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The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World
A tour of an ancient library transports readers to Mesopotamia, introducing us to its people, their ideas, and their humanity.
The library of Ashurbanipal, Assyria’s last great king, held more than thirty thousand documents, an astonishing collection at the forefront of knowledge in its day, from ancient traditions in religion and literature to the latest developments in magic and medicine. When the Assyrian empire fell, the library burned to the ground, and its contents, cuneiform tablets impressed in clay, lay buried for thousands of years until a team of Victorian archaeologists discovered the remnants in modern-day Iraq. The clay had baked and hardened; the very fire that consumed the library had helped its texts to survive for millennia.
In The Library of Ancient Wisdom, scholar Selena Wisnom, one of only a few hundred experts able to read cuneiform script today, guides us inside this important collection and, through its contents, brings ancient Mesopotamia and its people to life. Introducing us to Ashurbanipal and his family, scribes, astrologers, physicians, and more, Wisnom explores the library’s tablets and the details they divulge about how these ancient people thought about the world. Like us, they had concerns about job security, jealous rivalries, and profound friendships, and questions about the meaning of life. Wisnom ushers us into a world where magic was commonplace, where the gods spoke to you in dreams, and where the secrets of the universe were revealed through puns—a tour that takes us to the heart of what it means to be human.
Offering a close look at a major historical landmark as well as a readable account of the world’s earliest civilizations, The Library of Ancient Wisdom lays bare the ideas, hopes, fears, and desires that survive on humble clay.
The library of Ashurbanipal, Assyria’s last great king, held more than thirty thousand documents, an astonishing collection at the forefront of knowledge in its day, from ancient traditions in religion and literature to the latest developments in magic and medicine. When the Assyrian empire fell, the library burned to the ground, and its contents, cuneiform tablets impressed in clay, lay buried for thousands of years until a team of Victorian archaeologists discovered the remnants in modern-day Iraq. The clay had baked and hardened; the very fire that consumed the library had helped its texts to survive for millennia.
In The Library of Ancient Wisdom, scholar Selena Wisnom, one of only a few hundred experts able to read cuneiform script today, guides us inside this important collection and, through its contents, brings ancient Mesopotamia and its people to life. Introducing us to Ashurbanipal and his family, scribes, astrologers, physicians, and more, Wisnom explores the library’s tablets and the details they divulge about how these ancient people thought about the world. Like us, they had concerns about job security, jealous rivalries, and profound friendships, and questions about the meaning of life. Wisnom ushers us into a world where magic was commonplace, where the gods spoke to you in dreams, and where the secrets of the universe were revealed through puns—a tour that takes us to the heart of what it means to be human.
Offering a close look at a major historical landmark as well as a readable account of the world’s earliest civilizations, The Library of Ancient Wisdom lays bare the ideas, hopes, fears, and desires that survive on humble clay.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 12, 2025
73 people are currently reading
1227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 9, 2025
Today, imagining a fire in a personal library makes us recoil at the idea of having hundreds, even thousands, of books burned in a matter of minutes. But when the great library at Nineveh was besieged and destroyed by the Babylonians in 612 B.C., its books weren’t written on paper. Much like when a piece of wet pottery is put into a kiln, the fire permanently preserved the cuneiform on the library’s clay tablets. Ironically, what would have destroyed the modern library may have been exactly what saved the tablets for posterity.
In one of the first great leaps forward for the field of Assyriology, the library was unearthed for the first time in 2,500 years during the middle of the nineteenth century. The man who started the library was the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian empire, Ashurbanipal (r. 669 – 631 B.C.), was a fierce military leader whose passion for learning led him to send scribes to the end of his empire to help add to his collection. It’s this library – the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh – and the knowledge of Assyrian culture that was discovered there that rests at the center of Selena Wisnom’s “The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World” (University of Chicago, 2025).
In ten chapters touching on such diverse topics as mythology and theology, banking, mathematics literature, astronomy, and magic, Wisnom digs through the thousands of tablets discovered in the library and recreates the worldview of an elite Assyrian living in the time of Ashurbanipal. She relates the mythological story of cuneiform’s invention when Gilgamesh’s grandfather Emmerkar when he had a story that was too long for his messenger to remember so he had to invent writing on the spot. Like the Egyptian hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone, cuneiform was first found in more than one language (Akkadian and Sumerian), making its translation difficult. Wisnom gives the example of encountering the word “pain” in a text and not knowing whether it was the French word for bread or the English word for an unpleasant sensory sensation.
Wisnom’s greatest achievement is fully communicating how central the supernatural and magic were to the Assyrian mind. Ritual wasn’t confined to the temple but suffused every aspect of Assyrian life. There were medical incantations, formal prayers, chants to drive out demons (of which there were also many kinds). Chapter Five itself is dedicated to the practice of extispicy, the field of divination devoted entirely to reading the entrails of slaughtered animals. Because of the detailed records kept in the library, we know not only about the various kinds of Assyrian magic, but also their practitioners.
When the information is available, we even get glimpses into the relationships court officials had with kings, starting with Sargon II, Ashurbanipal’s great-grandfather. Ashurbanipal’s court exorcist Adad-shuma-utsur started his career under the previous king Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal’s father. The British Library contains a letter written by Adad-shuma-utsur’s son Urad-Gula to the king complaining about how he has been ignored and begging to regain his position at court. Esarhaddon suffered from a series of chronic ailments, ensuring that his chief physician Urad-Nanaya had little down time. The physician’s work and the exorcist’s work overlapped and complemented each other. They both drew from the work of medical scholar Esagil-kin-apli, whose “Diagnostic Handbook” predated Hippocrates by nearly six centuries. That we have the texts that give us details into daily life is wonderful, but there’s something about knowing their names and their daily concerns that draws them even closer to us.
The public and private display of grief – known as lamentation – was another art that required its own practitioners. At Ashurbanipal’s court, Urad-Ea and his son Nabu-zeru-iddina both served in this role. Lamentations were said not only in times of crisis, like the death of a loved one or the fall of a city; they were also said proactively for crises that were yet to happen, making this genre of literature one of the most population in Ashurbanipal’s library.
While the subtitle “Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World” is an extreme overreach, Wisnom goes out of her way to emphasize that many of the practices and beliefs that we may consider archaic or “weird” remain with us today. We worship and attempt to appease gods. We use economic models to forecast the future even if we don’t use entrails to do it. We still engage in displays of public sadness for the purposes of catharsis. It’s easy to look back on centuries-old cultures as benighted or ignorant – until someone brings to your attention the countless continuities that your culture shares with theirs. In a world where most publishers are interested in bringing out books about military campaigns, Wisnom’s book is a superb reminder that the cultural heritage left to us by Ashurbanipal’s great library is every bit as deserving of a book all its own.
I would like to thank the kind people at the University of Chicago Press for an uncorrected proof of this book, which was sent to me by their publicity department.
In one of the first great leaps forward for the field of Assyriology, the library was unearthed for the first time in 2,500 years during the middle of the nineteenth century. The man who started the library was the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian empire, Ashurbanipal (r. 669 – 631 B.C.), was a fierce military leader whose passion for learning led him to send scribes to the end of his empire to help add to his collection. It’s this library – the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh – and the knowledge of Assyrian culture that was discovered there that rests at the center of Selena Wisnom’s “The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World” (University of Chicago, 2025).
In ten chapters touching on such diverse topics as mythology and theology, banking, mathematics literature, astronomy, and magic, Wisnom digs through the thousands of tablets discovered in the library and recreates the worldview of an elite Assyrian living in the time of Ashurbanipal. She relates the mythological story of cuneiform’s invention when Gilgamesh’s grandfather Emmerkar when he had a story that was too long for his messenger to remember so he had to invent writing on the spot. Like the Egyptian hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone, cuneiform was first found in more than one language (Akkadian and Sumerian), making its translation difficult. Wisnom gives the example of encountering the word “pain” in a text and not knowing whether it was the French word for bread or the English word for an unpleasant sensory sensation.
Wisnom’s greatest achievement is fully communicating how central the supernatural and magic were to the Assyrian mind. Ritual wasn’t confined to the temple but suffused every aspect of Assyrian life. There were medical incantations, formal prayers, chants to drive out demons (of which there were also many kinds). Chapter Five itself is dedicated to the practice of extispicy, the field of divination devoted entirely to reading the entrails of slaughtered animals. Because of the detailed records kept in the library, we know not only about the various kinds of Assyrian magic, but also their practitioners.
When the information is available, we even get glimpses into the relationships court officials had with kings, starting with Sargon II, Ashurbanipal’s great-grandfather. Ashurbanipal’s court exorcist Adad-shuma-utsur started his career under the previous king Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal’s father. The British Library contains a letter written by Adad-shuma-utsur’s son Urad-Gula to the king complaining about how he has been ignored and begging to regain his position at court. Esarhaddon suffered from a series of chronic ailments, ensuring that his chief physician Urad-Nanaya had little down time. The physician’s work and the exorcist’s work overlapped and complemented each other. They both drew from the work of medical scholar Esagil-kin-apli, whose “Diagnostic Handbook” predated Hippocrates by nearly six centuries. That we have the texts that give us details into daily life is wonderful, but there’s something about knowing their names and their daily concerns that draws them even closer to us.
The public and private display of grief – known as lamentation – was another art that required its own practitioners. At Ashurbanipal’s court, Urad-Ea and his son Nabu-zeru-iddina both served in this role. Lamentations were said not only in times of crisis, like the death of a loved one or the fall of a city; they were also said proactively for crises that were yet to happen, making this genre of literature one of the most population in Ashurbanipal’s library.
While the subtitle “Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World” is an extreme overreach, Wisnom goes out of her way to emphasize that many of the practices and beliefs that we may consider archaic or “weird” remain with us today. We worship and attempt to appease gods. We use economic models to forecast the future even if we don’t use entrails to do it. We still engage in displays of public sadness for the purposes of catharsis. It’s easy to look back on centuries-old cultures as benighted or ignorant – until someone brings to your attention the countless continuities that your culture shares with theirs. In a world where most publishers are interested in bringing out books about military campaigns, Wisnom’s book is a superb reminder that the cultural heritage left to us by Ashurbanipal’s great library is every bit as deserving of a book all its own.
I would like to thank the kind people at the University of Chicago Press for an uncorrected proof of this book, which was sent to me by their publicity department.
March 28, 2025
Selena Wisnom offers an illuminating journey into the heart of ancient Mesopotamian civilization through the lens of Ashurbanipal's legendary library. Discovered by Victorian archaeologists in modern day Iraq, this collection of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script provides a remarkable window into a society that significantly shaped contemporary culture.
Wisnom, a distinguished Assyriologist, adeptly guides us through the library's vast contents, revealing a world where advanced mathematics, astronomy and literature flourished. She highlights how many aspects of modern life, from the sixty-minute hour to foundational myths, trace their origins to Mesopotamian innovations. More importantly, the book challenges the mainstream narrative that often downplays the intellectual achievements of ancient civilizations. Wisnom reveals how these societies possessed knowledge and sophistication far beyond what is commonly acknowledged, demonstrating a deep understanding of science, medicine, and philosophy that rivals or even surpasses certain aspects of later historical periods.
Beyond the grand achievements, the book delves into the quotidian lives of the Assyrians, uncovering personal letters and documents that reflect concerns about job security, interpersonal relationships, and existential questions. This intimate portrayal bridges the millennia, showcasing the enduring human spirit and its quest for understanding.
Wisnom's narrative not only educates but also resonates emotionally, emphasizing the timelessness of human curiosity and the continuous pursuit of knowledge. This book stands as a testament to the profound legacy of Mesopotamia, underscoring its pivotal role in shaping the modern world.
Wisnom, a distinguished Assyriologist, adeptly guides us through the library's vast contents, revealing a world where advanced mathematics, astronomy and literature flourished. She highlights how many aspects of modern life, from the sixty-minute hour to foundational myths, trace their origins to Mesopotamian innovations. More importantly, the book challenges the mainstream narrative that often downplays the intellectual achievements of ancient civilizations. Wisnom reveals how these societies possessed knowledge and sophistication far beyond what is commonly acknowledged, demonstrating a deep understanding of science, medicine, and philosophy that rivals or even surpasses certain aspects of later historical periods.
Beyond the grand achievements, the book delves into the quotidian lives of the Assyrians, uncovering personal letters and documents that reflect concerns about job security, interpersonal relationships, and existential questions. This intimate portrayal bridges the millennia, showcasing the enduring human spirit and its quest for understanding.
Wisnom's narrative not only educates but also resonates emotionally, emphasizing the timelessness of human curiosity and the continuous pursuit of knowledge. This book stands as a testament to the profound legacy of Mesopotamia, underscoring its pivotal role in shaping the modern world.
August 2, 2025
Recently, I read “There are rivers in the sky” by Elif Shafak which features King Ashurbanipal and his library in Nineveh. I really got curious and wanted to learn more about ancient Mesopotamia. Well, this book delivered I must say. A wonderful read.
March 17, 2026
That was excellent! So well researched and meticulous, really well presented and organised, accessible but intelligent... Selena Wisnom really explains clearly how much we know about the Assyrian library of King Ashurbanipal and exactly how we know it, how the texts were found and translated, and where they fit chronologically as his library.would have contained books that would have been a millennium old even to him. She goes through his advisers and their roles - his doctor, his exorcist, his chief scribe, his priest... We go through their beliefs and their scientific knowledge, which the Greeks later used, and the network of trade of his vast empire. This was fascinating and really enjoyable.
Free copy sent by Netgalley.
Free copy sent by Netgalley.
February 15, 2025
The Library of Ancient Wisdom delves into one of the most impressive libraries in ancient history: that of Ashurbanipal in Mesopotamia.
My knowledge of Middle Eastern ancient history prior to this book could probably have been summed up on one clay tablet, but I found this a really engaging and accessible read. It's well-structured and rich in research, with a seamless flow between different aspects of Mesopotamian culture culminating in an imagined ordinary day in Ashurbanipal's life.
Wisnom captures the human side of history, and I loved getting an insight into the psychology of the Assyrian people. You get a real sense of personality from the stories she tells, and even though some of our beliefs are very different, it's fascinating to see how little human nature has changed.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
My knowledge of Middle Eastern ancient history prior to this book could probably have been summed up on one clay tablet, but I found this a really engaging and accessible read. It's well-structured and rich in research, with a seamless flow between different aspects of Mesopotamian culture culminating in an imagined ordinary day in Ashurbanipal's life.
Wisnom captures the human side of history, and I loved getting an insight into the psychology of the Assyrian people. You get a real sense of personality from the stories she tells, and even though some of our beliefs are very different, it's fascinating to see how little human nature has changed.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
July 13, 2025
Fantastic look at Ashurbanipal's library, the historical oddity that led to his vast Cuneiform tablets being preserved, the historical context, and Mesopotamia's impact on the world. This was exactly what I was hoping for in this book.
August 28, 2025
The book provides an overview of Mesopotamian culture through the microcosm of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Focusing on the content of the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh (alongside cuneiform texts from other eras and places) it seeks to paint a vivid image of everyday life as experienced by different sections of society, set in context through the way scholars and the learned elite pieced them together in texts, poems, medical writings, and similar works. The main figures of focus are the three last great rulers of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal, with greater emphasis on the latter, as he presented himself as the inheritor of his ancestors’ knowledge and of the intellectual heritage of other centers of culture such as Babylonia, which he sought with the help of his scholars, to record and preserve for future generations.
The author tries to familiarize us with the Mesopotamian way of life by going through the content of the library as it was divided by Assyrian scholarship into five main branches: astrology, exorcism, medicine, entrail divination, and lamentation. She gives a systematic survey of each, along with other subjects as well, weaving in narratives of personal stories of figures ranging from kings to exorcists, together with the poems and rituals that animated their daily lives. There were sections I found engaging and others that fell flat, with the latter more frequent than the former.
Starting with what I did not like:
First, the book relies on a systematic analysis that exhausts the reader’s attention. Instead of drawing you in it wastes energy on excessive cataloguing. The first third of the book is engaging, but beyond that I lost interest, apart from a few islands here and there that stood out. The survey of the different disciplines within the library becomes repetitive and devolves into too much cataloguing. The attempt at weaving a narrative turns into a compartmentalized structure where you can feel the author’s excitement at sharing her insights (at times she offers engaging glimpses) but they vanish too quickly into a series of facts. Despite the richness of the subject, it feels like being told “here are all the things they did” in a museum exhibit voice. You lose focus and interest even when the information itself is fascinating. My second point of criticism is that the author focuses heavily on social and cultural aspects and on a limited pool of evidence such as reliefs, cuneiform texts, and a handful of artifacts, but does not balance them with the economic and military dimensions of Mesopotamian life or the perspective of outsiders on the periphery of the empire. The result is a one sided,over-literary impression of mesopotamia.
What I liked most was the treatment of cuneiform’s evolution, shown as a long process of adaptation rather than a single invention. The contrast between Mesopotamian myths of divine origins and the gradual reality uncovered by archaeology was especially compelling. Another thing I enjoyed was the way the author drew parallels between their world and ours showing that even though we explain life differently the same fears and desires have always shaped human existence. It gives a sense of continuity with culture as an ongoing chain that connects us to the past.
All in all, I have to say that I did not enjoy this work for the most part. it dragged and i couldn't wait to be done with it.
Rating: 2.5/5
The author tries to familiarize us with the Mesopotamian way of life by going through the content of the library as it was divided by Assyrian scholarship into five main branches: astrology, exorcism, medicine, entrail divination, and lamentation. She gives a systematic survey of each, along with other subjects as well, weaving in narratives of personal stories of figures ranging from kings to exorcists, together with the poems and rituals that animated their daily lives. There were sections I found engaging and others that fell flat, with the latter more frequent than the former.
Starting with what I did not like:
First, the book relies on a systematic analysis that exhausts the reader’s attention. Instead of drawing you in it wastes energy on excessive cataloguing. The first third of the book is engaging, but beyond that I lost interest, apart from a few islands here and there that stood out. The survey of the different disciplines within the library becomes repetitive and devolves into too much cataloguing. The attempt at weaving a narrative turns into a compartmentalized structure where you can feel the author’s excitement at sharing her insights (at times she offers engaging glimpses) but they vanish too quickly into a series of facts. Despite the richness of the subject, it feels like being told “here are all the things they did” in a museum exhibit voice. You lose focus and interest even when the information itself is fascinating. My second point of criticism is that the author focuses heavily on social and cultural aspects and on a limited pool of evidence such as reliefs, cuneiform texts, and a handful of artifacts, but does not balance them with the economic and military dimensions of Mesopotamian life or the perspective of outsiders on the periphery of the empire. The result is a one sided,over-literary impression of mesopotamia.
What I liked most was the treatment of cuneiform’s evolution, shown as a long process of adaptation rather than a single invention. The contrast between Mesopotamian myths of divine origins and the gradual reality uncovered by archaeology was especially compelling. Another thing I enjoyed was the way the author drew parallels between their world and ours showing that even though we explain life differently the same fears and desires have always shaped human existence. It gives a sense of continuity with culture as an ongoing chain that connects us to the past.
All in all, I have to say that I did not enjoy this work for the most part. it dragged and i couldn't wait to be done with it.
Rating: 2.5/5
February 23, 2026
Those Assyrians were amazing, a very interesting culture. The first known attempt to collect all the knowledge in the world together in one place took place in the 7th century B.C., within King Ashurbanipal’s library in Nineveh. This book dives deeply into the culture of the wider Mesopotamia world, and the central role of Assyria in this period of antiquity that pre-dates classical Greece and Rome, and is contemporary to the biblical kingdoms of Israel and Judah. I learned a lot.
March 30, 2026
A good 9 stars. Interesting read and easy to follow. If anyone would ask me what to pick as their first book about Mesopotamia it would likely be this book I'll recommend. As it was not my first book, I knew quite a bit already, but the writing was so wonderful that I still enjoyed every chapter of this.
The reader is getting a peek inside Ashurbanipal's 'library' and we get to see a lot of magic, omens from the Gods or demons, and messages in the stars. For the ancient Mesopotamians this was all science and it gives an interesting inside into their lived world. It must have been a truly terrifyingly magical world for them and they constantly tried to ward off all sorts of evil. The chapter about Medicine was my favourite - exorcism combined with herbal medicines made for a holistic view of sickness.
All in all this gave a very personal view and I truly could feel much of their anxieties.
The reader is getting a peek inside Ashurbanipal's 'library' and we get to see a lot of magic, omens from the Gods or demons, and messages in the stars. For the ancient Mesopotamians this was all science and it gives an interesting inside into their lived world. It must have been a truly terrifyingly magical world for them and they constantly tried to ward off all sorts of evil. The chapter about Medicine was my favourite - exorcism combined with herbal medicines made for a holistic view of sickness.
All in all this gave a very personal view and I truly could feel much of their anxieties.
April 22, 2025
Once you read Gilgamesh you become hungry for information on ancient Assyria and Babylon.
This is the greatest interrogation of Mesopotamian culture I am found so far and I desperately await Wisnom’s next book. The field is desperately fascinating and under researched. I believe in an Assyrian renaissance.
A must read for anyone interested in the human condition
This is the greatest interrogation of Mesopotamian culture I am found so far and I desperately await Wisnom’s next book. The field is desperately fascinating and under researched. I believe in an Assyrian renaissance.
A must read for anyone interested in the human condition
March 15, 2026
I am a lover of non-fiction in general and history in particular. So it is no surprise that I loved this review of Mesopotamiam cuneiform writings. The author writes professionally but in an engaging, personable way that at times reads more like a novel, which is great! I learned a lot and enjoyed it- who could ask for more?
The reason I gave four stars is I sometimes lost interest in sections that felt repetitive and wordy. I think this is due more to the subject material rather than the author's writing skill.
The reason I gave four stars is I sometimes lost interest in sections that felt repetitive and wordy. I think this is due more to the subject material rather than the author's writing skill.
March 15, 2026
What can be better than a library? An ancient one. Like, a really ancient one. Here is an account of info that was obtained from Ashurbanipal's libraries which survived fire (clay tablets fared well enough for us still have smth to read from them).
An exploration on 'how the Assyrians viewed the cosmic significance of writing and the all-pervasive influence of the gods', on how the 'Assyrian scholarship was divided into five main branches: astrology, exorcism, medicine, entrail divination, and lamentation', all from the glorious field of Assyriology (incl. the studies of Old Assyrians and Middle Assyrians, as well as Old, Middle, Neo-, and Late Babylonians, not to mention the earlier Sumerians and Akkadians).
A lot of overview on the day-to-day stuff:
- extispicy omens seem to have been equally popular as astrology
- exorcisms were useful: as in a royal family has it done on them after a series of illnesses
- lamentations: yes, even those!
The development od Elamite and Hittite and Akkadian scripts are discussed in detail. A lot of attention is focused on how the political maelstroms led to religious changes and ultimately to cultural.
The chapter on illnesses focused on Esarhaddon's illness and worked from there:
Q: Adad-shumu-utsur wrote to him telling him to end his isolation:
Why today for the second day now is the table not brought to the king my lord? You stay in the dark much longer than Shamash, king of the gods, staying in the dark a whole day and night and again two days! The king, the lord of the world, is the very image of the sun god Shamash. You should keep in the dark for half a day only! (c) Now, that's a doc's recommendation!
I found especially touching how Selena Wisnom tenderly addresses the ancient sensibilities. She does not dismiss looking for omens as superstition but rather interprets them as due diligence. Similarly, for medicine which was used along with prayers and exorcisms, she rather chooses to address it as holistic:
Q: Whether or not the Assyrians are aware of it, this double-pronged approach harnesses a mind–body connection that later practitioners of modern medicine would long overlook.
Mesopotamian medicine was fundamentally holistic. (c)
I must say I love this approach and should the Assyrians been alive today, they probably would've appreciated it as well.
Q: Marduk-shapik-zeri, a lamentation priest who wrote to the king from prison begging to be reinstated, claims to be qualified in a number of different subjects: I fully master my father’s profession, the discipline of lamentation; I have studied and chanted the Series. I am competent in . . . ‘mouth-washing’ and purification of the palace . . . I have examined healthy and sick flesh. I have read the astrological omen series and made astronomical observations. I have read the series of anomalous births, the three physiognomical works, and the terrestrial omen series . . . All this I learned. (c)
This is all so poetical:
Q:
Ashurbanipal
The scholar-king who curated the library. Often called the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal ruled 669–631 BC.
Sargon II
Sargon II was Ashurbanipal’s great-grandfather and the founder of the dynasty. His death in battle in 705 BC was a disaster for Assyria.
Sennacherib
Sennacherib was Ashurbanipal’s grandfather and, like Ashurbanipal himself, had a troubled relationship with Babylon. He suffered personal tragedy after his eldest son was kidnapped from the city and put to death, and reacted by razing Babylon to the ground.
Naqia
Naqia was Ashurbanipal’s grandmother, and the wife of Sennacherib. Her name means ‘pure’ in Aramaic, which betrays the fact that she was not of Assyrian descent but came from the west. Naqia was one of the most important women in Assyrian politics. Astonishingly for the time, she was involved in the daily affairs of government and was the recipient of letters from the scholars about political matters.
Esarhaddon
Esarhaddon was Ashurbanipal’s father. He was plagued by ill-health and sedition, had a reputation for being paranoid and constantly wrote to his advisers worrying about the omens, but this same paranoia was what kept him on the throne and could equally be understood as due diligence.
Adad-shumu-utsur
Esarhaddon’s chief exorcist, whose career continued into the reign of Ashurbanipal. He was part of a family of experts who worked at court – his son Urad-Gula was also an exorcist.
Nabu-zeru-iddina
A lamentation priest whose job was to sing to the gods in the daily rituals in the temples, as well as lament on special occasions such as when an eclipse was coming. Nabu-zeru-iddina’s father had served as chief lamenter under Esarhaddon, and trained his son to follow in his footsteps. (c)
Q: Ashurbanipal boasts to have studied to the same level as his scholars, a claim made by no other Assyrian monarch:
I learned the craft of the sage Adapa, the secret and hidden lore of all the scribal arts. I am able to recognise celestial and terrestrial omens and can discuss them in an assembly of scholars. I am capable of arguing with expert diviners about the series called ‘If the liver is a mirror image of the heavens’. I can resolve complex mathematical divisions and multiplications that do not have an easy solution. I have read cunningly written texts in obscure Sumerian and Akkadian that are difficult to interpret. I have carefully examined inscriptions on stone from before the Deluge that are sealed, stopped up, and confused. (c)
Q:The Assyrian advisers are also more likely to report negative omens than their Babylonian counterparts, which may reflect a greater security in their position (c)
An exploration on 'how the Assyrians viewed the cosmic significance of writing and the all-pervasive influence of the gods', on how the 'Assyrian scholarship was divided into five main branches: astrology, exorcism, medicine, entrail divination, and lamentation', all from the glorious field of Assyriology (incl. the studies of Old Assyrians and Middle Assyrians, as well as Old, Middle, Neo-, and Late Babylonians, not to mention the earlier Sumerians and Akkadians).
A lot of overview on the day-to-day stuff:
- extispicy omens seem to have been equally popular as astrology
- exorcisms were useful: as in a royal family has it done on them after a series of illnesses
- lamentations: yes, even those!
The development od Elamite and Hittite and Akkadian scripts are discussed in detail. A lot of attention is focused on how the political maelstroms led to religious changes and ultimately to cultural.
The chapter on illnesses focused on Esarhaddon's illness and worked from there:
Q: Adad-shumu-utsur wrote to him telling him to end his isolation:
Why today for the second day now is the table not brought to the king my lord? You stay in the dark much longer than Shamash, king of the gods, staying in the dark a whole day and night and again two days! The king, the lord of the world, is the very image of the sun god Shamash. You should keep in the dark for half a day only! (c) Now, that's a doc's recommendation!
I found especially touching how Selena Wisnom tenderly addresses the ancient sensibilities. She does not dismiss looking for omens as superstition but rather interprets them as due diligence. Similarly, for medicine which was used along with prayers and exorcisms, she rather chooses to address it as holistic:
Q: Whether or not the Assyrians are aware of it, this double-pronged approach harnesses a mind–body connection that later practitioners of modern medicine would long overlook.
Mesopotamian medicine was fundamentally holistic. (c)
I must say I love this approach and should the Assyrians been alive today, they probably would've appreciated it as well.
Q: Marduk-shapik-zeri, a lamentation priest who wrote to the king from prison begging to be reinstated, claims to be qualified in a number of different subjects: I fully master my father’s profession, the discipline of lamentation; I have studied and chanted the Series. I am competent in . . . ‘mouth-washing’ and purification of the palace . . . I have examined healthy and sick flesh. I have read the astrological omen series and made astronomical observations. I have read the series of anomalous births, the three physiognomical works, and the terrestrial omen series . . . All this I learned. (c)
This is all so poetical:
Q:
Ashurbanipal
The scholar-king who curated the library. Often called the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal ruled 669–631 BC.
Sargon II
Sargon II was Ashurbanipal’s great-grandfather and the founder of the dynasty. His death in battle in 705 BC was a disaster for Assyria.
Sennacherib
Sennacherib was Ashurbanipal’s grandfather and, like Ashurbanipal himself, had a troubled relationship with Babylon. He suffered personal tragedy after his eldest son was kidnapped from the city and put to death, and reacted by razing Babylon to the ground.
Naqia
Naqia was Ashurbanipal’s grandmother, and the wife of Sennacherib. Her name means ‘pure’ in Aramaic, which betrays the fact that she was not of Assyrian descent but came from the west. Naqia was one of the most important women in Assyrian politics. Astonishingly for the time, she was involved in the daily affairs of government and was the recipient of letters from the scholars about political matters.
Esarhaddon
Esarhaddon was Ashurbanipal’s father. He was plagued by ill-health and sedition, had a reputation for being paranoid and constantly wrote to his advisers worrying about the omens, but this same paranoia was what kept him on the throne and could equally be understood as due diligence.
Adad-shumu-utsur
Esarhaddon’s chief exorcist, whose career continued into the reign of Ashurbanipal. He was part of a family of experts who worked at court – his son Urad-Gula was also an exorcist.
Nabu-zeru-iddina
A lamentation priest whose job was to sing to the gods in the daily rituals in the temples, as well as lament on special occasions such as when an eclipse was coming. Nabu-zeru-iddina’s father had served as chief lamenter under Esarhaddon, and trained his son to follow in his footsteps. (c)
Q: Ashurbanipal boasts to have studied to the same level as his scholars, a claim made by no other Assyrian monarch:
I learned the craft of the sage Adapa, the secret and hidden lore of all the scribal arts. I am able to recognise celestial and terrestrial omens and can discuss them in an assembly of scholars. I am capable of arguing with expert diviners about the series called ‘If the liver is a mirror image of the heavens’. I can resolve complex mathematical divisions and multiplications that do not have an easy solution. I have read cunningly written texts in obscure Sumerian and Akkadian that are difficult to interpret. I have carefully examined inscriptions on stone from before the Deluge that are sealed, stopped up, and confused. (c)
Q:The Assyrian advisers are also more likely to report negative omens than their Babylonian counterparts, which may reflect a greater security in their position (c)
September 16, 2025
The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of the Modern World by Selena Wisnom is an exciting and extensive exploration of the library of Ashurbanipal in the seventh century BCE in ancient Mesopotamia, the area of modern-day Iraq.
Ashurbanipal, king of the Assyrian empire, espoused knowledge, accumulating texts from all over his empire to house them in his library. It is estimated his library held more than 30,000 tablets covering a wide range of topics, including medical knowledge, prayers, laments, songs, literary works (including The Epic of Gilgamesh), esoteric lore, records of victories in battle, documents for governing, correspondences, and dictionaries. Written in cuneiform script on clay tablets, the library is a window on the culture and times of Ashurbanipal. And because Ashurbanipal preserved tablets that were considered ancient even in his lifetime, we also have access to the cultures of ancient Sumer and Babylonia which predate Ashurbanipal by 2,000 years.
Professor Wisnom, an Assyrian scholar with an expertise on cuneiform script, is a lecturer at the University of Leicester. She provides a systematic exploration of the contents of Ashurbanipal’s library from a wealth of the surviving tablets that have so far been deciphered. Her exploration is extensive, beginning with the cuneiform writing system invented in the fourth millennium BCE to the story of its decipherment by Victorian scholars in the 19th Century. She includes analyses of manuals on magic, medicine, divination, astrology, and relationship with the gods. She compiles what daily life must have been like for Ashurbanipal by reading his correspondences and list of duties. But perhaps one of the most exciting finds is the Nineveh Medical compendium, the first known medical text consisting of a collection of treatments organized from head to toe, beginning with all manner of ailments in the head and proceeding all the way down to the anus and hamstrings. This fascinating medical compilation is currently available online at the British Museum.
Wisnom’s book includes several pages of color plates, a Bibliographical Essay for each chapter, A Guide to Primary Sources, a 40-page Bibliography, and extensive notes. The diction is accessible, peppered with occasional humor, and minus the academic jargon that frequently plagues a work of such impressive academic quality. It is very readable, engaging, and highly recommended for those interested in understanding the profound and ubiquitous influence of Mesopotamia in shaping our world.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Ashurbanipal, king of the Assyrian empire, espoused knowledge, accumulating texts from all over his empire to house them in his library. It is estimated his library held more than 30,000 tablets covering a wide range of topics, including medical knowledge, prayers, laments, songs, literary works (including The Epic of Gilgamesh), esoteric lore, records of victories in battle, documents for governing, correspondences, and dictionaries. Written in cuneiform script on clay tablets, the library is a window on the culture and times of Ashurbanipal. And because Ashurbanipal preserved tablets that were considered ancient even in his lifetime, we also have access to the cultures of ancient Sumer and Babylonia which predate Ashurbanipal by 2,000 years.
Professor Wisnom, an Assyrian scholar with an expertise on cuneiform script, is a lecturer at the University of Leicester. She provides a systematic exploration of the contents of Ashurbanipal’s library from a wealth of the surviving tablets that have so far been deciphered. Her exploration is extensive, beginning with the cuneiform writing system invented in the fourth millennium BCE to the story of its decipherment by Victorian scholars in the 19th Century. She includes analyses of manuals on magic, medicine, divination, astrology, and relationship with the gods. She compiles what daily life must have been like for Ashurbanipal by reading his correspondences and list of duties. But perhaps one of the most exciting finds is the Nineveh Medical compendium, the first known medical text consisting of a collection of treatments organized from head to toe, beginning with all manner of ailments in the head and proceeding all the way down to the anus and hamstrings. This fascinating medical compilation is currently available online at the British Museum.
Wisnom’s book includes several pages of color plates, a Bibliographical Essay for each chapter, A Guide to Primary Sources, a 40-page Bibliography, and extensive notes. The diction is accessible, peppered with occasional humor, and minus the academic jargon that frequently plagues a work of such impressive academic quality. It is very readable, engaging, and highly recommended for those interested in understanding the profound and ubiquitous influence of Mesopotamia in shaping our world.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
November 9, 2025
The name of the nation of Mesopotamia derives from the Greek 'the land between rivers,' referring to the two great rivers of the area now known as the 'Cradle of Civilization.' Those two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris, which most people have heard of, even if not why, and they straddle what is now known as the Middle East.
This history of Mesopotamia is available because a library was collected, curated, and cuneiformed, literally, by King Ashurbanipal. Cuneiform was the primary form of writing used by ancient Mesopotamians and many other nation-states in the area. Ashurbanipal's extensive record-keeping provides a clear view of Mesopotamian culture and its people, which includes Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Sumerians, among others.
Ashurbanipal was a prince not expected to become king. Due to his position behind older brothers of royal lineage, he was trained in every aspect of the culture and taught to record and uphold learning, fostering, and protecting the information and languages of this flourishing society. From a young age, he learned to write, read, and, most importantly, value written records. This training ensured that the lives, customs, ceremonies, beliefs, superstitions, religion, and other aspects of the ancient people of this area, one of the earliest known civilizations to keep written records, were preserved. These records have recently, relatively speaking, been found, restored, and maintained for posterity so that we may now see the story of these ultra-ancient people.
Upon Ashurbanipal's unexpected ascension to the throne, he ordered the immediate centralization of all written knowledge in the kingdom into a great library. Additionally, to protect the written record, scribes were commissioned to copy records for use throughout his kingdom. To put it plainly, Ashurbanipal was one of the first patrons of the written word and of written knowledge in general. And as king, he continued his studies, correspondence, and recording of information, all of which now give us a clear view of life in this ancient kingdom.
This book was a fascinating look at the establishment of a society that laid the groundwork for the societies we tend to think of as the ones that gave rise to modern thought. Mesopotamians were on the scene long before the 'great minds' we tend to look to as the ancient wise. This in-depth study of the people of Mesopotamia is a window into a world that was thriving thousands of years before the supposed thinkers came on the scene. It is true: the Greeks, Romans, and Persians were not the first societies to produce great minds. They grew almost entirely from the Mesopotamian model.
If you enjoy ancient studies, this information-dense book will not disappoint.
This history of Mesopotamia is available because a library was collected, curated, and cuneiformed, literally, by King Ashurbanipal. Cuneiform was the primary form of writing used by ancient Mesopotamians and many other nation-states in the area. Ashurbanipal's extensive record-keeping provides a clear view of Mesopotamian culture and its people, which includes Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Sumerians, among others.
Ashurbanipal was a prince not expected to become king. Due to his position behind older brothers of royal lineage, he was trained in every aspect of the culture and taught to record and uphold learning, fostering, and protecting the information and languages of this flourishing society. From a young age, he learned to write, read, and, most importantly, value written records. This training ensured that the lives, customs, ceremonies, beliefs, superstitions, religion, and other aspects of the ancient people of this area, one of the earliest known civilizations to keep written records, were preserved. These records have recently, relatively speaking, been found, restored, and maintained for posterity so that we may now see the story of these ultra-ancient people.
Upon Ashurbanipal's unexpected ascension to the throne, he ordered the immediate centralization of all written knowledge in the kingdom into a great library. Additionally, to protect the written record, scribes were commissioned to copy records for use throughout his kingdom. To put it plainly, Ashurbanipal was one of the first patrons of the written word and of written knowledge in general. And as king, he continued his studies, correspondence, and recording of information, all of which now give us a clear view of life in this ancient kingdom.
This book was a fascinating look at the establishment of a society that laid the groundwork for the societies we tend to think of as the ones that gave rise to modern thought. Mesopotamians were on the scene long before the 'great minds' we tend to look to as the ancient wise. This in-depth study of the people of Mesopotamia is a window into a world that was thriving thousands of years before the supposed thinkers came on the scene. It is true: the Greeks, Romans, and Persians were not the first societies to produce great minds. They grew almost entirely from the Mesopotamian model.
If you enjoy ancient studies, this information-dense book will not disappoint.
February 5, 2026
“Why would I persecute your country? If it were a trading post of beautiful stones or anything else, I could think, 'let me see this added to my country, or, let me take horses and mules from it and add them to my troops! I might think, 'it is a source of silver and gold; let me impose tribute upon them', or, 'there are things worthy of kingship there' But there's nothing of this or that there. Why then would I persecute your country?”
.
Who said it Trump or Ashurbanipal? What I know about Mesopotamia, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians could probably fit on the back of a very small stamp. Similarly, I wasn’t particularly itching to rectify it, rather seeing this period of history as a distant land with little connection to the time and place I find myself in, with only a modicum of personal interest. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
.
Wisnom really illustrates why we should be interested in Mesopotamia. After all, how we came to know about this period is largely down to fortune, in that clay tablets were preserved for thousands of years under rubble and sand. The image created is of a highly literate and educated civilization that really was the foundation of maths, science, philosophy, and a whole range of other disciplines, too. Even the folktales and lore found their way, in adapted form, into the Bible. With the clay tablets at the centre, Wisnom separates the book into distinct chapters, from Assyrian exorcism, omen reading, and cuneiform language development and use, to horoscopes and astrology. Intertwined with this are attempts to draw parallels with our own time. As with the Assyrians and Babylonians, our societies are very interested in understanding and predicting the future; while our methods might be different, the urge is the same.
.
I largely liked this, I say largely because I did find it repetitive in parts, especially as certain sections felt almost like a rehash of previous topics; these parts were a bit dull. In other ways, while I appreciated the passion and knowledge that Wisnom displayed, the levels bordered on almost evangelical, with a sense that the Mesopotamian empires were responsible, in some way, for almost every aspect of life.
.
With thanks to Penguin Press and Netgalley for being the literary matchmaker
.
Who said it Trump or Ashurbanipal? What I know about Mesopotamia, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians could probably fit on the back of a very small stamp. Similarly, I wasn’t particularly itching to rectify it, rather seeing this period of history as a distant land with little connection to the time and place I find myself in, with only a modicum of personal interest. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
.
Wisnom really illustrates why we should be interested in Mesopotamia. After all, how we came to know about this period is largely down to fortune, in that clay tablets were preserved for thousands of years under rubble and sand. The image created is of a highly literate and educated civilization that really was the foundation of maths, science, philosophy, and a whole range of other disciplines, too. Even the folktales and lore found their way, in adapted form, into the Bible. With the clay tablets at the centre, Wisnom separates the book into distinct chapters, from Assyrian exorcism, omen reading, and cuneiform language development and use, to horoscopes and astrology. Intertwined with this are attempts to draw parallels with our own time. As with the Assyrians and Babylonians, our societies are very interested in understanding and predicting the future; while our methods might be different, the urge is the same.
.
I largely liked this, I say largely because I did find it repetitive in parts, especially as certain sections felt almost like a rehash of previous topics; these parts were a bit dull. In other ways, while I appreciated the passion and knowledge that Wisnom displayed, the levels bordered on almost evangelical, with a sense that the Mesopotamian empires were responsible, in some way, for almost every aspect of life.
.
With thanks to Penguin Press and Netgalley for being the literary matchmaker
May 19, 2025
The Library of Ancient Wisdom is a beautiful and intellectually nourishing book that explores ancient Mesopotamian literature. Selena Wisnom moves through the Akkadian literary tradition not as an outsider looking in, but as a scholar-listener attuned to the pulse of a long-vanished world that still echoes in our contemporary moment—if we’re quiet enough to hear it.
Rather than reduce these ancient texts to distant historical curiosities, Wisnom reads them with the kind of attention usually reserved for poetry or scripture. She reminds us that the Sumerian and Akkadian scribes were not merely recording data; they were shaping cosmologies. They were world-makers.
Each chapter unfolds like a tablet being carefully unwrapped from the sands of time: she explores themes of divine knowledge, mythic structure, lamentation, dream interpretation, political propaganda, and literary recursion in texts like Gilgamesh, The Descent of Ishtar, and Enuma Elish—but also in lesser-known works and incantations that reveal just how rich and recursive the Babylonian imagination really was.
Her book doesn’t just present what was written, but also asks us to consider why it was written, for whom it was intended, and how it was read—both then and now. Her approach is both academic and devotional, and rigorous and reverent.
If you’re a lover of ancient literature, comparative mythology, or the philosophy of writing itself, this book will speak to you. If you've ever felt awe standing in front of a cuneiform tablet, wondering about the soul behind the stylus, this book is your next read. It'll make it's way into year 1 of Book Oblivion's lifetime reading program alongside The Epic of Gilgamesh and Elif Shafek's There Are Rivers in the Sky.
A special thank you to the University of Chicago Press for the advanced copy.
Rather than reduce these ancient texts to distant historical curiosities, Wisnom reads them with the kind of attention usually reserved for poetry or scripture. She reminds us that the Sumerian and Akkadian scribes were not merely recording data; they were shaping cosmologies. They were world-makers.
Each chapter unfolds like a tablet being carefully unwrapped from the sands of time: she explores themes of divine knowledge, mythic structure, lamentation, dream interpretation, political propaganda, and literary recursion in texts like Gilgamesh, The Descent of Ishtar, and Enuma Elish—but also in lesser-known works and incantations that reveal just how rich and recursive the Babylonian imagination really was.
Her book doesn’t just present what was written, but also asks us to consider why it was written, for whom it was intended, and how it was read—both then and now. Her approach is both academic and devotional, and rigorous and reverent.
If you’re a lover of ancient literature, comparative mythology, or the philosophy of writing itself, this book will speak to you. If you've ever felt awe standing in front of a cuneiform tablet, wondering about the soul behind the stylus, this book is your next read. It'll make it's way into year 1 of Book Oblivion's lifetime reading program alongside The Epic of Gilgamesh and Elif Shafek's There Are Rivers in the Sky.
A special thank you to the University of Chicago Press for the advanced copy.
February 28, 2026
A fantastic look at Mesopotamia and a world hidden from us for so long.
Usually the fall of a city is a tragedy. A library burned, information lost beyond all hope. And it was a tragedy, the loss of life, the falling of an empire. But it also left us a hidden little time capsule, tablets fired by the heat and persevered when paper would have been lost. It allowed us a look into the mind of people from thousands of years ago, at once alien and also shockingly familiar.
Rather than follow the highs and lows of royalty, or trace the paths of empires and armies, this book is divided up into different aspects of 'learning' within the court of Mesopotamia, focusing on the library of the scholar king, Ashurbanipal.
Time and time again this book shows us that it isn't to the Greek's we should look for the origins of maths, of medicine, of all kinds of wisdom, but in the fertile crescent, many many years before. It does a good job of showing us where our thanks should lie.
There is some repetition here, examples used again and again, but this doesn't feel like a book you would necessarily read front to back, but rather a book you would dip in and out of, when you're interested in a specific branch.
It does a great job at bringing this world back to life, and was very engaging.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
Usually the fall of a city is a tragedy. A library burned, information lost beyond all hope. And it was a tragedy, the loss of life, the falling of an empire. But it also left us a hidden little time capsule, tablets fired by the heat and persevered when paper would have been lost. It allowed us a look into the mind of people from thousands of years ago, at once alien and also shockingly familiar.
Rather than follow the highs and lows of royalty, or trace the paths of empires and armies, this book is divided up into different aspects of 'learning' within the court of Mesopotamia, focusing on the library of the scholar king, Ashurbanipal.
Time and time again this book shows us that it isn't to the Greek's we should look for the origins of maths, of medicine, of all kinds of wisdom, but in the fertile crescent, many many years before. It does a good job of showing us where our thanks should lie.
There is some repetition here, examples used again and again, but this doesn't feel like a book you would necessarily read front to back, but rather a book you would dip in and out of, when you're interested in a specific branch.
It does a great job at bringing this world back to life, and was very engaging.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
April 16, 2025
A library of frozen time
—
Like buses, books on Mesopotamia and its cultures come along in twos and threes. After only reviewing one not two weeks ago, here I am again, with Wisnom’s tighter narrative centred on Ashurbanipal’s voluminous library, saved for posterity thanks to fires set by his rivals, which baked the clay into vitreous records of people and culture from the distant past. Without these, we would have no idea at all of the lives and loves and petty squabbles of the time, not so different from those of our own. I wonder if our iPhones will leave as complete a record for the future.
With a concentrated ambit of one king’s library and the century or so recorded by its texts, you might think that everything that’s already been said about Mesopotamian cultures has already been said; but in Wisnom’s authoritative but warm voice, we see how even this library is a peak amongst an unbelievably long and illustrious culture of writing, reading and transmission, that information was prized as an art as well as a source of information. From the elites who rule down to the lowliest servant, their voices and their lives shine clearly through the millennia between us, giving us a glimpse—quite a big glimpse but still only a glimpse—at the beginning of civilisation, the shared legacy in which we all now must take part or perish.
—
Like buses, books on Mesopotamia and its cultures come along in twos and threes. After only reviewing one not two weeks ago, here I am again, with Wisnom’s tighter narrative centred on Ashurbanipal’s voluminous library, saved for posterity thanks to fires set by his rivals, which baked the clay into vitreous records of people and culture from the distant past. Without these, we would have no idea at all of the lives and loves and petty squabbles of the time, not so different from those of our own. I wonder if our iPhones will leave as complete a record for the future.
With a concentrated ambit of one king’s library and the century or so recorded by its texts, you might think that everything that’s already been said about Mesopotamian cultures has already been said; but in Wisnom’s authoritative but warm voice, we see how even this library is a peak amongst an unbelievably long and illustrious culture of writing, reading and transmission, that information was prized as an art as well as a source of information. From the elites who rule down to the lowliest servant, their voices and their lives shine clearly through the millennia between us, giving us a glimpse—quite a big glimpse but still only a glimpse—at the beginning of civilisation, the shared legacy in which we all now must take part or perish.
July 11, 2025
I truly LOVED reading through this book. I have read through it twice now, and am going back in for a third read, as there is so much to this ancient culture that I want to digest.
The Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, had a massive library, with thousands of clay tablets. The uncovering of some of these have allowed a better glimpse into the ancient world, and those were lived in it.
From the scribes who were responsible for the written texts, priests who served the king and the gods, and the king himself - who was expected to protect and expand the kingdom.
While Ashurbanipal might have wanted to leave a glowing legacy, he might not be thrilled with what was written about him after his death. But the writings and different texts have allowed a new view into this kingdom, and continues to share new insights as tablets are deciphered.
Fantastically well written, this book is engaging! I was pulled back in time to the court of the king, and the challenges and stories that were shared. This is truly one of the best books I have read this year.
The Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, had a massive library, with thousands of clay tablets. The uncovering of some of these have allowed a better glimpse into the ancient world, and those were lived in it.
From the scribes who were responsible for the written texts, priests who served the king and the gods, and the king himself - who was expected to protect and expand the kingdom.
While Ashurbanipal might have wanted to leave a glowing legacy, he might not be thrilled with what was written about him after his death. But the writings and different texts have allowed a new view into this kingdom, and continues to share new insights as tablets are deciphered.
Fantastically well written, this book is engaging! I was pulled back in time to the court of the king, and the challenges and stories that were shared. This is truly one of the best books I have read this year.
February 5, 2026
Thanks you to NetGalley and Allen Lane publisher for a pre publication digital copy in return for an honest review.
This is a densely written book absolutely full of interesting information taken from Mesopotamium cuneiform tablets describing the lives of the ancients. It is extensively researched and is written in a manner that makes the contents accessible to anyone interested in how writing began. I particularly enjoyed when the author linked and compared the texts to our language in the present day. For example in this culture the words Sorry, Please and Thank you didn’t exist and it was therefore necessary for a person to describe for instance what they had done wrong and the consequences of this. I recommend this book to others with an interest in deep learning of the subject in an accessible format.
This is a densely written book absolutely full of interesting information taken from Mesopotamium cuneiform tablets describing the lives of the ancients. It is extensively researched and is written in a manner that makes the contents accessible to anyone interested in how writing began. I particularly enjoyed when the author linked and compared the texts to our language in the present day. For example in this culture the words Sorry, Please and Thank you didn’t exist and it was therefore necessary for a person to describe for instance what they had done wrong and the consequences of this. I recommend this book to others with an interest in deep learning of the subject in an accessible format.
June 24, 2025
if you really want to read a book about ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, their culture, day-to-day lives, relationships, politics, science and even sex, this is an absolutely amazing book to find all that information. there are many books about Mesopotamia, ancient civilizations and cuneiform. what Dr. Wisnom does is give you reliably and scientific overview with citations, comparative research analysis and facts. It may not read like a popular book at times, but that is due to the serious handling of the subject matter. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend if you want to learn about our past and culture.
October 15, 2025
This is a very engaging and accessible study of Mesopotamian and Assyrian culture from the fourth to the first millennium BC. Wisnom shows how cultural practices that might seem primitive or unsophisticated often have close parallels in our own culture, some of which may have evolved directly from their Mesopotamian precursors. The sections on the scholar-king Ashurbanipal and his library are particularly strong, as are her discussions of cuneiform and the origins of writing. It’s rare to find a scholarly book that is so informative and enjoyable to read. I read the audiobook narrated by Catherine Bailey.
February 25, 2026
Brilliant book with amazing scholarship that truly made Mesopotamia come to life. I've enjoyed so many Ancient Sumer memes, have read Epic of Gilgamesh and also enjoyed those memes as well, but never has the cradle of civilisation feel more illuminated until now. I love how Wisnom travels through the different facets of life, getting into the brains of people around the time, what their day to day may look like, the evidence presented upon the clay tablets. This is a deeply human book, would really really recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in Mesopotamia, even if you barely know anything going in.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for the ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for the ARC.
February 20, 2025
Selena Wisnom is both a highly qualified Assyriologist and a gifted literary author - surely a rare combination. In this book, she is the perfect expert guide to the ancient textual treasures preserved in the library of Ashurbanipal, Assyria’s last great king. The library becomes a window onto the imposing cultural heritage of the world’s oldest literate civilisation. From witchcraft to war, from the oldest surviving literature to the origins of modern science in Mesopotamian astronomy, it’s all here.
January 2, 2026
Brings an ancient world to life with scholarly authority, wit and humour. I was reminded of things I had forgotten, and made connections with new stuff too. I didn't know, for example, how clear the influence of mesopotamian literature is on the better-known classical greek stories. Fascinating! And all the small, domestic and personal details that bring Ashurbanipal and his family and their court to life.
February 26, 2026
This is an exceptionally well researched book and fascinating reading. It covers a range of diverse topics such as entrail divination! Whilst reading this I reflected whether it was an under researched area currently or whether it’s just not something ever taught in the education system. The author mentions that there seems to be a suggestion that they weren’t a very advanced society. Entrail divination aside, this book proves the opposite. Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC
August 17, 2025
Rating : 4,5 ⭐
This book covered a range of topics in a way that felt really digestible, but never shallow. It was a great overview of a time in history we don't know enough about. I can't believe I had never heard of this before given how much of this ancient library still remains to be studied. The audiobook was very well narrated.
This book covered a range of topics in a way that felt really digestible, but never shallow. It was a great overview of a time in history we don't know enough about. I can't believe I had never heard of this before given how much of this ancient library still remains to be studied. The audiobook was very well narrated.
January 28, 2026
Comprehensive, thought provoking and filled with empathy. How do u make sense of an ancient world 1700 years ago? How do u connect the dots between Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Persia, Alexander and cultures in the east? The author Selena Wisnom tells you how and connects you to these cultures in ways you can relate! A must read for history buffs
July 25, 2025
Flew through this. An easy to read, accessible history of Ancient Mesopotamian cultural norms/governance. It’s astounding that we have access to letters between members of the royal court during this era. Loved any glimpse into these minute, human conversations.
June 24, 2025
3.5/5 :)
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