Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History

by Moudhy Al-Rashid

Ancient Mesopotamia, a land between two rivers, is known as the 'cradle of civilisation'. At the height of its influence, this region saw the birth of the world's first cities, the first writing system, the first historical records, as well as myths, medicine, literature, astronomy and religion that went on to revolutionise societies around the world.

In Between Two Rivers , historian Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid brings us closer to this ancient past and the lives of the people who lived in this extraordinary society. The hundreds of thousands of clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia tell wonderfully relatable stories - from a parent desperately trying to soothe a baby, or a bored teenager doodling during class, to a brewer collecting ingredients to make beer and a slave trying to negotiate their freedom. Through the contents of a 2,500-year-old museum, collected together by a princess from the 6th century BC, Al-Rashid introduces us to different periods of Mesopotamia's history, revealing aspects of society and culture that resonate with us today, from war to education and language, and from women's rights to religion and the divine. These artefacts not only bring this region to life, but also show us that people we think of as 'ancient' in fact had a highly developed sense of their own history.

Breathing life and colour into a complex and surprisingly modern society, Between Two Rivers investigates what history meant back then, what it means today, and what we can learn from the distant past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Audiobook, Middle East, Historical, Ancient

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 20, 2025

Reviews

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between Two Rivers is a truly fascinating read.

Many history books can become bogged down in too much academia or dry prose but Mouthy Al-Rashid writes with passion and from the heart.It is almost as though you are with her making a presentation in which she is talking directly to you. Personal reference points in her life and connections to modern life and life in Mesopotamia are made providing further accessibility.

This is a book about communication - the way through which interpreting past lives are made through examining and understanding the little rolls or drums of clay covered with cuneiform writing. ( initially with 2000 signs then many more!) They unlock the world of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians.

Daily lives are opened to the reader; rulers and royals are explored; architecture and construction unpicked. The recognition of blending myth and history to create stories prevails- but also Mouthy Al- Rashid makes us question how modern history could be interpreted in the future.

Having recently read Elif Shafak's superb There Are Rivers In The Sky, Between Two Rivers felt like the perfect companion book.

Rather like Bethany Hughes and Michael Scott, Moudhy Al-Rashid's writing brings history to life in an entertaining and highly informative way. A brilliant read- highly recommended

[Ergative Absolutive · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I've recently been on a bit of a Mesopotamia bender, so when this new book came out, I was really excited to see what it could add to the story. The problem is, it didn't add much to what I already knew. I've read reasonably straightforward histories of the region, and this is not trying to be that. instead, it's a discussion of how different aspects of life -- war, trade, school -- can be inferred from artifacts. There were some good bits there. I liked learning about schoolboy tablets, and what we can infer about burial practices and respect for enemies in war from the writings and excavations of mass burials. But even at this task, the end result seemed awfully shallow: examples are re-used and recycled, which makes them seem, on average, less fresh, and led me to wonder whether those case studies are truly all that there is to build a story on. Also, there's an awful lot of repetitive point-making about how Mesopotamians were People Just Like Us, which would have been more powerful if it had been supported, rather than asserted over and over again in far too many words. Finally, and perhaps worst of all, there are no images! All the text spent describing steles and texts and images and artifacts, and not a single image provided to actually show us what it's all about. I had to go to a separate book -- a mathematics book! -- to find an image of the Plimpton tablet, the earliest known set of Pythagorean triples, compiled centuries upon centuries before Pythagoras made his name.

Perhaps this will serve for someone looking for a very gentle introduction to Mesopotamia. But for someone who's looking for more meat, I recommend Paul Kriwaczek's much richer and more informative book on Babylon.

[nelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely breathtaking. The narrative and style of Author are touching to the very core, I’ve completely fell in love with the Mesopotamian reality shown through her eyes. A 10000% recommendation for literally everyone - those who don’t know anything about ancient Mesopotamia and those who are convinced that they’ve read everything important about this period of time. Loved it so much.

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Там, откъдето тръгва първото известно на човечеството писмено слово…



Земята между реките Тигър и Ефрат в днешен Ирак е видяла възхода и заника на много царства. В този плодороден отрязък са възниквали първите известни градове-държави (митичният Вавилон, магичните Ур, Урук и Лагаш, изисканата Ниневия), строени са огромни зикурати-прототипи на вавилонската кула, говорели са се шумерски, акадски, вавилонски, асирийски езици. Част от месопотамския мита за Гилгамеш е влязъл в библията с потопа и Ной, асирийските царе отбелязват присъствие в стария завет, а приличащото на птичи стъпки клинописно писмо върху вездесъщите глинени плочки не секва близо три хилядолетия от 3500 г.пр.н.е. до 79 г.пр.н.е. Тези три хилядолетия са обилно документирани в списъци, химни, митове, медицински рецепти, закони (и прочулият се с тях цар Хамурапи), актове за собственост, астрономически наблюдения с религиозни тълкувания, дипломатическа поща и ученически драскулки върху глинени плочки.



Муди ал-Рашид поднася едно интерактивно запознанство с този удивителен регион и неговите обитатели, които през 6 в.пр.н.е. вече са имали над 2000 годишна история… Текстът очертава непрекъснатите паралели на древния бит с технологичното ни настояще, и го прави удачно, защото - за разлика от технологиите - хората не се променят.



Разказът тече под формата на история за историята. През 6 в.пр.н.е. Вавилонската принцеса и жрица Енигалди-Нана е съхранявала множество предмети с вече близо две хилядолетна история. А през 1922 г. археологическите разкопки на Ленърд Ули изкарват на бял свят осем от тях. Историята на всеки предмет маркира отделяна глава и отвежда към аспект от културата, религията, науката, управлението, войните и бита на древните народи в поречието.

Любовта на авторката към древна Месопотамия е повече от доловима и се предава до голяма стелен на читателя. Проблемът е, че древността е оскъдна на цялостни и завършени истории и е по-скоро калейдоскоп от непасващи си парчета от различни истории (голяма част от които - митологични или идеологични), и Муди на моменти твърде много се повтаря или се плъзга по повърхността. Липсата на илюстрации също силно накърнява гладкото възприемане на текста. Неяснотата и догадките са правило, а не изключение. Но това е правилото и на стандартния човешки живот. Дано Междуречието познае скорошно благоденствие и да ни разкрие още много съкровища от необикновената си съдба и история.

3,5⭐️

Хубава съвместна дигитална изложба на няколко месопотамски артефакта на Гети и Лувъра:

https://mesopotamia.getty.edu/

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Between Two Rivers” had me immediately hooked and transfixed. Al-Rashid takes us across thousands of years and under exciting layers of Mesopotamian history, Sumerian myth and people living alongside the twin currents of the Tigris River and Euphrates, the longest river in Western Asia 🌺🌿

This is a moving, collective memory of places that almost become tangible. Thanks to preservation, we bear witness to real names, slices of what life was like and what the landscapes would have looked like around them. You are almost captured in the sweep of their existence. Al Rashid’s writing just pulses with life. I loved the connections between herself as a mother and the Ancient women who mothered, hustled and made their mark.

Between Two Rivers came alive and made me feel like I was stood at the threshold of new beginnings. Refreshing history drawn from the soils of this Ancient and unforgotten land. The land of epic poetry, figures Gilgamesh and Enkidu and influential women like Queen Naqia and Shammuramat of the Neo-Assyrian empire. I’m completely enchanted by its textures and the many journeys it has undergone over millennia 🌳

Mesopotamia (“from Greek meaning “land between rivers”) was the birthplace of writing. The cuneiform script, created in around 3200 BC in Ancient Sumer, came first. Clay that was once soft as river mud, still exists for our eyes today. Fragile tablets made from alluvium and written by long-vanished hands. Minute, mundane details like a receipt for beer to a newborn’s footprint, accidental dog paw prints and a boy of twelve from Nippur who left teeth marks in his school tablet (what a legend). A glimpse at surviving human history that is just magic to me. I hope to see some with my own eyes one day. This is how the Ancient people wanted to be remembered ✨

One of my favourite parts of the book was the mention of female scribes. What fascinated me most was that women were not entirely absent from this new intellectual landscape of language and writing. They too were erudite and educated. I’d never heard of Enheduanna who is considered the earliest known named author in history. She was a prolific poet and priestess, who I now admire so much. Thank you Moudhy for bringing her to light 🌞

[Nelson Zagalo]

Despite the promise of the title, "Between Two Rivers" offers a fragmented reading experience, based on the description of archaeological objects and short contextual stories, without ever building a clear line of historical development. The lack of a chronological progression or a common thread linking the chapters makes the reading seem more like a collection of disconnected spaces than a journey through the birth of Mesopotamian civilisation. For those looking for an evolutionary overview or a broader argument about the emergence of history, the book's structure can be frustrating.

I recommend it first:

“Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization” (2010) Paul Kriwaczek, https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...

"O Infinito num Junco” (2020) Irene Vallejo https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never has "don't judge a book by its cover" (or its title) rang so true for me. I was captivated by this cover, reminding me of Circe and promising me an earthy, liquid tale of ancient life on the river. In fact, the rivers play just a tiny role in this scattered summary of occasionally interesting, mostly mundane receipts from ancient bureaucracy. The author is passionate to be sure, but is seemingly passionate about the very idea that, 4000 years ago, society functioned in very similar ways to 2000 years ago. I don't know if it's just me, but I was really unsurprised to find out that women were sometimes priestesses, sometimes weavers in 2000 BCE, and some of their kids went to some kind of school to learn their letters; or that wars were fought over holy relics, that leaders likely embellished their triumphs in the historical records or that soldiers were unceremoniously dumped in mass graves. These all seem like very obvious things to me.

The author's passion is for ancient science, and it shows - the most interesting and coherent passages are examining the astronomers and physicians of the time. Yet this makes up a tiny part of a book overly obsessed with the idea that people wrote their day-to-day bookkeeping on bits of clay. There are also many many repetitions of the book's stock phrases - cuneiform is hard to read, cuneiform is fascinating, cuneiform is old. The final nail in the coffin for me is the over-reliance on modern puns and inappropriate threading to modern concepts, which are at best condescending and at worst excruciatingly reductive. I don't need the phrase "donkey DHL" to understand mules were used for goods transport, and I certainly don't need the author to equate a creation myth's genitalia-less clay figure to an original "non-binary" identity. (I am one of those folks - we're not eunuchs?)

Anyway. It was much much duller than it needed to be. There was an interesting article in this, but it shouldn't have been a book - either that, or the author should have stuck to her passion for ancient science and dug deeper instead of so broadly. A shame.

[Rik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average. Feels like an introductory chapter of a book than an introductory book. very light - well written and enthusiastic but light. Jumps about discussing various social/cultural topics with a touch of political history for context. Enjoyable bit feels a bit aimless. Much better on the subject out there.

[heptagrammaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between Two Rivers starts in Ur with excavations of objects which would have been excavated themselves: what its discoverer dubbed the first museum. A brick. A statue. The head of a mace. A 2500-year-old museum label.
   In what is perhaps my favourite approach to writing about ancient history, Moudhy Al-Rashid starts with sites and objects, with the written medium and material that we get the history from. This is also about personal connections, what moved the dead, what moves the living scholar, and method. You get to learn a bit about looking at the world like an archaeologist along the way.
_____________
Al-Rashid is a historian of medicine and science, though there is unfortunately little of that in the text. She does notes that cuneiform dictionaries did not limit themselves to practical terms and real objects but seemed to be an exploration of all the abstract combinatory possibilities the new technology of writing offered = knowledge-making as free movement, exploration - play, if you will (my interpretation, I think I am bastardizing it from Gadamer.)
   Her thesis (which is well-worth taking a look at) as well as her further work focus on mental illness and its treatment in Ancient Near East.
   But Between Two Rivers certainly bears the imprint of her preoccupation with human inner life and embodied experience and the ways language captures that.

[Martin Empson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent history of Mesopotamia through a collection of objects found in an enigmatic room in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. Moudhy Al-Rashid writes brilliantly and passionately about how the people of Mesopotamia lived, loved and worked. Her thoughts on history, writing and culture are insightful, and she casts a lot of light into how ancient societies parallel our own, though human needs, but are also vastly different due to their economic structures. Her book doesn't ignore the inequalities of class and gender, and this makes it particularly valuable. There's only the briefest of mentions of the US led Iraq War, but it's made to illuminate ancient warfare in all its simularities and differences. I would, however, have been interested in what Al-Rashid thought of the impact of that war, and its aftermath on our knowledge of the region's history. An excellent history book. Highly recommended.

[Suzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and was really looking forward to diving into Mesopotamian history. Unfortunately, the writing style just fell flat for me. It lacked dynamism and imagery. So many unnecessary phrases and clauses that made sentences unnecessarily long and added no value. Perhaps some maps, timelines, and images would have supported the author’s description of objects and helped establish some atmosphere and immerse readers in that ancient world. There was a rambling quality about the book that didn’t feel purposeful. I really tried to get into this book, but couldn’t get past chapter one, and would recommend that the author read something by Adam Grant or Michael Pollan for inspiration.

[Peter Hay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only rated it 3 stars . It is vividly written with great verve and enthusiasm. However as a beginner to the subject I found all the jumping around through millenia a little confusing as is the mixture of myth and history. Someillustrations of cuneiform writing would help which is vividly written about but hard to visualise. The author also interposes her own experience as a modern day mother with historical writing This may appeal to some but not to me. The author is clearly very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her subject and writes in an entertaining manner but I did not feel I got as much of the history I was looking for. Perhaps my own failing!

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine if, 2700 years from now, the only thing anyone ever knew about your entire existence was that your coworker thought you were a colossal dumbass.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly readable history of Mesopotamia, loosely framed around the idea of how Mesopotamians viewed history themselves. Al-Rashid has a breezy, chatty tone and wants us to love her cast of ancient characters as much as she does. She uses a lot of modern analogies to make this world come alive, but is careful not to tip into obscuring difference either. This was a great introduction to Mesopotamian history and convinced me to add the Epic of Gilgamesh to my TBR.

[Kate (k8tsreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear: In another life, I was meant to be translating cuneiform tablets in the basement of the British Museum.

This was such a fun, readable, introductory look into ancient Mesopotamia. The book is organized around a series of artifacts, with each chapter delving into a different aspect of ancient life. Whether it was warfare, writing, the lives of women, or the Mesopotamian's study of the stars and science, I found that the information included was very high-level, but written with the right amount of enthusiasm and personal anecdotes to get someone hyped up about this part of history.

The only downside to the organization of this book is that it wasn't chronological, and as someone who is just starting to dip their toes into learning about ancient history, it was hard to get a sense of the timelines and orient myself in terms of the different empires. I also felt that this book lacked three things that would have really elevated the reading experience: a map (I wanted this so bad!), a timeline, and, most of all, pictures!! This entire book was organized around artifacts, and yet there were not images of those artifacts included. The amount of times I went to google something that was being discussed was kind of absurd.

However, if you're just looking to get excited about this part of history, and to really encourage yourself to go read more on the topic, then this is definitely a great place to start.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Something which has never occurred since time immemorial: a young woman did not fart in her husband’s embrace.” - Sumerian proverb, 2100 BCE.

[Nancy Motto · Rating 2 out of 5]

I became interested in the history of the Middle East after a visit to The Maparium in Boston some years ago. Since then I have read several excellent books on the subject. So far, all of the books I have read on the subject have broadened my knowledge. I was thrilled when I won Between Two Rivers in a Goodreads giveawayp because I saw it as another opportunity to further my understanding of the history of the Middle East . Unfortunately, I just couldn’t finish this book. It is way, way too conversational with the author inserting herself into the book in a way that for me was jarring and off putting. Although I appreciate the enthusiasm and passion that the author brings to her subject I found this to be very repetitive and way too narrow a focus to hold my interest. While reading this book I actually began to wonder who exactly was the target audience. Having won this in a Goodreads giveaway, I wish I could give it a glowing review but I found myself putting off reading it; a sure sign, in my book that I am probably not going to see the book through to the end.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cuneiform tablets at the heart of this book excitedly fulfill the promise of the best history books: to bring to life ancient Mesopotamia!

[Goszaczyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚱️ „𝓜𝓲ę𝓭𝔃𝔂 𝓭𝔀𝓲𝓮𝓶𝓪 𝓻𝔃𝓮𝓴𝓪𝓶𝓲” 𝓜𝓸𝓾𝓭𝓱𝔂 𝓐𝓵-𝓡𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓭 ⚱️
🌟 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓸ż𝔂𝓽𝓷𝓪 𝓜𝓮𝔃𝓸𝓹𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓪 𝓲 𝓷𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓭𝔃𝓲𝓷𝔂 𝓱𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓲🌟

•• Ta książka to fascynująca podróż w czasie, która pokazuje, że starożytność jest nam bliższa, niż mogłoby się wydawać. ••

▪️𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗭𝗝𝗔 ▪️

Są takie książki, które zostają z nami na dłużej. I nawet po skończonej lekturze nie możemy opuścić tego świata, który wywarł na nas tak pozytywne wrażenie. Kiedy rozpoczynamy lekturę książki „Między dwiema rzekami” wkraczamy do świata, w którym czas przestaje płynąć. Strony stają się bramą do epoki, której nie przeżyliśmy. Do miejsc, których już nie ma. Dzięki literaturze możemy towarzyszyć bohaterom, którzy żyli setki lat temu. To tego typu książka, która zdecydowanie wymaga od czytelnika większego zaangażowania w lekturę i która pozostaje na długo w głowie po odłożeniu jej na półkę.

Ta książka to swego rodzaju forma podróży, która nie wymaga maszyny czasu, a dzięki której możemy przenieść się do tamtych czasów. Co najlepsze nie musimy nawet opuszczać własnego pokoju, by bliżej poznać codzienne życie starożytnych mieszkańców Mezopotamii.. Wystarczy sięgnąć po książkę Moudhy Al-Rashid.

Historyczka Moudhy Al-Rashid staje się naszym przewodnikiem, a każde zdanie staje się krokiem na ścieżce prowadzącej od podstaw mezopotamskiej architektury, poprzez tabliczki szkolne odsłaniające ponadczasowe troski uczniów, aż po kamienny obelisk świadczący o ogromnych przepaściach społeczno-ekonomicznych.

„Między dwiema rzekami” to książka, która pozwala spojrzeć na świat oczami ludzi, którzy żyli w innych czasach, zrozumieć ich wartości i lęki. Poznajemy ich wierzenia, obyczaje, edukację i medycynę. Zapewniam was, że lektura tej książki to nie tylko nauka historii, ale coś o wiele więcej. To niezwykła opowieść o tym jak rodziła się jedna z najstarszych cywilizacji świata.

Z pewnością polecam dla czytelników ciekawych świata i historii 🫶🏼

[Murphy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and to this book's publisher for granting me access to a digital advance reader copy of this delightful, informative, light-hearted romp through the millennia-long history of society and culture in the so-called (perhaps erroneously) "cradle of civilization," otherwise known as ancient Mesopotamia, a Greek portmanteau meaning "land between two rivers," as the title references. One part personal memoir, two parts examination of Sumerian and Akkadian history via extant artifacts housed in some of the world's greatest museums, this was such an unexpectedly joyous and entertaining book!! After reading, I just wish I could spend an afternoon with author and scholar Moudhy Al-Rashid, picking her brain about everyday life in Ur, or Uruk, or Eridu...

Highly, highly recommended!

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I really liked this one.

Let's get one thing out of the way first. I generally prefer for the writer of such books to slip into the background and be invisible and here the frequent allusions to the author's personal life sometimes brought me out from reading it. Same with the frequent mentions of the Covid lockdown - I do prefer my history books a bit more 'timeless'. Then again, the author's background provided some unique context and insights that I'm not sure I'd get from author's from a more 'Western' culture. Would I learn how the cuneiform signs that in Assyrian meant 'freeing a slave' were used as graffiti and on banners during protests in Iraq in 2019? Not sure.

What I most loved about this book was how, through zooming on a couple of items from an ancient museum-that-possible-wasn't-a-museum we learn a lot about the individual people from that era. And what do we learn? That they were basically exactly like us. They avoided doing homework, cried when they lost children, cheated on their taxes and so on. Obvious, perhaps, but I've enjoyed it a lot.

[365_ksiazek · Rating 5 out of 5]

To będzie fascynująca podróż. Nie tylko w czasie, ale schodzimy w głąb. Syryjskie i irackie piaski kryją cenne artefakty, które są świadectwem życia codziennego w Mezopotamii, świadczą o rozwoju intelektualnym i technologicznym. Te przedmioty opowiadają nie tylko historię, ale mówią wiele o historii historii. Historiozofia wydaje mi się tu najciekawsza. Okazuje się bowiem, że już wtedy myślano o tym, by zapisać historię, by pamięć po ludziach mieszkających tam, przetrwała.
Te teksty, to hołd im oddany.
Ci, którzy lubią bardziej wgryźć się w temat, powinni być zadowoleni, bo książka ma bogatą bibliografię.
Bardzo zachęcam do lektur.
współpraca reklamowa

[Lauren M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll hold up my hands and say that my prior knowledge of Mesopotamia was pretty much as follows: cradle of civilization, Epic of Gilgamesh, Code of Hammurabi, Ea-Nasir copper complaint memes.

Luckily, this was a really wonderful introduction to the ancient region that made me curious to learn more. Al-Rashid’s writing style is thorough, passionate, and readable, creating something that has depth but is accessible.

Looking at the history and culture of Mesopotamia through a series of objects that were excavated from what may have themselves been part of an ancient museum, this book explores so many aspects of that bygone world while also drawing through lines to life today.

[Scott West · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drawing parallels between ancient lives and our own is always a worthy endeavour. Seeing allegories in Marvel Superhero stories and The Epic of Gilgamesh, Assyrian kings among others was interesting. Humans have always needed something to aspire to. Sitting exams in Mesopotamia and nurturing a young child while navigating climate change are inveterately relatable.

Some sardonic parallels allegorising a tyrannical invasion of Iraq with ancient kings was well put. I felt the objects and mathematical notation references were fleeting and lacked insight beyond minor ah ha moments. Most of the insights rendered are already perspicacious to a Mesopotamian history savant with too much bouncing around between disparate time periods.

Al-Rashid has talent and articulation in writing style. I felt it all doesn’t come together into a coherent, compelling story which illuminates a deep understanding of the specific past epoch through a relatable protagonist.

[Jacob Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ruled! Really passionate and approachable, and all in service of showing how, just like every other people or place in history, they really were just like us fr.

[Shane Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and creatively structured exploration of life in ancient Mesopotamia!

[Matheus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Publisher couldn’t afford to add some plates in an archaeology book? $45 with no photos is contemptuous. Good otherwise

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely overview of culture and life in the ancient world.

[Kayla King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy learning more about ancient history and this had some interesting anecdotes and facts. It also had some dry parts and I thought the structure was a bit odd but I was glad I read it!

[Todd Voter · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ll wish you could read cuneiform