Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History

by Marc Van de Mieroop

Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History discusses how the abundant Mesopotamian cuneiform text sources can be used for the study of various aspects of political, social, economic and gender. Marc Van De Mieroop provides a student-friendly introduction to the subject
* criticises disciplinary methodologies which are often informed by a desire to write a history of events
* scrutinises the intellectual background of historical writings
* examines how Mesopotamia's position as the 'other' in Classical and Biblical writings has influenced scholarship
* illustrates approaches with examples taken from the entirety of Mesopotamian history.

Genres: History

213 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 1999

About the author

is a professor of Ancient Near Eastern history at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Denise]

This is a survey of cuneiform texts and a review of methodology for interpreting history. Author Marc Van De Mieroop, professor of Ancient Near East History at Columbia University sees objectivity as an elusive ideal. Since it's not possible to interpret history free of one's own biases, the least scholars can do is acknowledge their own biases.

This is a worthy read for those interested in ancient history and in epistemology. It is not a light read by any means.

Please read the full review here.