A Primer of Assyriology

A concise survey of Mesopotamian civilization that examines the geography, peoples, languages, and material resources of Babylonia and Assyria. It explains the archaeological discoveries and the methods used to decipher cuneiform inscriptions, then traces political development from independent city-states to larger imperial structures. Religious systems and ritual practice are analyzed, with attention to major deities, temple institutions, cosmology, and beliefs about the afterlife. Literary and scientific output is summarized, covering libraries, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, law, and epic traditions such as creation and flood narratives. Social and economic organization is described through contracts, family law, taxation, slavery, and bureaucracy, with appendices supplying measures and king lists.