Mesopotamia: The Invention of the CitySituated in an area roughly corresponding to present-day Iraq, Mesopotamia is one of the great, ancient civilizations, though it is still relatively unknown. Yet, over 7,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, the very first cities were created. This is the first book to reveal how life was lived in ten Mesopotamian cities: from Eridu, the Mesopotamian Eden, to that potent symbol of decadence, Babylon - the first true metropolis: multicultural, multi-ethnic, the last centre of a dying civilization. |
Common terms and phrases
administrative Akkad Akkadian Anatolia Ancient Near East Apsu archaeological architectural archives Ashur Ashurbanipal Assyrian Babylon became brick British Museum building built capital central centre century Charvát cult culture cuneiform deities divine Dynasty Eanna Early Dynastic period economic Ekur Elam élite empire Enki Enlil Eridu Esarhaddon especially Euphrates excavations female fourth millennium gagum goddess gods Hammurabi hymns ibid important Inanna Iraq Ishtar Isin Kassite king kingship Kish Koldewey Kuhrt Lagash land later London Lugalzagesi Marduk Mesopotamia Mesopotamian cities metres monumental mound mudbrick naditu names Naram-Sin Nebuchadrezzar Neo-Babylonian Nineveh Ninurta Nippur Nissen official Old Babylonian period palace Persian political population pottery region reign religious ritual royal inscriptions ruler sanctuary Sargon scribal scribes seals second millennium Sennacherib Shamash Shamshi-Addu Shuruppak Sippar southern Mesopotamia status structures Sumer Sumerian tablets temple texts third millennium Tigris tradition Ubaid Ur III urban Uruk period Warka women Woolley ziggurat