begins in pre-history, Mesopotamia. This book has beauty, bloodshed, the integration of peoples, religions and artefacts and its very very beautifully written.

The descriptions of Babylon, Palmyra, the riverbanks of the Euphrates and Tigris and the visuals of those times makes you want to go back an explore. To be honest, this book has intrigued me more about Iraq and I would love to travel to the region some time.

The last 200 pages of the book are more based on Iraq today. Political turmoil, short bursts of peace, terrorism and the harsh truth that religion leads to problems- especially if it’s radical religion.

I highly recommend this book by Bartle Bull for anyone, in any career sphere, who would like to learn more about Iraq.

[Morgan Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very thorough but not incredibly dense read of the history of Iraq. I need a hard copy of this as soon as it comes out.

It is chronological with each chapter focusing on a different time period and feels complete telling its own story. Starting with focuses on individuals like Gilgamesh, Abraham, and Alexander the Great, before going into the civilizations that dominated the area and then eventual Iraqi independence.

I want my own hard copy now so I can mark this up for historical references. I loved this so much. Also, I am a huge fan of all the maps. This was so good.

Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Cherryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic history of the land now known as Iraq. Written by a journalist rather than a historian, this book is a refreshing and enjoyable read, with interesting personal anecdotes about the authors time covering the region. Most histories of the region only cover ancient times or the Saddam/post-Saddam era — this book does an admirable job of bridging the two and helping us understand the challenges facing Iraq and appreciate the resilience of its people.

[Steve Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much a general history of Iraq, with the author often focusing on creating historical narratives, something aligned with his past as a journalist. Altogether a relatively light read and a decent history of Iraq. The epilogue’s coverage of the Iraq’s post-1958 development is a bit more contentious, especially in regard to the shaky support the author gives to the 2003 invasion. Wish he would have covered the aftermath of the invasion.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this book is excellent but I found myself questioning his biases once Islam was introduced and especially when discussing the early modern period. I shouldn't be surprised based on where he's written for before but it makes me question his accuracy in the earlier parts of the book. I don't know a lot about ancient history, but I know enough about the medieval and early modern period to seriously disagree with some of the conclusions drawn. Still, worth reading overall.

[Woolfhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, detailed recounting of 5000 years of people killing each other in the Middle East. Not much about everyday life because of the constant killing. Not much about women except the frequent mention of rape as a war tactic and the enslavement and sex trafficking of thousands upon thousands of women and children. I wish the 20th century chapters had been a little more detailed and I also wish the maps had been better.