What do you think?
Rate this book
丕賱毓乇丕賯 丕賱賯丿賷賲
賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賮賷 丕賱丕爻丕爻 爻賱爻賱丞 賲賯丕賱丕鬲 毓賳 鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱毓乇丕賯 丕賱賯丿賷賲 賱賱胤亘賷亘 丕賱賮乇賳爻賷 噩賵乇噩 乇賵 賵 丕賱匕賷 丿乇爻 毓賱賲 丕賱丕卮賵乇賷丕鬲 賵 毓賲賱 胤亘賷亘丕賸 賮賷 卮乇賰丞 賳賮胤 丕賱毓乇丕賯 ,賵 賯丿 丨馗賷鬲 賲賯丕賱丕鬲賴 亘丕賱卮賴乇丞 賵 胤丕賱亘賴 賰孬賷乇賵賳 亘噩賲毓賴丕 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘 賮噩賲毓賴丕 賵 夭丕丿 毓賱賷賴丕 丨鬲賶 禺乇噩 賱賳丕 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱毓乇丕賯 丕賱賯丿賷賲 賵 賴賵 賲賳 兀賴賲 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 丨囟丕乇丕鬲 丕賱毓乇丕賯 丕賱賯丿賷賲丞.
676 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
64 people are currently reading
1238 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 11, 2014
This is one of the most important books any historian interested in the ancient Middle East should read. It is a comprehensive and easily understood volume which touches upon the most significant historical events dating from the Paleolithic to ancient Greece. This book is a one-stop encyclopedia for both the novice seeking to see the bigger historical picture, to the seasoned scholar who can always find something to refresh their memories. I have two worn copies, the first lovingly held together with a large rubber band. Now I have the e-book which has the added word-search feature which is invaluable to the historical researcher. This is a book that can never be finished for it remains a valuable resource which all good historians return to for both knowledge and inspiration.
May 8, 2021
Distilling thousands of years of Mesopotamian history into a ~500 page book is a mammoth and near-impossible task. Roux does about as good a job of it as you might possibly ask for. This book does sometimes struggle under its own weight, and some sections do feel just like lists of kings (in some cases, that is just about all the documentary evidence we have to go on), but in general Roux does an admirable job at summarising the material.
I found the sections on cultural life to be the most vivid and interesting. In these sections, Roux necessarily focuses on a specific cultural moment, and enagages with the relevant specific and limited documentary evidence. In these sections, images of Ancient Mesopotamian life are really brought to life.
The sections on political history are sometimes vivid, but often dull. I hesitate to blame the author for this, given the paucity of sources, but nevertheless they are often monotonous to read. Doubtless, they are valuable in terms of a historical record, but from an academic perspective this book has already been superceded. Modern readers of this book are more likely to be looking for readability than the cutting edge of new historical detail. It was first published in 1964 afterall.
I found the sections on cultural life to be the most vivid and interesting. In these sections, Roux necessarily focuses on a specific cultural moment, and enagages with the relevant specific and limited documentary evidence. In these sections, images of Ancient Mesopotamian life are really brought to life.
The sections on political history are sometimes vivid, but often dull. I hesitate to blame the author for this, given the paucity of sources, but nevertheless they are often monotonous to read. Doubtless, they are valuable in terms of a historical record, but from an academic perspective this book has already been superceded. Modern readers of this book are more likely to be looking for readability than the cutting edge of new historical detail. It was first published in 1964 afterall.
November 14, 2015
... and then there are history books that don't age. A lifetime's passion, humanist scholarship, a flair for writing: I don't care if this one's dated. You don't even miss pictures with such an evocative hand at the pen.
June 24, 2018
Great general history of early Mesopotamia. Why is it that French historians always write the most insightful books on pre-bronze age cultures? Whether it is Egypt, Kush or Mesopotamia.
This book follows the land between the Tigris and Euphrates from stone-age Ur and Sumer into the peoples known today as the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Hittites, Semites and Babylonians. The book includes lengthy notes and possibly the most clearly drawn and comprehensible series of maps I have seen in black and white. That is amazing and necessary for the reader to follow the chronological events occurring over 15 centuries and involving at least six different cultures. The author views many works, such as the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh, as legitimate, although flawed, historical documents. He relates much of what we know with events in Palestine, Egypt, Asia Minor, Crete, Iran and India.
I highly recommend this book.
This book follows the land between the Tigris and Euphrates from stone-age Ur and Sumer into the peoples known today as the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Hittites, Semites and Babylonians. The book includes lengthy notes and possibly the most clearly drawn and comprehensible series of maps I have seen in black and white. That is amazing and necessary for the reader to follow the chronological events occurring over 15 centuries and involving at least six different cultures. The author views many works, such as the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh, as legitimate, although flawed, historical documents. He relates much of what we know with events in Palestine, Egypt, Asia Minor, Crete, Iran and India.
I highly recommend this book.
March 6, 2024
This is a book that falls under its own weight. It summarizes 5 millennia of history in 500 pages, which results in it being dull at times.
Introduction, epilogue, and the sections on culture are must reads.
Some commentators mention that this is a book that doesn鈥檛 cater to modern readers, who look for readability instead of long lists of kings. This is true. There鈥檚 also the fact that this is a book originally written in French and translated to English, and clearly at one point both the translators and the editors just gave up.
This is not a book for generalists. And, actual students of Mesopotamia will probably get to know it anyway.
Introduction, epilogue, and the sections on culture are must reads.
Some commentators mention that this is a book that doesn鈥檛 cater to modern readers, who look for readability instead of long lists of kings. This is true. There鈥檚 also the fact that this is a book originally written in French and translated to English, and clearly at one point both the translators and the editors just gave up.
This is not a book for generalists. And, actual students of Mesopotamia will probably get to know it anyway.
June 23, 2021
賲賯丿賲丞 賱丕 亘丿 賲賳賴丕 賱賰賱 賲賳 賷乇賷丿 丕賱賵賱賵賱噩 賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丕賱卮乇賯 丕賱丕丿賳賶 賵亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿 丕賱毓乇丕賯 賵丨囟丕乇鬲賴 丕賱毓馗賷賲丞. 亘丨孬 賲賲鬲丕夭 賵毓賱賲賷. 賲丕 賷賳賳賯氐賴 賴賵 丕賳 賷丨鬲丕噩 丕賱賶 鬲丨丿賷孬 賱賱丕賳賴 賰購鬲賽亘賻 賮賷 丕賱爻鬲賷賳賷丕鬲 賵賲丕 亘賴 賲賳 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 亘毓囟賴丕 鬲睾賷乇 丕賱丌賳. 賵賱賰賳 賱賷爻 亘丕賱鬲睾賷乇 丕賱匕賷 賷噩毓賱 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賯丿 丕氐亘丨 賲賳 丕賱賲賳亘賵匕丕鬲. 丕乇卮丨賴 賱賰賱 賲賳 賷丨亘 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賵賷乇賷丿 賲賯丿賲丞 賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丨囟丕乇丞 賵丕丿賷 丕賱乇丕賮丿賷賳.
March 5, 2020
First published in 1964, it is naturally outdated. But ancient histories will long date themselves as long as archaeologists continue to work. It is otherwise a thorough look at the complex history of the area Roux dubs 鈥渁ncient Iraq.鈥�
February 20, 2021
A history of Mesopotamia from the Neanderthals of the Middle Palaeolithic (c. 70,000 years ago) to the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus in 539 BC (with a short chapter on the later Persian, Hellenistic and Parthian periods). Georges Roux, though very knowledgeable about Mesopotamian history and culture, was not an academic (he was a medical officer for Iraqi Petroleum) and the book is written for the lay reader, as readably as one could expect, given the large amount of information which is hard to assimilate in a relatively short book (relatively short for what it deals with, as compared to say the Cambridge Ancient History). He discusses the literature, art, and general culture, but it is integrated with the history and the book is in general chronological, as opposed to the topical organization of the last book I read on the subject (Oppenheim's Ancient Mesopotamia).
The most interesting parts to me were the earlier chapters on the development of agriculture, pottery, and urbanization, and the Sumerian invention of writing; the later parts rather overwhelmed me with the political and especially military history, but at least (unlike the Oppenheim book) it had a few maps, which were very necessary. I wish it had had more, and in particular maps for the different periods rather than putting all the sites mentioned in the book onto the same maps. I would recommend reading this along with H.J. Nissen's The Early History of the Ancient Near East, 9000-2000 BC which is the best book I have read on the subject.
Roux points out in the preface to the third edition that in the twelve years since the second edition there had been an incredible amount of new archaeological research which had already made that edition outdated, so I was worried that after twenty eight years this might be similarly outdated, but then I read his statement that archaeological excavations had "temporarily" ended because of the Gulf War, and realized that given the history since then it might not be so obsolete after all, unfortunately.
The most interesting parts to me were the earlier chapters on the development of agriculture, pottery, and urbanization, and the Sumerian invention of writing; the later parts rather overwhelmed me with the political and especially military history, but at least (unlike the Oppenheim book) it had a few maps, which were very necessary. I wish it had had more, and in particular maps for the different periods rather than putting all the sites mentioned in the book onto the same maps. I would recommend reading this along with H.J. Nissen's The Early History of the Ancient Near East, 9000-2000 BC which is the best book I have read on the subject.
Roux points out in the preface to the third edition that in the twelve years since the second edition there had been an incredible amount of new archaeological research which had already made that edition outdated, so I was worried that after twenty eight years this might be similarly outdated, but then I read his statement that archaeological excavations had "temporarily" ended because of the Gulf War, and realized that given the history since then it might not be so obsolete after all, unfortunately.
October 26, 2017
Perhaps a bit outdated but is still a very well written introduction to the history of ancient Mesopotamia. Starting with a geographical overview of ancient Mesopotamia, the author gives a broad historical picture right from the paleolithic age when neanderthals still inhabited the caves in Kurdistan, through the various prehistoric hunter-gatherer, part-sedentary pastoral, and sedentary agricultural periods, and to the rise of the first Sumerian city-states and their rise and fall through various civilisations and empires until the Sassanian period.
Even though it is essentially a history of the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, the author does a good job in providing an overview of the social organisation and the life of the citizens, and the economic basis of the society, and how they changed over the time.
On the whole a balanced, comprehensive and readable history of ancient Mesopotamia with a good sketching of the various prehistoric archaeological cultures, and the Mesopotamian mythology.
Even though it is essentially a history of the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, the author does a good job in providing an overview of the social organisation and the life of the citizens, and the economic basis of the society, and how they changed over the time.
On the whole a balanced, comprehensive and readable history of ancient Mesopotamia with a good sketching of the various prehistoric archaeological cultures, and the Mesopotamian mythology.
December 13, 2018
Excellent, excellent writing for a book I was expecting to be somewhat tedious. If you are interested in ancient Iraq and the culture that grew there this would be your book.
July 23, 2011
Ce livre m'a renvers茅. Moi qui croyait que l'histoire s'arretait 脿 l'enqu锚te d'H茅rodote, j'茅tais 脿 mille lieux d'imaginer que les arch茅ologues avaient obtenus des r茅sultats d'une telle importance, dont les plus remarquables sont d'avoir r茅ussi 脿 percer le myst猫re de leurs langues, en fouillant depuis le dix-neuvi猫me si猫cle le sol irakien. Ce livre, qui date de 1983, constitue une remarquable introduction 脿 la plus ancienne civilisation dont les traces nous soient parvenus. Avec l'invention de l'茅criture, de l'irrigation, de la voile, de la bi猫re, les Sum茅riens vont hisser l'humanit茅 hors du n茅olithique et durablement influencer leurs voisins. J'avais 茅t茅 tr猫s impressionn茅 par l'茅pop茅e de Gilgamesh dans la collection Aube des peuples, mais je n'imaginais pas la masse d'information tr猫s diverses qui avait 茅t茅 exhum茅e des tablettes d'avant le d茅luge. Des dizaines de milliers de tablettes gisent encore au British Museum, attendant d'锚tre 茅tudi茅es. La mythologie de ces peuples aura une influence directe sur celle des H茅breux, Abraham 茅tant originaire d'Ur (Dieu anthropomorphe, d茅luge, fils abandonn茅 dans un berceau sur un fleuve...). On aurait presque envie de foncer en Irak avec un chapeau, une pelle et une m茅thode Assimil de Sum茅rien pour continuer 脿 d茅couvrir l'h茅ritage de nos anc锚tres culturels.
April 15, 2023
This is an astounding book. Since childhood when I wanted to be an archaeologist, I have been entranced by the Fertile Crescent. And now that I'm an adult who never was an archaeologist, I found by pure chance these 429 closely written pages that relate all that I want to know and all that gives rise to questions about ancient Iraq. Who is not captivated when he hears the word "Ur"? When I visit the British Museum again, I will spend my time in the galleries of the Assyrian reliefs.
I am sure that, since this book was published in the early 1970s, there have been developments in the field. And sadly, there has also been destruction as in the aftermath of the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003 and in the ISIS bulldozing of the ruins of Assyrian Nimrud. (Woe!) But M. Roux's book still seems a firm foundation.
He covers prehistoric Iraq, the proto-Sumerian world, the blooming of Sumeria, the rise of Akkad, the movements of peoples into and out from the area, the rise of Assyria and its greatness, etc. But there are two features of the book that stay in my mind.
The first is that there are tons -- no: it's megatons -- of written records over the course of ancient Iraq's roughly three thousand years. These tons are not just lists and receipts and contracts; they are chronicles, letters, literature, mathematical problems and treatises, etc., etc. In fact, it seems that we know more about the day-to-day of history in 2000 B.C., for example, than we do about other periods in other places. The culture was one of constant writing and preserving. Organization, administration, wealth depended on it as did religion and pleasure.
The second is that the sphere of influence of ancient Iraq was enormous. It covered Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Syria, the Levant, Israel, Egypt. It engaged in trade, alliance, and conquest in all these places. In its heyday, the Assyrian Empire, for example, stretched from the Mediterranean to Iran, from the Persian Gulf to Armenia. The people of ancient Iraq came into touch with peoples of the northern steppes like the Scythians, the Cimmerians, and the people who became the Medes and Persians.
This is a wonderfully fascinating book. It was one of my "very slow reads" as I read it on and off over the course of roughly eight months. But every day I read it, it was a dessert, a wonderful act of eloquence and organization. Almost beyond belief!
I am sure that, since this book was published in the early 1970s, there have been developments in the field. And sadly, there has also been destruction as in the aftermath of the United States' invasion of Iraq in 2003 and in the ISIS bulldozing of the ruins of Assyrian Nimrud. (Woe!) But M. Roux's book still seems a firm foundation.
He covers prehistoric Iraq, the proto-Sumerian world, the blooming of Sumeria, the rise of Akkad, the movements of peoples into and out from the area, the rise of Assyria and its greatness, etc. But there are two features of the book that stay in my mind.
The first is that there are tons -- no: it's megatons -- of written records over the course of ancient Iraq's roughly three thousand years. These tons are not just lists and receipts and contracts; they are chronicles, letters, literature, mathematical problems and treatises, etc., etc. In fact, it seems that we know more about the day-to-day of history in 2000 B.C., for example, than we do about other periods in other places. The culture was one of constant writing and preserving. Organization, administration, wealth depended on it as did religion and pleasure.
The second is that the sphere of influence of ancient Iraq was enormous. It covered Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Syria, the Levant, Israel, Egypt. It engaged in trade, alliance, and conquest in all these places. In its heyday, the Assyrian Empire, for example, stretched from the Mediterranean to Iran, from the Persian Gulf to Armenia. The people of ancient Iraq came into touch with peoples of the northern steppes like the Scythians, the Cimmerians, and the people who became the Medes and Persians.
This is a wonderfully fascinating book. It was one of my "very slow reads" as I read it on and off over the course of roughly eight months. But every day I read it, it was a dessert, a wonderful act of eloquence and organization. Almost beyond belief!
September 18, 2015
_Ancient Iraq_ by Georges Roux is a book covering the entire history and culture of Mesopotamian civilization, all three thousand years of it from its prehistory to the final demise of Mesopotamian civilization in the first century A.D.
The term "Mesopotamia" originated with the Greeks and it means "the land between the rivers" and does not include all of Iraq and all of what we have come to think of as Mesopotamia. Surprisingly the ancient inhabitants had no name covering the totality of the country in which they lived.
Though in many ways the inventors of civilization often little remains for the visitor to see of this once great civilization; "[t]he dissolving rain, the sand-bearing winds, the earth-splitting sun conspired to obliterate all remains" and these desolate ruins "offer perhaps the best lesson in modesty that we shall ever receive from history." Part of the reason for the lack of remains is the nature of the Iraqi environment, as the meandering Tigris and Euphrates rivers occasionally change course, isolating once riverside sites as "forlorn ruin-mounds in a desert of silt, several miles from modern waterways." Also these ancient towns were built of nothing but mud as stone was rare. At first made of piled-up mud (pis茅) or adobe, as early as the ninth millennium B.C. clay was mixed with straw, gravel, or potsherds and made into sun-dried or kiln-baked bricks.
The very nature of the rivers had a lot to do with the origins of Mesopotamian civilization. As the combined flood periods of the two rivers do not occur when it is best for agriculture, fields must be irrigated. To create these canals and maintain them against silting-up require colossal, unending labor of many people, something that sowed both the seeds of local strife and political unity. The effort to maintain canals and to insure an equitable distribution of water reinforced the authority of the original town chiefs, the high priests, and along with the scarcity of fertile land lead to the concentration of power and wealth in a few hands in a few places, to the creation of cities where further technical and artistic achievements could be made, and the invention of writing to record transactions.
In many ways the book can be read as the rise, spread, and then the decline and fall of Mesopotamian civilization. It was amazing just how small Sumeria really was; it was a mere 30,000 square kilometers, a bit smaller than Belgium, a narrow strip of land around the Euphrates from about the latitude of Baghdad stretching to the Gulf, with the average city-state less than 3000 square kilometers and at most 35,000 people. Sargon and his Akkadian successors subdued the fractious Sumerian city-states and also conquered the entire Tigris-Euphrates basin and built the first great Mesopotamian kingdom. Though the Akkadian empire only lasted 200 years, collapsing from the pressure of mountain tribes and internal rebellion, it set an important example, as to reconstruct Mesopotamian unity, to reach what we could call its natural limits "became the dream of all subsequent monarchs, and from the middle of the third millennium until the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. the history of ancient Iraq consists of their attempts, their successes and their failures to achieve this aim." The Akkadians greatly enlarged the geographical horizon of Sumer and Sumero-Akkadian culture, supported by cuneiform writing, was adopted by the people outside of Sumeria. In addition the Akkadians forever blended the two historical populations of Iraq (the non-Semitic Sumerians and the Semites), ringed the death knell for city-states, heralded the advent of large, centralized kingdoms, and eroded the power of the temples.
Later as a result of the migration of a very large ethno-linguist group, the "Indo-Europeans," young energetic nations emerged in and around Mesopotamia. That, plus the involvement of Egypt in Near Eastern politics from 1600 BC onwards meant that history in ancient Iraq was raised to a truly international scale, with Mesopotamian political fortunes as well as its culture and science influencing (and influenced by) foreign powers from then on.
The Assyrians played a huge role, though they don't come off well, as Roux wrote of the greed and ambition of Assyrian kings, of "their typical oriental desire to cover themselves with glory, to pose as invincible demigods in front of their subjects," that a combination of religious views and greed lead to "brigandry and occasional massacres" in their attempts to create an empire, which was an "act of gangsterism but also a crusade." Though they did preserve Sumero-Akkadian-Babylonian culture, they left the Near East as a whole impoverished as they took much, gave little, cared little for the advancement of their subjects, and as a result of their wars the rich land of Egypt was forever lost and the Phoenicians lost their rich maritime and colonial empire to the Greeks.
After a last flowering under Nebuchadrezzar II and a brilliant but short-lived "Neo-Babylonian" period Babylon fell without resistance to the Persian conqueror Cyrus. The Persians however did not destroy Babylon or other cities, and there are monuments and inscriptions dating from the Achaemenian, Hellenistic, and Parthian periods testifying to a partial survival of Mesopotamian civilization down to the 1st century AD. Why the slow decline and ultimately vanishing of this civilization? The three main reasons were the absence of any real national Mesopotamian government, the foundation by Alexander and his successors of new cities competing with and eventually superseding the older cities, and more than anything the massive linguistic, ethnic, religious, and cultural changes introduced by waves of Persian, Greek, Aramaean, and pre-Islamic Arab invaders, peoples who could neither be kept at bay nor assimilated. While previous invading peoples such as the Amorites and the Kassites found a young, vigorous culture superior to the own, one which they eventually adopted, later invaders felt that Mesopotamia offered relatively little, that it was a fossilized culture largely perpetuated by a few priests in a few temples; basically, it had died of old age.
The term "Mesopotamia" originated with the Greeks and it means "the land between the rivers" and does not include all of Iraq and all of what we have come to think of as Mesopotamia. Surprisingly the ancient inhabitants had no name covering the totality of the country in which they lived.
Though in many ways the inventors of civilization often little remains for the visitor to see of this once great civilization; "[t]he dissolving rain, the sand-bearing winds, the earth-splitting sun conspired to obliterate all remains" and these desolate ruins "offer perhaps the best lesson in modesty that we shall ever receive from history." Part of the reason for the lack of remains is the nature of the Iraqi environment, as the meandering Tigris and Euphrates rivers occasionally change course, isolating once riverside sites as "forlorn ruin-mounds in a desert of silt, several miles from modern waterways." Also these ancient towns were built of nothing but mud as stone was rare. At first made of piled-up mud (pis茅) or adobe, as early as the ninth millennium B.C. clay was mixed with straw, gravel, or potsherds and made into sun-dried or kiln-baked bricks.
The very nature of the rivers had a lot to do with the origins of Mesopotamian civilization. As the combined flood periods of the two rivers do not occur when it is best for agriculture, fields must be irrigated. To create these canals and maintain them against silting-up require colossal, unending labor of many people, something that sowed both the seeds of local strife and political unity. The effort to maintain canals and to insure an equitable distribution of water reinforced the authority of the original town chiefs, the high priests, and along with the scarcity of fertile land lead to the concentration of power and wealth in a few hands in a few places, to the creation of cities where further technical and artistic achievements could be made, and the invention of writing to record transactions.
In many ways the book can be read as the rise, spread, and then the decline and fall of Mesopotamian civilization. It was amazing just how small Sumeria really was; it was a mere 30,000 square kilometers, a bit smaller than Belgium, a narrow strip of land around the Euphrates from about the latitude of Baghdad stretching to the Gulf, with the average city-state less than 3000 square kilometers and at most 35,000 people. Sargon and his Akkadian successors subdued the fractious Sumerian city-states and also conquered the entire Tigris-Euphrates basin and built the first great Mesopotamian kingdom. Though the Akkadian empire only lasted 200 years, collapsing from the pressure of mountain tribes and internal rebellion, it set an important example, as to reconstruct Mesopotamian unity, to reach what we could call its natural limits "became the dream of all subsequent monarchs, and from the middle of the third millennium until the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. the history of ancient Iraq consists of their attempts, their successes and their failures to achieve this aim." The Akkadians greatly enlarged the geographical horizon of Sumer and Sumero-Akkadian culture, supported by cuneiform writing, was adopted by the people outside of Sumeria. In addition the Akkadians forever blended the two historical populations of Iraq (the non-Semitic Sumerians and the Semites), ringed the death knell for city-states, heralded the advent of large, centralized kingdoms, and eroded the power of the temples.
Later as a result of the migration of a very large ethno-linguist group, the "Indo-Europeans," young energetic nations emerged in and around Mesopotamia. That, plus the involvement of Egypt in Near Eastern politics from 1600 BC onwards meant that history in ancient Iraq was raised to a truly international scale, with Mesopotamian political fortunes as well as its culture and science influencing (and influenced by) foreign powers from then on.
The Assyrians played a huge role, though they don't come off well, as Roux wrote of the greed and ambition of Assyrian kings, of "their typical oriental desire to cover themselves with glory, to pose as invincible demigods in front of their subjects," that a combination of religious views and greed lead to "brigandry and occasional massacres" in their attempts to create an empire, which was an "act of gangsterism but also a crusade." Though they did preserve Sumero-Akkadian-Babylonian culture, they left the Near East as a whole impoverished as they took much, gave little, cared little for the advancement of their subjects, and as a result of their wars the rich land of Egypt was forever lost and the Phoenicians lost their rich maritime and colonial empire to the Greeks.
After a last flowering under Nebuchadrezzar II and a brilliant but short-lived "Neo-Babylonian" period Babylon fell without resistance to the Persian conqueror Cyrus. The Persians however did not destroy Babylon or other cities, and there are monuments and inscriptions dating from the Achaemenian, Hellenistic, and Parthian periods testifying to a partial survival of Mesopotamian civilization down to the 1st century AD. Why the slow decline and ultimately vanishing of this civilization? The three main reasons were the absence of any real national Mesopotamian government, the foundation by Alexander and his successors of new cities competing with and eventually superseding the older cities, and more than anything the massive linguistic, ethnic, religious, and cultural changes introduced by waves of Persian, Greek, Aramaean, and pre-Islamic Arab invaders, peoples who could neither be kept at bay nor assimilated. While previous invading peoples such as the Amorites and the Kassites found a young, vigorous culture superior to the own, one which they eventually adopted, later invaders felt that Mesopotamia offered relatively little, that it was a fossilized culture largely perpetuated by a few priests in a few temples; basically, it had died of old age.
April 21, 2018
Este libro de Georges Roux es una investigaci贸n hist贸rica de ese pobre pa铆s, Irak, que pocas veces ha gozado de la paz que se merec铆an y se merecen sus heroicos habitantes desde hace 5 mil a帽os.
El autor empieza con Sumeria, su florecimiento y decadencia, la aparici贸n de Akad, de los amorreos, de Babilonia y su Hammurabi, las invasiones de los primeros indoeuropeos: Hurritas, Mitaneos, Kasitas e Hititas. El resurgimiento de Akad con los Asirios y su imperio, la gran Babilonia como una ciudad sin par. Todo contado con gracia, como si fuera un cuento, con la horrible excepci贸n de las interminables guerras por el poder. F谩cil de leer y muy recomendable.
El autor empieza con Sumeria, su florecimiento y decadencia, la aparici贸n de Akad, de los amorreos, de Babilonia y su Hammurabi, las invasiones de los primeros indoeuropeos: Hurritas, Mitaneos, Kasitas e Hititas. El resurgimiento de Akad con los Asirios y su imperio, la gran Babilonia como una ciudad sin par. Todo contado con gracia, como si fuera un cuento, con la horrible excepci贸n de las interminables guerras por el poder. F谩cil de leer y muy recomendable.
July 24, 2021
Highlights of Mesopotamian civilisation: quadratic equations, lots of kings, and theocratic central economic planning.
January 3, 2022
I鈥檝e read this book a couple of times over the hears and its a great primer for the history of ancient Sumer from its earliest prehistoric days up through the dynastic periods.
July 18, 2022
賮賷 乇兀賷 丕賱卮禺氐賷 賴匕丕 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷賲爻 丨賷丕丞 賰賱 賲賳 賴賵 匕賵 毓賱丕賯丞 亘賲丕 賰丕賳 賷胤賱賯 毓賱賷賴 丕賱卮乇賯 丕賱兀丿賳賶 丕賵 丕賱賴賱丕賱 丕賱禺氐賷亘貙 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 爻賴賱 賲賲鬲賳毓貙 丕爻賱賵亘 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 噩丿賵 賱胤賷賮貙 賵賮賷賴 賲毓賱賵賲丕鬲 賯賷賲丞 賱爻鬲 亘賲賯丕賲 丕賱鬲賯賷賲 賵丕賱賳賯丿 賱丕賳賷 賱爻鬲 丕賴賱 賱匕賱賰. 賵賱賰賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 賷毓胤賷 賱賱賯丕乇卅 賱賲丨賴 丨賵賱 賲賵賯毓賴 丕賱噩睾乇丕賮賷 賵丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺賷 賵禺氐賵氐丕賸 賱賳丕 賳丨賳 丕賴賱 丕賱賲賳胤賯丞 丕賱賮丕賯丿賽 丕賱賴賵賷丞.
March 20, 2016
I don't want to dwell too long on this book. I was looking for a good introduction to the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia and this came out on top. Initially it came across as a mixture of dry, informed yet also sprinkled with jewels of information that would keep one hooked but as it went on, I don't know, perhaps I grew used to the slightly dated academic style. In small doses (a chapter at a time) it was thoroughly approachable, and certainly very informative.
This isn't an easy topic to write about and it always amazes me how archeologists are able to piece together a history of times that are so old... we're talking at least 5000 years ago when we start! The great kings are stuff of legend. They're all here; Gilgamesh, Sargon, Hammurabi, Sennacherib, Ashurbanipal and Nebuchadnezzar. The great cities of antiquity; Ur, Akkad, Nimrud and Babylon. Dynasties rise and fall, some even rise again as waves of conquest, achievement and decline flow though this ancient and not too gentle land. And always, somehow running parallel, are the ghosts of more recent wars and destruction.
I finished this book very aware of what has been lost, what might still be there lying in the dust and sand awaiting discovery but also what has been wantonly destroyed by war and religious fanaticism... "What shall I do now? All my hardships/ have been for nothing.../was it for this that my hands have laboured,/ was it for this that I gave my heart's blood?" ("Gilgamesh" trans Stephen Mitchell).
This isn't an easy topic to write about and it always amazes me how archeologists are able to piece together a history of times that are so old... we're talking at least 5000 years ago when we start! The great kings are stuff of legend. They're all here; Gilgamesh, Sargon, Hammurabi, Sennacherib, Ashurbanipal and Nebuchadnezzar. The great cities of antiquity; Ur, Akkad, Nimrud and Babylon. Dynasties rise and fall, some even rise again as waves of conquest, achievement and decline flow though this ancient and not too gentle land. And always, somehow running parallel, are the ghosts of more recent wars and destruction.
I finished this book very aware of what has been lost, what might still be there lying in the dust and sand awaiting discovery but also what has been wantonly destroyed by war and religious fanaticism... "What shall I do now? All my hardships/ have been for nothing.../was it for this that my hands have laboured,/ was it for this that I gave my heart's blood?" ("Gilgamesh" trans Stephen Mitchell).
April 22, 2018
This is reminiscent of a few other older books that I've read on ancient Mesopotamia lately, and the pros and cons are pretty much the same. On the plus side, it provides an easy-to-read overview of the subject, which provides a decent introduction to further reading. On the down side, written in 1964, and even updated in 1992, it is rather outdated and it has to be kept in mind that plenty has been overturned by intervening discoveries.
August 23, 2015
Perhaps a bit outdated, but still an excellent and readable introduction to Ancient Mesopotamia.
September 26, 2019
The author is decent, overall, in terms of his ability to generate and hold the reader鈥檚 interest. The book does move at a good pace; the narrative keeps the reader engaged. The 鈥榖iggest weakness鈥� is that the author keeps 鈥榮kipping around鈥� as he writes. He will be writing about a specific time period and then suddenly start referencing some future event that may not happen for another hundred or more years. It gets a little confusing, because of how his sudden 鈥渢ime jumps鈥� disrupt the flow and the reader鈥檚 attention in the process. Or, he will stop where he is in his narrative and then create a 鈥榥ew section鈥� in which he backtracks a couple of hundred years or so to lay the groundwork for his next topic of conversation (usually the encroachment of some new people-group and how this group鈥檚 power/strength was built up to the point where it posed a threat to various Mesopotamian empires/kingdoms).
It is interesting, as he does not consider the Assyrians as forming an empire until 911 BC or so, which is when other scholars consider to the advent of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He considers any earlier 鈥榚mpires鈥� to be 鈥榤erely鈥� Assyrian kingdoms and not empires in their own right. I cannot decide if he is correct or not in this assessment of his; it is more his opinion, anyway, in that regard. I think he does make some reasonable postulations and theories as to why some events happened the way they did (such as how the Egyptians and Hittites, formerly the bitterest of enemies, became close friends and allies because of how the Assyrian 鈥渒ingdom鈥� was gaining in power and might, having taken advantage of the conflict between these two nations to expand its own influence at the expense of the former foes).
I read just over half of this book, using it as a source for a paper I was writing. I enjoyed his writing style enough, overall, I could see myself going back and finishing it at some point in time. He is engaging, interesting, and put forth some interesting ideas and interpretations I had not heard of or read about before in terms of the Assyrians. I think, after having read a good chunk of this book, why he considers the 鈥淥ld Period鈥� and 鈥淢iddle Period鈥� to be 鈥渏ust kingdoms鈥� and not 鈥渆mpires鈥� (it seemed like it had more to do with the size of the 鈥渒ingdom鈥� and how much influence it exerted over its neighbors; I think the ability to communicate and 鈥渞apid transportation鈥�, an improved infrastructure, had something to do with it as well). Overall, it was an interesting book and I enjoyed reading it and learning a bit more about the Assyrians.
It is interesting, as he does not consider the Assyrians as forming an empire until 911 BC or so, which is when other scholars consider to the advent of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He considers any earlier 鈥榚mpires鈥� to be 鈥榤erely鈥� Assyrian kingdoms and not empires in their own right. I cannot decide if he is correct or not in this assessment of his; it is more his opinion, anyway, in that regard. I think he does make some reasonable postulations and theories as to why some events happened the way they did (such as how the Egyptians and Hittites, formerly the bitterest of enemies, became close friends and allies because of how the Assyrian 鈥渒ingdom鈥� was gaining in power and might, having taken advantage of the conflict between these two nations to expand its own influence at the expense of the former foes).
I read just over half of this book, using it as a source for a paper I was writing. I enjoyed his writing style enough, overall, I could see myself going back and finishing it at some point in time. He is engaging, interesting, and put forth some interesting ideas and interpretations I had not heard of or read about before in terms of the Assyrians. I think, after having read a good chunk of this book, why he considers the 鈥淥ld Period鈥� and 鈥淢iddle Period鈥� to be 鈥渏ust kingdoms鈥� and not 鈥渆mpires鈥� (it seemed like it had more to do with the size of the 鈥渒ingdom鈥� and how much influence it exerted over its neighbors; I think the ability to communicate and 鈥渞apid transportation鈥�, an improved infrastructure, had something to do with it as well). Overall, it was an interesting book and I enjoyed reading it and learning a bit more about the Assyrians.
July 27, 2020
It's important to realize what this book is - it is a synthesis of a lot of history and archaeology. While the ostensible audience is the layman rather than the specialist, it is not nearly so much a work of popular history as might be implied. Still, I enjoyed the tracing of Mesopotamian culture from pre-historic times up through the fall of Babylon and decline of Mesopotamian culture. The book gives a lot of information about the epistemology of the whole thing, the inscriptions and artifacts that inform the story the author is telling. I find it refreshing, but it does make the work a bit denser than some may be looking for.
May 2, 2023
袩芯卸邪谢褍泄 褝褌邪 泻薪懈谐邪 褋邪屑邪褟 写械褌邪谢褜薪邪褟 懈 褉邪褋褋屑邪褌褉懈胁邪褞褖邪褟 薪邪懈斜芯谢褜褕懈泄 芯褌褉械蟹芯泻 胁褉械屑械薪懈 锌芯 袦械褋芯锌芯褌邪屑懈懈 - 芯褌 褉芯卸写械薪懈褟 写芯 蟹邪泻邪褌邪 楔褍屑械褉褋泻芯-袗泻泻邪写褋芯泄 褑懈胁懈谢懈蟹邪褑懈懈. 袩褉懈 褝褌芯屑 邪胁褌芯褉 写芯胁芯谢褜薪芯 褋泻械锌褌懈褔械褋泻懈 锌芯写褏芯写懈褌 泻 胁蟹谐谢褟写邪屑 写褉褍谐懈褏 懈褋褌芯褉懈泻芯胁, 屑械褋褌邪屑懈 芯斜褗褟褋薪褟械褌 褉邪蟹薪褘械 褌芯褔泻懈 蟹褉械薪懈褟, 屑械褋褌邪屑懈 写邪械褌 褋芯斜褋褌胁械薪薪褘械 锌褉械写锌芯谢芯卸械薪懈褟 薪械 胁锌邪写邪褟 胁 褎邪薪褌邪蟹懈懈 懈 懈蟹谢懈褕薪械械 写芯写褍屑褘胁邪薪懈械 懈褋褌芯褉懈懈. 袩芯 斜芯谢褜褕械泄 褔邪褋褌懈 褔懈褌邪械褌褋褟 谢械谐泻芯 懈 懈薪褌械褉械褋薪芯, 薪芯 谐写械-褌芯 锌芯褋谢械 褋械褉械写懈薪褘 褉械谐褍谢褟褉薪芯 胁褋褌褉械褔邪械褌褋褟 褋泻褍褔薪芯械 锌械褉械褔懈褋谢械薪懈械 懈屑械薪 懈 胁芯械薪.
May 14, 2023
Got 200 pages in and couldn't find it in me to carry on. I think the issue is that Roux doesn't know when to stop giving details that a reader doesn't really need. This is meant to be a general introduction to Mesopotamia for a casual reader, but ends up reading like a dry undergrad textbook. A real shame, as once you get through Roux's writing the content is actually fascinating. I think Paul Kriwaczek's Babylon is a much better starting place.
September 25, 2024
Un livre int茅ressant bien que lourd. Georges Roux fait ici une histoire de la M茅sopotamie de la pr茅histoire au Ier si猫cle apr猫s J.-C en se concentrant sur les divers 茅tats s'茅tant constitu茅s dans la r茅gion.
Ce dernier s'appuie sur de nombreuses sources arch茅ologiques pour tenter d'expliquer la religion des Sum茅riens, mais aussi la succession des diff茅rents empires dans l'art que les m茅sopotamiens ont laiss茅s derri猫re eux.
Ce dernier s'appuie sur de nombreuses sources arch茅ologiques pour tenter d'expliquer la religion des Sum茅riens, mais aussi la succession des diff茅rents empires dans l'art que les m茅sopotamiens ont laiss茅s derri猫re eux.
December 16, 2017
I found this an excellent review and analysis of the history of Mesopotamia from the its earliest beginnings to its final days. It was gripping and well told. Moreover, it's perfectly accessible to the non-specialist. I found it superior on every level to the previous book on Mesopotamia that I read (and also rated here in goodreads).
February 2, 2020
Ancient Iraq is a fascinating, well-paced and accessible introduction to Assyriology. The book succeeds not only in its depiction of the glitz and glamour of the Ancient Mesopotamian palaces and temples, but also in its depiction of the mundane, day-to-day lives of the slaves, artisans and farmers of the day. The only drawback is the slightly odd translation job.
September 11, 2020
Je n'ai probablement pas pu appr茅cier cet ouvrage 脿 la hauteur de son immense apport arch茅ologique et de sa remarquable synthese historique sur les civilisations M茅sopotamiennes, car je n'y ai pas toujours trouv茅 ce que j'y cherchais. Les profanes en la mati猫re doivent probablement d茅marrer par un ouvrage moins fouill茅. Le r茅cit et l'analyse restent malgr茅 tout impressionnants et siderants.
February 10, 2021
Roux is compulsively readable and his "Ancient Iraq" is currently my favorite history of Mesopotamia. The introductory chapters, covering the prehistoric past of Iraq, were especially interesting, as were the detours into daily life (in a Sumerian city, in Hammurabi's Babylon), governmental operations (in Neo-Assyria), and cultural achievements (of the Chaldean Neo-Babylonians).
December 31, 2022
The only frustrating thing about this book is the paucity of information that is known about certain things, people, and places of ancient Iraq. Clearly no fault of the author, Roux does a fantastic job piecing together what information we do have and the only place to go from here is a newer book that contains what has been unearthed since the 90s when my edition (the 3rd) was printed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.