Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

Facts On File Library Of World History

by Stephen Bertman

Modern-day archaeological discoveries in the Near East continue to illuminate our understanding of the ancient world, including the many contributions made by the people of Mesopotamia to literature, art, government, and urban life The Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia describes the culture, history, and people of this land, as well as their struggle for survival and happiness, from about 3500 to 500 BCE. Mesopotamia was the home of a succession of glorious civilizations--Sumeria, Babylonia, and Assyria--which flourished together for more than three millennia. Sumerian mathematicians devised the sixty-minute hour that still rules our lives; Babylonian architects designed the famed Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; Assyrian kings and generals, in the name of imperialism, conducted some of the shrewdest military campaigns in recorded history. Readers will identify with the literary works of these civilizations, such as the Code of Hammurabi and the Epic of
Gilgamesh, as they are carried across centuries to a period in time intimately entwined with the story of the Bible. Maps and line drawings provide examples of Mesopotamian geography, while other chapters present the Mesopotamian struggle to create civilized life in a fertile land racked by brutal conquest.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History

408 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Stephen Bertman received his doctorate in Greek and Latin Literature from Columbia University, and holds additional degrees in Classics from New York University and in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis. Dr. Bertman has published extensively in the field of ancient Mediterranean civilization. In addition to articles and chapters on Classical and Near Eastern history and though, his books include Art and the Romans, Doorways through Time: The Romance of Archaeology and the Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. He has also explored the callenges of contemporary civilization in Hyperculture: The Human Cost of Speed and Cultural Amnesia: America's Future and the Crisis of Memory.

As a teacher, writer, educational consultant, and public speaker, Dr. Bertman has dedicated his life to bridging the world of past and present. Stephen Bertman lives with his wife, Elaine, in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

(Taken from The Eight Pillars of Greek Wisdom)

Reviews

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing on many levels.

First, it’s not really a handbook in any meaningful sense. Second, given the number of history books talking about “Life in …”, readers may be disappointed at how relatively little there is in here about what day to day life would have been like in Ancient Mesopotamia.

There were other “quirks” as well, including relatively lacking discussions of trade and economics. Given that one of the oldest known “practical” writing samples is “The complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir” (which isn’t even mentioned in the book), lack of material wouldn’t be a valid excuse.

I also found the authors editorializing and commentary to more often be tiresome and annoying than useful, and it detracted from the book.

It’s a readable book with decent sourcing, and it’s not a bad point of entry to the subject (even with its flaws), but I don’t like it enough to recommend it.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the three books on everyday life in ancient Mesopotamia I have, this one is the most comprehensive, truly covering most areas of life and thoroughly documenting the sources of his information. I do wish there had been more on women's lives, and I also wish that in addition to breadth he'd also striven for depth (although I guess that's what the detailed bibliography is for). The nonscholarly writing style is easy to read and entertaining.

[Peter Toth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to find a really engaging book about ancient Mesopotamia, I'm yet to stumble upon one myself. I was assigned this book at the university about an everyday life in ancient times course, focusing on Mesopotamia. There are, of course a great deal of firsts and curiosities belonging to Sumer, Akkad and later civilizations in this area.

The book is really a 'handbook', there are certain parts that can be used as an encyclopedia, to look up a specific person or city in the various lists and appendices. They are not at the end though, but in the beginning and at times embedded within the text itself. The prose is more similar to works trying to be interesting to everyday readers, less so suited for proper university learning. There's no problem with that, but I was actually expecting less flowery prose (can be very disturbing sometimes) and more references, better notes and explanations. The structure of the book itself is adequate, as comprehensive as it can get, but sometimes it's a single paragraph about a specific topic, certainly just an appetizer. There are parts that are actually great, like the biblical parallels and connections to ancient Mesopotamia.

All-in-all, this book is great for an initial read-through, for laymen interested in ancient Mesopotamia, but not really useful for exact university research, so I have strong doubts why it is on the curriculum at all.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Bertman’s Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia is a great secondary source for anything and everything related to ancient Mesopotamia. Unlike the technical handbooks that I am used to, this one was a pretty easy read. It could be dry at times, e.g. the list of rulers and kings, but it was digestible enough to power through. As a handbook, it isn’t even necessary to read everything- the reader can pick whatever he or she finds pertinent. However, taken entirely, this book is a comprehensive beginner-level fount of knowledge for anyone interested in exploring the first civilization on Earth. The only detraction was that the author was sometimes over-eager to roll with certain theories that appeared incompletely substantiated from my cursory internet searchings.

[Daniel Pugsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it provided a good overview of the period, and is an interesting and engaging read, I was reading it for research purposes for my Babylon series, and was hoping for a few more details I could use in those books.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I resented the fact that the author seemed to think that if you wear a veil in Islam that you have no freedom. It is ignorant comments like that makes an intially interesting book no longer worth reading.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it looked interesting, it turns out that this is an encyclopedia. I guess it would be useful for students or if you were gaming.

[StrangeBedfellows · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Handbook' is the operative word. Unless you're someone -- like me -- who reads reference books for entertainment, this isn't something you should pick up just to read. The information is organized like an encyclopedia and fairly dry. Often the author just presents a variety of list-like entries on major cities, rulers, etc. However, having once taken a class on the history of the ancient Near East, I find this book a nice refresher course and, of course, great for reference. My large complaint is Bertman's tone in introductory sections -- like he's addressing people who have never studied history before and feels the need to tell readers how to interpret the info he's providing, or how to think if history in general, even. Others might find that helpful, but, to me, it's just patronizing.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For many years I looked for a good book on Mesopotamia that would clearly illustrate the respective cities. I found what I was looking for as this book has a substantial list detailing the historical significance and archaeological significance of cities with excellent supporting maps. I had read about a number of these sites, but I was fuzzy on where they actually located in "the land between the rivers". Fun and informative read.

[Acaerounkr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resourceful, resourceful, resourceful! For anyone commencing into a serious study of Mesopotamia you will find the index pages of this handbook wearing thin. It's not a 'goodread', it is a great tool.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a great book.