men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

An accessible classic, 02 May 2008
Having gone through the state education system, I came out of school completely uneducated about things like history and classic literature and I've been trying to rectify this omission for many years. This has resulted in me reading a lot of the classics line, and something I've realised is what hard work many of them are. As times change, so do writing styles and ideas of what makes a narrative work, and to the modern reader many books written hundreds of years past can be a challenging read.
This is why Josephus is such a pleasure. For all that we are separated from him by almost two thousand years, his humanity shines through. His history of the Jewish war against the Romans in the late 1st century AD is very much a history of his own activities therein, and what an unashamedly self-serving document it is. Originally a regional commander in the rebellious jewish army, Josephus wrote his history after his capture by the Romans and defection to their side (he became a Roman citizen and a courtier to more than one emperor). By turns witty, outrageously immodest and deceitful, Josephus wrote a hagiography of himself and his roman patrons and a tremendously enjoyable read it is too. By humanising his narrative, he also succeeds in making it accessible.

We have so few records of the ancient world it is impossible to be absolutely certain how accurate any given historical document is. However, as well as being enjoyable, the archaelogical and historical record suggests that when Josephus talks about the facts of the war (who won and fought who, where and when) he can be trusted in the broad sweep if not in the details.
It's a fascinating and human insight into the ancient world which shows that people, wherever and whenever they lived, are just as human - and as worried about their reputations - as are we.

Good translation, but referencing could be improved, 01 May 2004
As a translation of classical literature, the Penguin edition serves as a useful companion to any student of Josephus, or of the period of Roman control over Israel in the first pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries. It is the cheaper alternative to the expensive Loeb translation.

However, since most scholarship tends to use the Loeb referencing system, it would be useful if the Penguin edition has better cross-refencing with this system. This would make it far easier for the student to find the approriate passage in the Penguin, given a Loeb citation.

men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

An accessible classic, 02 May 2008
Having gone through the state education system, I came out of school completely uneducated about things like history and classic literature and I've been trying to rectify this omission for many years. This has resulted in me reading a lot of the classics line, and something I've realised is what hard work many of them are. As times change, so do writing styles and ideas of what makes a narrative work, and to the modern reader many books written hundreds of years past can be a challenging read.
This is why Josephus is such a pleasure. For all that we are separated from him by almost two thousand years, his humanity shines through. His history of the Jewish war against the Romans in the late 1st century AD is very much a history of his own activities therein, and what an unashamedly self-serving document it is. Originally a regional commander in the rebellious jewish army, Josephus wrote his history after his capture by the Romans and defection to their side (he became a Roman citizen and a courtier to more than one emperor). By turns witty, outrageously immodest and deceitful, Josephus wrote a hagiography of himself and his roman patrons and a tremendously enjoyable read it is too. By humanising his narrative, he also succeeds in making it accessible.

We have so few records of the ancient world it is impossible to be absolutely certain how accurate any given historical document is. However, as well as being enjoyable, the archaelogical and historical record suggests that when Josephus talks about the facts of the war (who won and fought who, where and when) he can be trusted in the broad sweep if not in the details.
It's a fascinating and human insight into the ancient world which shows that people, wherever and whenever they lived, are just as human - and as worried about their reputations - as are we.

Good translation, but referencing could be improved, 01 May 2004
As a translation of classical literature, the Penguin edition serves as a useful companion to any student of Josephus, or of the period of Roman control over Israel in the first pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries. It is the cheaper alternative to the expensive Loeb translation.

However, since most scholarship tends to use the Loeb referencing system, it would be useful if the Penguin edition has better cross-refencing with this system. This would make it far easier for the student to find the approriate passage in the Penguin, given a Loeb citation.

Scholarly but accessible, 09 Oct 2005
Now in its 3rd edition, Ancient Iraq remains the most complete and readable overview of the history of this cradle of civilization. Interestingly, the word Iraq comes from the name of the Sumerian city state Uruk. There is now a village called Warka near the ruins of the ancient city.

The introductory chapters explore the geographical setting, archaeological research and the paleo-, meso- and neolithic periods. Following on, the author discusses the Hassuna, Samarra, Halat, Ubaid, Uruk and Jemdat timeframes, and the ancient trade routes.

Next up is the Sumerian civilization, with a study of its origin, religion, history and mythology. The story of Gilgamesh is covered here. There was a Semitic interlude and a final Sumerian renaissance before the torch of history passed to the Semites in the form of the Akkadians and later the Assyrians and Babylonians. The statesman and lawgiver Hammurabbi is thoroughly dealt with.

But other peoples played a part too, like the Hurrians, Mitannians and Kassites. Insofar as they impacted upon the history of the area, empires like the Hittite and the Egyptian are also considered. There are detailed narratives on the Assyrian empire, the Chaldean kings and the fall of Nineveh and later of Babylon. After this event, Mesopotamia ceased to be a seat of empire and passed from the Persians to the Greeks, the Parthians, the Sassanids and ultimately to the Arabs.

In the Epilogue, we learn of the heritage of this civilization, such as enduring religious symbols like the Maltese cross, the tree of life an the crescent. Some words have come down to us, like "alcohol" (guhlu in Akkadian), "myrrh" (murru) and "naphta" (naptu), "abyss" (abzu in Sumerian). Some Sumerian words still live in Hebrew, like Egal (great house) = Heikal = Temple and the personal name Eitan (Etana).

The book contains plates with photographs and illustrations, and concludes with bibliographic notes, comparative history tables, various interesting maps and indices of names and subjects. For those interested in the paleolithic origins of civilization, I recommend Lost Civilizations Of The Stone Age by Richard Rudgley. If you have a taste for alternative history, the book Ramses II And His Time by Immanuel Velikovsky has much to say about Babylon and the Chaldeans. And finally, Empires Of The Word: A Language History Of The World by Nicholas Ostler, deals extensively with ancient Mesopotamia, its languages, culture and empires.

Excellent book, 'heavy' and academic too!!, 25 Jun 2005
This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to really understand the very beginnings of settled culture and civilisations. It is a serious and academic book, but the author Georges Roux is also interested in putting across heavy and well-researched material to 'lay' people as well as more learned academics.

I am personally obsessed with early civilisations and the more I read and understand, the more I am held in awe by our ancestors. This book is a great introduction to what can be a veritable wealth and minefield of information, and is also something that would give people a taste for other branches of ancient history, such as the study of other ancient cultures, archaeology, the trade and 'intercourse' between great and ancient civilisations, and so on. All in all, a very good book!

A Comprehensive Read, 10 Feb 2004
After reading many general histories of Mesopotamia, I found George Roux's Ancient Iraq the most useful and comprehensive. Rather than give an overall view of everyday life in the region (letters, city plans and religion), Roux chooses to concentrate on the spread of cultural influences, and importantly, the military victories and defeats of the kings and rulers of the city states. This may sound like a heavy read, but Roux throws in some humour ('Gungunnum', a king who Roux points out sounds like the sound of a beating battle drum). Politics is the key word here, and Roux does a superb job. Read it like a novel, and get ready for the rise and fall of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Even the Assyrian conquest of Egypt gets a mention. If you are after a lighter read try Gwendolyn Leick's 'Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City'.
Overall you will not find a book quite as removed from the rest than you will this one.

Informed, easy to read - the best general account, 10 Mar 2001
Georges Roux, who died recently at a good old age, was a remarkable man. He was an Anglophile French doctor who worked in Iraq many years ago for an international oil company. While in Iraq and later, he was fascinated by the epic history of the Mesopotamian civilizations that succeeded one another over three thousand years. As a non-specialist, he appreciates the difficulties of the ordinary reader when confronted with a subject whose ancient history, languages, literature and archaeology are all difficult, specialist fields. He wrote the book for Penguin Books in English from the outset, and since it sold very well Penguin came back to him for revised editions. He had a great range of contacts, and his revisions were first-class. The last revised edition is up to date to the time of the Gulf War, since when there has been no further archaeological work in Iraq. I read this book when it first came out. I teach the subject at university level, and I have always recommended it as an excellent and thorough introduction. It reads very well, and contains a wealth of information that is put over with great clarity. People to whom I have recommended it have come back and told me how good a book they think it is.

men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

An accessible classic, 02 May 2008
Having gone through the state education system, I came out of school completely uneducated about things like history and classic literature and I've been trying to rectify this omission for many years. This has resulted in me reading a lot of the classics line, and something I've realised is what hard work many of them are. As times change, so do writing styles and ideas of what makes a narrative work, and to the modern reader many books written hundreds of years past can be a challenging read.
This is why Josephus is such a pleasure. For all that we are separated from him by almost two thousand years, his humanity shines through. His history of the Jewish war against the Romans in the late 1st century AD is very much a history of his own activities therein, and what an unashamedly self-serving document it is. Originally a regional commander in the rebellious jewish army, Josephus wrote his history after his capture by the Romans and defection to their side (he became a Roman citizen and a courtier to more than one emperor). By turns witty, outrageously immodest and deceitful, Josephus wrote a hagiography of himself and his roman patrons and a tremendously enjoyable read it is too. By humanising his narrative, he also succeeds in making it accessible.

We have so few records of the ancient world it is impossible to be absolutely certain how accurate any given historical document is. However, as well as being enjoyable, the archaelogical and historical record suggests that when Josephus talks about the facts of the war (who won and fought who, where and when) he can be trusted in the broad sweep if not in the details.
It's a fascinating and human insight into the ancient world which shows that people, wherever and whenever they lived, are just as human - and as worried about their reputations - as are we.

Good translation, but referencing could be improved, 01 May 2004
As a translation of classical literature, the Penguin edition serves as a useful companion to any student of Josephus, or of the period of Roman control over Israel in the first pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries. It is the cheaper alternative to the expensive Loeb translation.

However, since most scholarship tends to use the Loeb referencing system, it would be useful if the Penguin edition has better cross-refencing with this system. This would make it far easier for the student to find the approriate passage in the Penguin, given a Loeb citation.

Scholarly but accessible, 09 Oct 2005
Now in its 3rd edition, Ancient Iraq remains the most complete and readable overview of the history of this cradle of civilization. Interestingly, the word Iraq comes from the name of the Sumerian city state Uruk. There is now a village called Warka near the ruins of the ancient city.

The introductory chapters explore the geographical setting, archaeological research and the paleo-, meso- and neolithic periods. Following on, the author discusses the Hassuna, Samarra, Halat, Ubaid, Uruk and Jemdat timeframes, and the ancient trade routes.

Next up is the Sumerian civilization, with a study of its origin, religion, history and mythology. The story of Gilgamesh is covered here. There was a Semitic interlude and a final Sumerian renaissance before the torch of history passed to the Semites in the form of the Akkadians and later the Assyrians and Babylonians. The statesman and lawgiver Hammurabbi is thoroughly dealt with.

But other peoples played a part too, like the Hurrians, Mitannians and Kassites. Insofar as they impacted upon the history of the area, empires like the Hittite and the Egyptian are also considered. There are detailed narratives on the Assyrian empire, the Chaldean kings and the fall of Nineveh and later of Babylon. After this event, Mesopotamia ceased to be a seat of empire and passed from the Persians to the Greeks, the Parthians, the Sassanids and ultimately to the Arabs.

In the Epilogue, we learn of the heritage of this civilization, such as enduring religious symbols like the Maltese cross, the tree of life an the crescent. Some words have come down to us, like "alcohol" (guhlu in Akkadian), "myrrh" (murru) and "naphta" (naptu), "abyss" (abzu in Sumerian). Some Sumerian words still live in Hebrew, like Egal (great house) = Heikal = Temple and the personal name Eitan (Etana).

The book contains plates with photographs and illustrations, and concludes with bibliographic notes, comparative history tables, various interesting maps and indices of names and subjects. For those interested in the paleolithic origins of civilization, I recommend Lost Civilizations Of The Stone Age by Richard Rudgley. If you have a taste for alternative history, the book Ramses II And His Time by Immanuel Velikovsky has much to say about Babylon and the Chaldeans. And finally, Empires Of The Word: A Language History Of The World by Nicholas Ostler, deals extensively with ancient Mesopotamia, its languages, culture and empires.

Excellent book, 'heavy' and academic too!!, 25 Jun 2005
This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to really understand the very beginnings of settled culture and civilisations. It is a serious and academic book, but the author Georges Roux is also interested in putting across heavy and well-researched material to 'lay' people as well as more learned academics.

I am personally obsessed with early civilisations and the more I read and understand, the more I am held in awe by our ancestors. This book is a great introduction to what can be a veritable wealth and minefield of information, and is also something that would give people a taste for other branches of ancient history, such as the study of other ancient cultures, archaeology, the trade and 'intercourse' between great and ancient civilisations, and so on. All in all, a very good book!

A Comprehensive Read, 10 Feb 2004
After reading many general histories of Mesopotamia, I found George Roux's Ancient Iraq the most useful and comprehensive. Rather than give an overall view of everyday life in the region (letters, city plans and religion), Roux chooses to concentrate on the spread of cultural influences, and importantly, the military victories and defeats of the kings and rulers of the city states. This may sound like a heavy read, but Roux throws in some humour ('Gungunnum', a king who Roux points out sounds like the sound of a beating battle drum). Politics is the key word here, and Roux does a superb job. Read it like a novel, and get ready for the rise and fall of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Even the Assyrian conquest of Egypt gets a mention. If you are after a lighter read try Gwendolyn Leick's 'Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City'.
Overall you will not find a book quite as removed from the rest than you will this one.

Informed, easy to read - the best general account, 10 Mar 2001
Georges Roux, who died recently at a good old age, was a remarkable man. He was an Anglophile French doctor who worked in Iraq many years ago for an international oil company. While in Iraq and later, he was fascinated by the epic history of the Mesopotamian civilizations that succeeded one another over three thousand years. As a non-specialist, he appreciates the difficulties of the ordinary reader when confronted with a subject whose ancient history, languages, literature and archaeology are all difficult, specialist fields. He wrote the book for Penguin Books in English from the outset, and since it sold very well Penguin came back to him for revised editions. He had a great range of contacts, and his revisions were first-class. The last revised edition is up to date to the time of the Gulf War, since when there has been no further archaeological work in Iraq. I read this book when it first came out. I teach the subject at university level, and I have always recommended it as an excellent and thorough introduction. It reads very well, and contains a wealth of information that is put over with great clarity. People to whom I have recommended it have come back and told me how good a book they think it is.

Long overdue account of an important campaign, 20 Apr 2006
At long last, a single volume account of the fascinating campaign in Mesopotamia. For many years, the only really good work on Mespot was A. J. Barker's masterly "The Neglected War", published by Faber and Faber in 1967. It still stands up to examination today, but is terribly hard to find. Other than that, there is only the Official History and a number of memoirs: the short bibliography in this new book is testament to the lack of coverage of the campaign.

I've often wondered why the Mespot camapign is so badly covered in literature terms. No Boy's Own tales of landings, bungled and heroic attacks and meticulous withdrawal at as Gallipoli? A force mainly comprised of Indian army units? I don't know. It certainly deserves more attention - as it did at the time, for lack of attention at the highest levels was a significant aspect of its costly nature. So Ron Wilcox's "Battles on the Tigris" is especially welcome.

This book covers the campaign at a high level, seldom delving down to unit level or individuals, but covers the ground extremely well. Ron provides us with an account of the early landings aimed at securing British oil interests in the Basra region; the optimistic and foolhardy advance up the river to Baghdad and defeat at Ctesiphon; the siege and ultimate ignominy of the surrender of Kut; the costly effort to relieve the Kut garrison and the build up of sufficiently strong and organised forces that eventually did capture Baghdad and then fought a mobile war in the north. That's all standard "Mespot" stuff and in itself would have provided a good account. But he also blends into it the complex stories of what was happening in nearby Persia, intrigues with spies and the local arab factions. The latter parts of the book deal with the "Dunsterforce" foray into the Caucasus and the difficult political aftermath of the war. The book is well written and as a simple to digest work on the campaign, I rate it highly.

There is a small selection of photographs - in the main, portaits of the key players - and, much more importantly and impressively, an excellent set of maps woven into the text. Ron also provides a useful order of battle.

Taken in the round, well worthy of your money and a good read and reference.

men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

An accessible classic, 02 May 2008
Having gone through the state education system, I came out of school completely uneducated about things like history and classic literature and I've been trying to rectify this omission for many years. This has resulted in me reading a lot of the classics line, and something I've realised is what hard work many of them are. As times change, so do writing styles and ideas of what makes a narrative work, and to the modern reader many books written hundreds of years past can be a challenging read.
This is why Josephus is such a pleasure. For all that we are separated from him by almost two thousand years, his humanity shines through. His history of the Jewish war against the Romans in the late 1st century AD is very much a history of his own activities therein, and what an unashamedly self-serving document it is. Originally a regional commander in the rebellious jewish army, Josephus wrote his history after his capture by the Romans and defection to their side (he became a Roman citizen and a courtier to more than one emperor). By turns witty, outrageously immodest and deceitful, Josephus wrote a hagiography of himself and his roman patrons and a tremendously enjoyable read it is too. By humanising his narrative, he also succeeds in making it accessible.

We have so few records of the ancient world it is impossible to be absolutely certain how accurate any given historical document is. However, as well as being enjoyable, the archaelogical and historical record suggests that when Josephus talks about the facts of the war (who won and fought who, where and when) he can be trusted in the broad sweep if not in the details.
It's a fascinating and human insight into the ancient world which shows that people, wherever and whenever they lived, are just as human - and as worried about their reputations - as are we.

Good translation, but referencing could be improved, 01 May 2004
As a translation of classical literature, the Penguin edition serves as a useful companion to any student of Josephus, or of the period of Roman control over Israel in the first pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries. It is the cheaper alternative to the expensive Loeb translation.

However, since most scholarship tends to use the Loeb referencing system, it would be useful if the Penguin edition has better cross-refencing with this system. This would make it far easier for the student to find the approriate passage in the Penguin, given a Loeb citation.

Scholarly but accessible, 09 Oct 2005
Now in its 3rd edition, Ancient Iraq remains the most complete and readable overview of the history of this cradle of civilization. Interestingly, the word Iraq comes from the name of the Sumerian city state Uruk. There is now a village called Warka near the ruins of the ancient city.

The introductory chapters explore the geographical setting, archaeological research and the paleo-, meso- and neolithic periods. Following on, the author discusses the Hassuna, Samarra, Halat, Ubaid, Uruk and Jemdat timeframes, and the ancient trade routes.

Next up is the Sumerian civilization, with a study of its origin, religion, history and mythology. The story of Gilgamesh is covered here. There was a Semitic interlude and a final Sumerian renaissance before the torch of history passed to the Semites in the form of the Akkadians and later the Assyrians and Babylonians. The statesman and lawgiver Hammurabbi is thoroughly dealt with.

But other peoples played a part too, like the Hurrians, Mitannians and Kassites. Insofar as they impacted upon the history of the area, empires like the Hittite and the Egyptian are also considered. There are detailed narratives on the Assyrian empire, the Chaldean kings and the fall of Nineveh and later of Babylon. After this event, Mesopotamia ceased to be a seat of empire and passed from the Persians to the Greeks, the Parthians, the Sassanids and ultimately to the Arabs.

In the Epilogue, we learn of the heritage of this civilization, such as enduring religious symbols like the Maltese cross, the tree of life an the crescent. Some words have come down to us, like "alcohol" (guhlu in Akkadian), "myrrh" (murru) and "naphta" (naptu), "abyss" (abzu in Sumerian). Some Sumerian words still live in Hebrew, like Egal (great house) = Heikal = Temple and the personal name Eitan (Etana).

The book contains plates with photographs and illustrations, and concludes with bibliographic notes, comparative history tables, various interesting maps and indices of names and subjects. For those interested in the paleolithic origins of civilization, I recommend Lost Civilizations Of The Stone Age by Richard Rudgley. If you have a taste for alternative history, the book Ramses II And His Time by Immanuel Velikovsky has much to say about Babylon and the Chaldeans. And finally, Empires Of The Word: A Language History Of The World by Nicholas Ostler, deals extensively with ancient Mesopotamia, its languages, culture and empires.

Excellent book, 'heavy' and academic too!!, 25 Jun 2005
This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to really understand the very beginnings of settled culture and civilisations. It is a serious and academic book, but the author Georges Roux is also interested in putting across heavy and well-researched material to 'lay' people as well as more learned academics.

I am personally obsessed with early civilisations and the more I read and understand, the more I am held in awe by our ancestors. This book is a great introduction to what can be a veritable wealth and minefield of information, and is also something that would give people a taste for other branches of ancient history, such as the study of other ancient cultures, archaeology, the trade and 'intercourse' between great and ancient civilisations, and so on. All in all, a very good book!

A Comprehensive Read, 10 Feb 2004
After reading many general histories of Mesopotamia, I found George Roux's Ancient Iraq the most useful and comprehensive. Rather than give an overall view of everyday life in the region (letters, city plans and religion), Roux chooses to concentrate on the spread of cultural influences, and importantly, the military victories and defeats of the kings and rulers of the city states. This may sound like a heavy read, but Roux throws in some humour ('Gungunnum', a king who Roux points out sounds like the sound of a beating battle drum). Politics is the key word here, and Roux does a superb job. Read it like a novel, and get ready for the rise and fall of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Even the Assyrian conquest of Egypt gets a mention. If you are after a lighter read try Gwendolyn Leick's 'Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City'.
Overall you will not find a book quite as removed from the rest than you will this one.

Informed, easy to read - the best general account, 10 Mar 2001
Georges Roux, who died recently at a good old age, was a remarkable man. He was an Anglophile French doctor who worked in Iraq many years ago for an international oil company. While in Iraq and later, he was fascinated by the epic history of the Mesopotamian civilizations that succeeded one another over three thousand years. As a non-specialist, he appreciates the difficulties of the ordinary reader when confronted with a subject whose ancient history, languages, literature and archaeology are all difficult, specialist fields. He wrote the book for Penguin Books in English from the outset, and since it sold very well Penguin came back to him for revised editions. He had a great range of contacts, and his revisions were first-class. The last revised edition is up to date to the time of the Gulf War, since when there has been no further archaeological work in Iraq. I read this book when it first came out. I teach the subject at university level, and I have always recommended it as an excellent and thorough introduction. It reads very well, and contains a wealth of information that is put over with great clarity. People to whom I have recommended it have come back and told me how good a book they think it is.

Long overdue account of an important campaign, 20 Apr 2006
At long last, a single volume account of the fascinating campaign in Mesopotamia. For many years, the only really good work on Mespot was A. J. Barker's masterly "The Neglected War", published by Faber and Faber in 1967. It still stands up to examination today, but is terribly hard to find. Other than that, there is only the Official History and a number of memoirs: the short bibliography in this new book is testament to the lack of coverage of the campaign.

I've often wondered why the Mespot camapign is so badly covered in literature terms. No Boy's Own tales of landings, bungled and heroic attacks and meticulous withdrawal at as Gallipoli? A force mainly comprised of Indian army units? I don't know. It certainly deserves more attention - as it did at the time, for lack of attention at the highest levels was a significant aspect of its costly nature. So Ron Wilcox's "Battles on the Tigris" is especially welcome.

This book covers the campaign at a high level, seldom delving down to unit level or individuals, but covers the ground extremely well. Ron provides us with an account of the early landings aimed at securing British oil interests in the Basra region; the optimistic and foolhardy advance up the river to Baghdad and defeat at Ctesiphon; the siege and ultimate ignominy of the surrender of Kut; the costly effort to relieve the Kut garrison and the build up of sufficiently strong and organised forces that eventually did capture Baghdad and then fought a mobile war in the north. That's all standard "Mespot" stuff and in itself would have provided a good account. But he also blends into it the complex stories of what was happening in nearby Persia, intrigues with spies and the local arab factions. The latter parts of the book deal with the "Dunsterforce" foray into the Caucasus and the difficult political aftermath of the war. The book is well written and as a simple to digest work on the campaign, I rate it highly.

There is a small selection of photographs - in the main, portaits of the key players - and, much more importantly and impressively, an excellent set of maps woven into the text. Ron also provides a useful order of battle.

Taken in the round, well worthy of your money and a good read and reference.




A great epic, who needs SciFi and Fantasy?, 13 Jun 2006
I keep encouraging younger readers to embrace the classics and the Anabasis or Persian expedition is the first recommendation, that I make. An epic yarn that has crossed the ages to the most unlikely places (Consider that Xenophon's Persian Expedition was the inspiration for the 1970s film "The Warriors").
Who needs Sci-Fi and Fantasy when real history produces such heroic epics.
Inspiring but more importantly accessible ...which begs the question why more don't access it.

Fascinating True Ancient Events, 07 Sep 2005
Occasionally the language can be a bit turgid and it is'nt edge of the seat stuff all the way through. However, considering exactly how long ago these events took place, the clarity and detail are really impressive. You get battles, scheming, politics and some amazing feats of human endurance but above all these are real events...

Relevant today!, 27 May 2004
I enjoyed this book both as a serious historical account of a significant event in ancient history and as a rip-roaring boys-own annual type of adventure.
Xenophons account of the fighting return of the ten thousand Greek mercenaries, from the heart of the Persian Empire back to Greece, gripped the imagination of his Greek peers and added to the growing rumblings in the Greek agoras that Persia was ripe for invasion. This culminated with Alexanders famous conquests.
In military terms, the Greeks ability to change tactics in the face of constantly differing challenges, (from formal enemy armies to highly effective guerilla tactics), together with the obvious Greek discipline and camaraderie, could stand in army manuals today.

Page-turner, 31 Dec 2003
Nail-biting account of how a defeated army of Greek mercenaries, stranded deep in enemy territory, battled their way home through Persia and Kurdistan. Xenophon's account may be somewhat self-serving (and disconcertingly, he writes about himself in third person), but it's still plenty gripping. It's impossible not to cheer as the Greeks, lost and exhausted, top their umpteenth mountain crest and finally catch a glimpse of their salvation: "The sea! The sea!".

Xenophon is your basic military man, so he pretty much cuts to the chase. Rivers are to be forded, women are to be seized, and he doesn't have much time for poetical asides. Nevertheless he's a sharp observer of human character, in a practical sort of way; this is no dry historical document. The always surprisingly modern outlook of the Greeks comes through in every line, and passages of Xenophon's pep-talks could be taken out a management handbook:

"... there will be a great rise in their spirits if one can change the way they think, so that instead of having in their heads the one idea of "What is going to happen to me?", they may think "What action am I going to take?"."

The Penguin translation is clear and servicable, although the introduction is actually more difficult to follow than the story itself.

Very pleasurable, 08 Mar 2000
A very pleasurable introduction to classical literature. Easily the best work of Xenophon. I slogged through the _Hellenica_ and found this book wonderful in comparison.

It is crisp in language and easy to digest. The Warner translation comes across better than the Loeb translation.

Highly recommended

men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

An accessible classic, 02 May 2008
Having gone through the state education system, I came out of school completely uneducated about things like history and classic literature and I've been trying to rectify this omission for many years. This has resulted in me reading a lot of the classics line, and something I've realised is what hard work many of them are. As times change, so do writing styles and ideas of what makes a narrative work, and to the modern reader many books written hundreds of years past can be a challenging read.
This is why Josephus is such a pleasure. For all that we are separated from him by almost two thousand years, his humanity shines through. His history of the Jewish war against the Romans in the late 1st century AD is very much a history of his own activities therein, and what an unashamedly self-serving document it is. Originally a regional commander in the rebellious jewish army, Josephus wrote his history after his capture by the Romans and defection to their side (he became a Roman citizen and a courtier to more than one emperor). By turns witty, outrageously immodest and deceitful, Josephus wrote a hagiography of himself and his roman patrons and a tremendously enjoyable read it is too. By humanising his narrative, he also succeeds in making it accessible.

We have so few records of the ancient world it is impossible to be absolutely certain how accurate any given historical document is. However, as well as being enjoyable, the archaelogical and historical record suggests that when Josephus talks about the facts of the war (who won and fought who, where and when) he can be trusted in the broad sweep if not in the details.
It's a fascinating and human insight into the ancient world which shows that people, wherever and whenever they lived, are just as human - and as worried about their reputations - as are we.

Good translation, but referencing could be improved, 01 May 2004
As a translation of classical literature, the Penguin edition serves as a useful companion to any student of Josephus, or of the period of Roman control over Israel in the first pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries. It is the cheaper alternative to the expensive Loeb translation.

However, since most scholarship tends to use the Loeb referencing system, it would be useful if the Penguin edition has better cross-refencing with this system. This would make it far easier for the student to find the approriate passage in the Penguin, given a Loeb citation.

Scholarly but accessible, 09 Oct 2005
Now in its 3rd edition, Ancient Iraq remains the most complete and readable overview of the history of this cradle of civilization. Interestingly, the word Iraq comes from the name of the Sumerian city state Uruk. There is now a village called Warka near the ruins of the ancient city.

The introductory chapters explore the geographical setting, archaeological research and the paleo-, meso- and neolithic periods. Following on, the author discusses the Hassuna, Samarra, Halat, Ubaid, Uruk and Jemdat timeframes, and the ancient trade routes.

Next up is the Sumerian civilization, with a study of its origin, religion, history and mythology. The story of Gilgamesh is covered here. There was a Semitic interlude and a final Sumerian renaissance before the torch of history passed to the Semites in the form of the Akkadians and later the Assyrians and Babylonians. The statesman and lawgiver Hammurabbi is thoroughly dealt with.

But other peoples played a part too, like the Hurrians, Mitannians and Kassites. Insofar as they impacted upon the history of the area, empires like the Hittite and the Egyptian are also considered. There are detailed narratives on the Assyrian empire, the Chaldean kings and the fall of Nineveh and later of Babylon. After this event, Mesopotamia ceased to be a seat of empire and passed from the Persians to the Greeks, the Parthians, the Sassanids and ultimately to the Arabs.

In the Epilogue, we learn of the heritage of this civilization, such as enduring religious symbols like the Maltese cross, the tree of life an the crescent. Some words have come down to us, like "alcohol" (guhlu in Akkadian), "myrrh" (murru) and "naphta" (naptu), "abyss" (abzu in Sumerian). Some Sumerian words still live in Hebrew, like Egal (great house) = Heikal = Temple and the personal name Eitan (Etana).

The book contains plates with photographs and illustrations, and concludes with bibliographic notes, comparative history tables, various interesting maps and indices of names and subjects. For those interested in the paleolithic origins of civilization, I recommend Lost Civilizations Of The Stone Age by Richard Rudgley. If you have a taste for alternative history, the book Ramses II And His Time by Immanuel Velikovsky has much to say about Babylon and the Chaldeans. And finally, Empires Of The Word: A Language History Of The World by Nicholas Ostler, deals extensively with ancient Mesopotamia, its languages, culture and empires.

Excellent book, 'heavy' and academic too!!, 25 Jun 2005
This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to really understand the very beginnings of settled culture and civilisations. It is a serious and academic book, but the author Georges Roux is also interested in putting across heavy and well-researched material to 'lay' people as well as more learned academics.

I am personally obsessed with early civilisations and the more I read and understand, the more I am held in awe by our ancestors. This book is a great introduction to what can be a veritable wealth and minefield of information, and is also something that would give people a taste for other branches of ancient history, such as the study of other ancient cultures, archaeology, the trade and 'intercourse' between great and ancient civilisations, and so on. All in all, a very good book!

A Comprehensive Read, 10 Feb 2004
After reading many general histories of Mesopotamia, I found George Roux's Ancient Iraq the most useful and comprehensive. Rather than give an overall view of everyday life in the region (letters, city plans and religion), Roux chooses to concentrate on the spread of cultural influences, and importantly, the military victories and defeats of the kings and rulers of the city states. This may sound like a heavy read, but Roux throws in some humour ('Gungunnum', a king who Roux points out sounds like the sound of a beating battle drum). Politics is the key word here, and Roux does a superb job. Read it like a novel, and get ready for the rise and fall of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Even the Assyrian conquest of Egypt gets a mention. If you are after a lighter read try Gwendolyn Leick's 'Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City'.
Overall you will not find a book quite as removed from the rest than you will this one.

Informed, easy to read - the best general account, 10 Mar 2001
Georges Roux, who died recently at a good old age, was a remarkable man. He was an Anglophile French doctor who worked in Iraq many years ago for an international oil company. While in Iraq and later, he was fascinated by the epic history of the Mesopotamian civilizations that succeeded one another over three thousand years. As a non-specialist, he appreciates the difficulties of the ordinary reader when confronted with a subject whose ancient history, languages, literature and archaeology are all difficult, specialist fields. He wrote the book for Penguin Books in English from the outset, and since it sold very well Penguin came back to him for revised editions. He had a great range of contacts, and his revisions were first-class. The last revised edition is up to date to the time of the Gulf War, since when there has been no further archaeological work in Iraq. I read this book when it first came out. I teach the subject at university level, and I have always recommended it as an excellent and thorough introduction. It reads very well, and contains a wealth of information that is put over with great clarity. People to whom I have recommended it have come back and told me how good a book they think it is.

Long overdue account of an important campaign, 20 Apr 2006
At long last, a single volume account of the fascinating campaign in Mesopotamia. For many years, the only really good work on Mespot was A. J. Barker's masterly "The Neglected War", published by Faber and Faber in 1967. It still stands up to examination today, but is terribly hard to find. Other than that, there is only the Official History and a number of memoirs: the short bibliography in this new book is testament to the lack of coverage of the campaign.

I've often wondered why the Mespot camapign is so badly covered in literature terms. No Boy's Own tales of landings, bungled and heroic attacks and meticulous withdrawal at as Gallipoli? A force mainly comprised of Indian army units? I don't know. It certainly deserves more attention - as it did at the time, for lack of attention at the highest levels was a significant aspect of its costly nature. So Ron Wilcox's "Battles on the Tigris" is especially welcome.

This book covers the campaign at a high level, seldom delving down to unit level or individuals, but covers the ground extremely well. Ron provides us with an account of the early landings aimed at securing British oil interests in the Basra region; the optimistic and foolhardy advance up the river to Baghdad and defeat at Ctesiphon; the siege and ultimate ignominy of the surrender of Kut; the costly effort to relieve the Kut garrison and the build up of sufficiently strong and organised forces that eventually did capture Baghdad and then fought a mobile war in the north. That's all standard "Mespot" stuff and in itself would have provided a good account. But he also blends into it the complex stories of what was happening in nearby Persia, intrigues with spies and the local arab factions. The latter parts of the book deal with the "Dunsterforce" foray into the Caucasus and the difficult political aftermath of the war. The book is well written and as a simple to digest work on the campaign, I rate it highly.

There is a small selection of photographs - in the main, portaits of the key players - and, much more importantly and impressively, an excellent set of maps woven into the text. Ron also provides a useful order of battle.

Taken in the round, well worthy of your money and a good read and reference.




A great epic, who needs SciFi and Fantasy?, 13 Jun 2006
I keep encouraging younger readers to embrace the classics and the Anabasis or Persian expedition is the first recommendation, that I make. An epic yarn that has crossed the ages to the most unlikely places (Consider that Xenophon's Persian Expedition was the inspiration for the 1970s film "The Warriors").
Who needs Sci-Fi and Fantasy when real history produces such heroic epics.
Inspiring but more importantly accessible ...which begs the question why more don't access it.

Fascinating True Ancient Events, 07 Sep 2005
Occasionally the language can be a bit turgid and it is'nt edge of the seat stuff all the way through. However, considering exactly how long ago these events took place, the clarity and detail are really impressive. You get battles, scheming, politics and some amazing feats of human endurance but above all these are real events...

Relevant today!, 27 May 2004
I enjoyed this book both as a serious historical account of a significant event in ancient history and as a rip-roaring boys-own annual type of adventure.
Xenophons account of the fighting return of the ten thousand Greek mercenaries, from the heart of the Persian Empire back to Greece, gripped the imagination of his Greek peers and added to the growing rumblings in the Greek agoras that Persia was ripe for invasion. This culminated with Alexanders famous conquests.
In military terms, the Greeks ability to change tactics in the face of constantly differing challenges, (from formal enemy armies to highly effective guerilla tactics), together with the obvious Greek discipline and camaraderie, could stand in army manuals today.

Page-turner, 31 Dec 2003
Nail-biting account of how a defeated army of Greek mercenaries, stranded deep in enemy territory, battled their way home through Persia and Kurdistan. Xenophon's account may be somewhat self-serving (and disconcertingly, he writes about himself in third person), but it's still plenty gripping. It's impossible not to cheer as the Greeks, lost and exhausted, top their umpteenth mountain crest and finally catch a glimpse of their salvation: "The sea! The sea!".

Xenophon is your basic military man, so he pretty much cuts to the chase. Rivers are to be forded, women are to be seized, and he doesn't have much time for poetical asides. Nevertheless he's a sharp observer of human character, in a practical sort of way; this is no dry historical document. The always surprisingly modern outlook of the Greeks comes through in every line, and passages of Xenophon's pep-talks could be taken out a management handbook:

"... there will be a great rise in their spirits if one can change the way they think, so that instead of having in their heads the one idea of "What is going to happen to me?", they may think "What action am I going to take?"."

The Penguin translation is clear and servicable, although the introduction is actually more difficult to follow than the story itself.

Very pleasurable, 08 Mar 2000
A very pleasurable introduction to classical literature. Easily the best work of Xenophon. I slogged through the _Hellenica_ and found this book wonderful in comparison.

It is crisp in language and easy to digest. The Warner translation comes across better than the Loeb translation.

Highly recommended

well written and not as stuffy as most, 08 Dec 2005
well researched and well written guide to the subject, although probably not one for the history virgin. Its quite a complex history, but she manages to cover it without the usual snotty tone so many Mesopotologists seem to aquire. Could have done with a few more maps on certain points, and some of the illustrations didnt seem to fit in with the text but id recommend it overall.

A walk through time and space: ancient cities in Mesopatamia, 21 Dec 2002
This book describes ten cities in ancient Mespotamia. From the oldest one, Eridu, to the best known one, Babylon. These are among the first cities ever built. The oldest settlement in Eridu dates from about 4900 BC. The Mesopotamians were pretty urbanized. By the 3d millenium BC a staggering 90% of the population of south Mesopotamia lived in cities. The subject matter of the book is quite fascinating. Some aspects of life there were similar to ours, other aspects are very different and exotic. Mesopotamians had schools, they could read and write, they read literature, they had a sense of history. The time scale of their lives were different from ours. They had textbooks, for example, which they used for centuries. Their civilization had an enormous continuity; it was certainly extremely conservative. Religion was very important for these people. They learned that the Gods created men as helpers to serve them by making sacrifices. Each city had a dominant god. Societies must have been rather stratified: there were leaders (Gods, kings, and priests) and followers, who had to obey. With often terrifying consequences if they didn't. This book has a fascinating story to tell, therefore. The author, Gwendolyn Leick, is a scientist. Her story is well-researched. She reminds us of the sources of our knowledge. Interwoven in the book is how recent scientists, both westerners and modern Irakese, excavated the cities. She explains what we know and what we don't know. For me the book raised my interests. It raised many questions, for which there is apparently no answer yet. It discusses very well the history of these cities, their religion, literature, and architecture. My one critique on the book is that it leaves the key question unanswered: how did the Mesopotamians indeed invent the city, as the subtititle of the book says? The book is structured in ten chapters, one for each city described. It has no conclusive chapter. It does not, for me at least, piece the elements of knowledge together to explain what it meant for these people to invent the city. How did the early Mesopotamians deal with hygiene in the city, and with crime and violence? Which facilities did their cities offer; did they have hotels for foreigners? Which inventions did they make, besides writing and the city itself, to make life bearable in a densely packed city? Throughout the chapters some details are indeed brought forward, but I would have liked an overview chapter. I also would have liked some more pictures or drawings of the remains of these cities.

An important contribution to Near Eastern history., 23 Oct 2001
Leick takes a city-based approach looking at Eridu, Uruk, Shuruppak, Akkad, Ur, Sippar, Nippur, Nineveh & Babylon. The approach is innovative but could be confusing for the non-specialist. Those new to the field would definitely benefit from reading Georges Roux's 'Ancient Iraq' first. There is plenty of well-informed anthropological and sociological theorisation e.g. Charvat's contention that the Ubaid may have been the last self-sufficient, non-hierarchic society and that the rise of social stratification was strongly correlated with the rise of the temple at Ubaid Eridu I.

Eridu seems to be almost unique in that even in the reign of Amar-Sin (c.2046-2038) there is no evidence to suggest that Eridu was anything other than a religious sanctuary - the gods were actually thought to dwell there and it clearly retained its symbolic connection with cosmological creation. Leick makes some fascinating comments about the meaning of 'a', the importance of water in divination and its connection with wisdom, the paradu fish and the nature of 'me'. Eridu clearly represents the creative potential of Enki, whilst later cities (usually strongly tied to Inanna / Ishtar) represent the realisation of that potential. But to me, Enki's presence in the Absu suggests some sort of yearning for the 'lost' Ubaid period.

Excavations at Uruk are currently suspended due to UN sanctions but a wealth of excavation must lie ahead. Virtually no Akkadian period excavation has taken place at Uruk even though the city was important right through until the rise of Islam. Uruk culture (3800-3200) seems to have occupied a geographical area well beyond the Mesopotamian core and cylinder seals appear to have been invented during Uruk VII (c.3600). There is computerised processing underway in Berlin to unlock the encoded messages on Uruk tablets. Using symbols may have been more flexible in a multi-ethnic society.

Idiosyncrasies in the architecture of Uruk's 2 centres (Eanna & Kullub) may point to ideological - or perhaps even theological differences. Leick doesn't take the next step of positing ethnic differences. For me, perhaps the most interesting aspect of Uruk civilisation is its most negative aspect. It seems to verge on the first dystopian society with non-conformity crushed as heavily as in Zamyatin's 'We' and, in an interesting parallel, shares the sexual attitudes of Huxley's 'Brave NewWorld'. Leick's perspective here breaks beyond the Judeo-Christian constraints in which most Near Eastern archaeological commentary has taken place.

Shuruppak, although little known, holds answers to the linguistically critical Fara period. A number of fundamental changes seem to have taken place including a sudden lack of cultural diversity and a strong differentiation of gender roles. Given Leick's theory about the strength of symbol over word in the ethnically-diverse Ubaid, the implications are clear. What is far less clear is whether we are talking about a clean break.

Akkad was the centre of the first supra-regional political entity in the Near East and yet we have yet to identify it! There is a secularisation of power beginning with Lugalzagesi who brought the Sumerian independent city states to an end. Sargon seems to be under constant reassessment to filter history from legend and even his name now seems a bone of contention. But, for me, it is his use of public art which puts him in the league of great empire-builders and dictators. The gradual collapse of the Akkadian Dynasty is well charted from the rebellions in the reigns of Naram-Sin and Shar-Kali-Sharri to the total loss of co-ordination that followed. There is also considerable discussion of the poetic record, 'The Curse of Akkad'.

Ur is, of course, famous for Woolley's 'Royal Graves', Pu-abi & Meskalamdug, the 'standard of Ur' (in reality the soundbox of an instrument) and the 'ram' in a thicket. (The section in the British Museum re-opened this year). Charvat suggests that other bodies may have been 'saved up' for the main burial and Leick reveals that recent evidence suggests the possibility of excarnation. Ur III was a centralised state brought about by the final defeat of the Gutian ruler, Tirigan by Utu-hegel and the latter's death. It was held together by an army of bureaucrats. So far, some 25,000 Ur III tablets have been translated with the largest volume, not from Ur itself, but from smaller administrative satellites such as Telloh and Puzrish-Dagan. Shulgi's reforms turned most sanctuaries into centres of economic production under central state control.

But to what extent was the collapse of Ur III associated with either the over-bureaucratic fiscal system or the arrival of immigrant Amorites ('Martu')? Leick seems to overlook Snell's (1997) comment that the Amorites were already there in the Akkad period. We know that the last Ur III king, Ibbi-Sin, was held to ransom by Ishbi-Erra of the northern city of Mari during an acute shortage of grain. Ur was destroyed by Elam, which had been annexed by Ur. Even "the dogs of Ur" would "no longer sniff at the base of the city wall".

Ashur dates back to the 'archaic Ishtar temple' from Early Dynastic 3 but more than 1,000 years' later it became the capital of the Assyrian Empire following the collapse of the Mitanni state. Knowledge of the city's eponymous deity is scant. It is not even clear whether he originated as a Semitic or Hurrian deity and a personality only emerged under Sennacherib's anti-Babylonian policy in order to fill the gap left by Marduk. The final chapters deal with Nineveh, which fell to bits after Ashurbanipal's death, and Babylon, which in fact only emerged as a city after the collapse of Ur III.

There are many interesting and contentious ideas in the book but its attempt to cover everything from Ubaid and Uruk to the Assyrian era weakens it. Nevertheless, it is an excellent update on the latest findings and conjectures. For me many of the remaining questions focus around the degree of continuity between eras and the state of economic and theological relations between north and south.

More than two millennia ago, Alexander the Great changed the course of human history in an astonishingly short time: He acceded to the throne of Macedon at the age of just 20, and by the time he was 30 he had conquered the known world. At 32 he was dead. His 22,000-mile journey to India and back opened up connections between the East and West, and even today its traces can be found throughout Asia-- in cultures, legends, place names and traditions. Filmmaker and journalist Michael Wood has retraced Alexander's journey--by car, horse, camel, boat and even on foot-- resulting in the engaging In the Footsteps of Alexander. (He travelled with a small, hardy film crew, and together they also produced a PBS documentary of the same name.) Wood's text vividly brings Alexander's times to life, as he mixes accounts of his own adventures and encounters with the story of Alexander's journey. Accompanying the text is a well-chosen assortment of maps, photographs and reproductions of artwork and artefacts. Alexander aficionados and neophytes alike will find much to inform and delight them in this handsome volume.

men in cuneiform, 13 Jul 2006
This, though billed as an edition for the general reader, really isn't. The texts, instead of being worked up into a continuous narrative as in some other versions, are presented exactly as they appear in the original sources: disjointed, repetitive, incomplete. Sadly, the Epic of Gilgamesh is particularly affected by this. Thus whatever the merits of the translation, which I'm not qualified to judge, this is not something you can just sit and read as entertainment. Since it is avowedly not a scholarly edition either, it's hard to see who it's going to please.

An ancient collection of epics, 24 Feb 2003
Mesopotamian mythology - where to begin? Well I've searched for a while and this one seems to be the most complete all round offering. The best thing about this book is that it focuses solely on the myths, leaving out any dry theoretical rabble as to what the origins and meanings might be. Here we are given the roots of eastern religion itself in its utmost original form.

Two different versions of the epic of Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent to the underworld, the creation myth, the flood and numerous others are included. Also a glossary of gods, places and key terms I found a very useful inclusion.

All in all make for an epic read that kept me turning the pages long into the night. The dictation is quite intense and impressively visual for something that was written about 6000 years ago. If you're interested in ancient religion then this should sate you hunger for a direct untampered with translation. Of course there are occasionaly fragments missing in the stories from damage to the tablets but that shouldn't put you off.

I doubt there is any better book on the subject.

An accessible classic, 02 May 2008
Having gone through the state education system, I came out of school completely uneducated about things like history and classic literature and I've been trying to rectify this omission for many years. This has resulted in me reading a lot of the classics line, and something I've realised is what hard work many of them are. As times change, so do writing styles and ideas of what makes a narrative work, and to the modern reader many books written hundreds of years past can be a challenging read.
This is why Josephus is such a pleasure. For all that we are separated from him by almost two thousand years, his humanity shines through. His history of the Jewish war against the Romans in the late 1st century AD is very much a history of his own activities therein, and what an unashamedly self-serving document it is. Originally a regional commander in the rebellious jewish army, Josephus wrote his history after his capture by the Romans and defection to their side (he became a Roman citizen and a courtier to more than one emperor). By turns witty, outrageously immodest and deceitful, Josephus wrote a hagiography of himself and his roman patrons and a tremendously enjoyable read it is too. By humanising his narrative, he also succeeds in making it accessible.

We have so few records of the ancient world it is impossible to be absolutely certain how accurate any given historical document is. However, as well as being enjoyable, the archaelogical and historical record suggests that when Josephus talks about the facts of the war (who won and fought who, where and when) he can be trusted in the broad sweep if not in the details.
It's a fascinating and human insight into the ancient world which shows that people, wherever and whenever they lived, are just as human - and as worried about their reputations - as are we.

Good translation, but referencing could be improved, 01 May 2004
As a translation of classical literature, the Penguin edition serves as a useful companion to any student of Josephus, or of the period of Roman control over Israel in the first pre-Christian and post-Christian centuries. It is the cheaper alternative to the expensive Loeb translation.

However, since most scholarship tends to use the Loeb referencing system, it would be useful if the Penguin edition has better cross-refencing with this system. This would make it far easier for the student to find the approriate passage in the Penguin, given a Loeb citation.

Scholarly but accessible, 09 Oct 2005
Now in its 3rd edition, Ancient Iraq remains the most complete and readable overview of the history of this cradle of civilization. Interestingly, the word Iraq comes from the name of the Sumerian city state Uruk. There is now a village called Warka near the ruins of the ancient city.

The introductory chapters explore the geographical setting, archaeological research and the paleo-, meso- and neolithic periods. Following on, the author discusses the Hassuna, Samarra, Halat, Ubaid, Uruk and Jemdat timeframes, and the ancient trade routes.

Next up is the Sumerian civilization, with a study of its origin, religion, history and mythology. The story of Gilgamesh is covered here. There was a Semitic interlude and a final Sumerian renaissance before the torch of history passed to the Semites in the form of the Akkadians and later the Assyrians and Babylonians. The statesman and lawgiver Hammurabbi is thoroughly dealt with.

But other peoples played a part too, like the Hurrians, Mitannians and Kassites. Insofar as they impacted upon the history of the area, empires like the Hittite and the Egyptian are also considered. There are detailed narratives on the Assyrian empire, the Chaldean kings and the fall of Nineveh and later of Babylon. After this event, Mesopotamia ceased to be a seat of empire and passed from the Persians to the Greeks, the Parthians, the Sassanids and ultimately to the Arabs.

In the Epilogue, we learn of the heritage of this civilization, such as enduring religious symbols like the Maltese cross, the tree of life an the crescent. Some words have come down to us, like "alcohol" (guhlu in Akkadian), "myrrh" (murru) and "naphta" (naptu), "abyss" (abzu in Sumerian). Some Sumerian words still live in Hebrew, like Egal (great house) = Heikal = Temple and the personal name Eitan (Etana).

The book contains plates with photographs and illustrations, and concludes with bibliographic notes, comparative history tables, various interesting maps and indices of names and subjects. For those interested in the paleolithic origins of civilization, I recommend Lost Civilizations Of The Stone Age by Richard Rudgley. If you have a taste for alternative history, the book Ramses II And His Time by Immanuel Velikovsky has much to say about Babylon and the Chaldeans. And finally, Empires Of The Word: A Language History Of The World by Nicholas Ostler, deals extensively with ancient Mesopotamia, its languages, culture and empires.

Excellent book, 'heavy' and academic too!!, 25 Jun 2005
This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to really understand the very beginnings of settled culture and civilisations. It is a serious and academic book, but the author Georges Roux is also interested in putting across heavy and well-researched material to 'lay' people as well as more learned academics.

I am personally obsessed with early civilisations and the more I read and understand, the more I am held in awe by our ancestors. This book is a great introduction to what can be a veritable wealth and minefield of information, and is also something that would give people a taste for other branches of ancient history, such as the study of other ancient cultures, archaeology, the trade and 'intercourse' between great and ancient civilisations, and so on. All in all, a very good book!

A Comprehensive Read, 10 Feb 2004
After reading many general histories of Mesopotamia, I found George Roux's Ancient Iraq the most useful and comprehensive. Rather than give an overall view of everyday life in the region (letters, city plans and religion), Roux chooses to concentrate on the spread of cultural influences, and importantly, the military victories and defeats of the kings and rulers of the city states. This may sound like a heavy read, but Roux throws in some humour ('Gungunnum', a king who Roux points out sounds like the sound of a beating battle drum). Politics is the key word here, and Roux does a superb job. Read it like a novel, and get ready for the rise and fall of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. Even the Assyrian conquest of Egypt gets a mention. If you are after a lighter read try Gwendolyn Leick's 'Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City'.
Overall you will not find a book quite as removed from the rest than you will this one.

Informed, easy to read - the best general account, 10 Mar 2001
Georges Roux, who died recently at a good old age, was a remarkable man. He was an Anglophile French doctor who worked in Iraq many years ago for an international oil company. While in Iraq and later, he was fascinated by the epic history of the Mesopotamian civilizations that succeeded one another over three thousand years. As a non-specialist, he appreciates the difficulties of the ordinary reader when confronted with a subject whose ancient history, languages, literature and archaeology are all difficult, specialist fields. He wrote the book for Penguin Books in English from the outset, and since it sold very well Penguin came back to him for revised editions. He had a great range of contacts, and his revisions were first-class. The last revised edition is up to date to the time of the Gulf War, since when there has been no further archaeological work in Iraq. I read this book when it first came out. I teach the subject at university level, and I have always recommended it as an excellent and thorough introduction. It reads very well, and contains a wealth of information that is put over with great clarity. People to whom I have recommended it have come back and told me how good a book they think it is.

Long overdue account of an important campaign, 20 Apr 2006
At long last, a single volume account of the fascinating campaign in Mesopotamia. For many years, the only really good work on Mespot was A. J. Barker's masterly "The Neglected War", published by Faber and Faber in 1967. It still stands up to examination today, but is terribly hard to find. Other than that, there is only the Official History and a number of memoirs: the short bibliography in this new book is testament to the lack of coverage of the campaign.

I've often wondered why the Mespot camapign is so badly covered in literature terms. No Boy's Own tales of landings, bungled and heroic attacks and meticulous withdrawal at as Gallipoli? A force mainly comprised of Indian army units? I don't know. It certainly deserves more attention - as it did at the time, for lack of attention at the highest levels was a significant aspect of its costly nature. So Ron Wilcox's "Battles on the Tigris" is especially welcome.

This book covers the campaign at a high level, seldom delving down to unit level or individuals, but covers the ground extremely well. Ron provides us with an account of the early landings aimed at securing British oil interests in the Basra region; the optimistic and foolhardy advance up the river to Baghdad and defeat at Ctesiphon; the siege and ultimate ignominy of the surrender of Kut; the costly effort to relieve the Kut garrison and the build up of sufficiently strong and organised forces that eventually did capture Baghdad and then fought a mobile war in the north. That's all standard "Mespot" stuff and in itself would have provided a good account. But he also blends into it the complex stories of what was happening in nearby Persia, intrigues with spies and the local arab factions. The latter parts of the book deal with the "Dunsterforce" foray into the Caucasus and the difficult political aftermath of the war. The book is well written and as a simple to digest work on the campaign, I rate it highly.

There is a small selection of photographs - in the main, portaits of the key players - and, much more importantly and impressively, an excellent set of maps woven into the text. Ron also provides a useful order of battle.

Taken in the round, well worthy of your money and a good read and reference.




A great epic, who needs SciFi and Fantasy?, 13 Jun 2006
I keep encouraging younger readers to embrace the classics and the Anabasis or Persian expedition is the first recommendation, that I make. An epic yarn that has crossed the ages to the most unlikely places (Consider that Xenophon's Persian Expedition was the inspiration for the 1970s film "The Warriors").
Who needs Sci-Fi and Fantasy when real history produces such heroic epics.
Inspiring but more importantly accessible ...which begs the question why more don't access it.

Fascinating True Ancient Events, 07 Sep 2005
Occasionally the language can be a bit turgid and it is'nt edge of the seat stuff all the way through. However, considering exactly how long ago these events took place, the clarity and detail are really impressive. You get battles, scheming, politics and some amazing feats of human endurance but above all these are real events...

Relevant today!, 27 May 2004
I enjoyed this book both as a serious historical account of a significant event in ancient history and as a rip-roaring boys-own annual type of adventure.
Xenophons account of the fighting return of the ten thousand Greek mercenaries, from the heart of the Persian Empire back to Greece, gripped the imagination of his Greek peers and added to the growing rumblings in the Greek agoras that Persia was ripe for invasion. This culminated with Alexanders famous conquests.
In military terms, the Greeks ability to change tactics in the face of constantly differing challenges, (from formal enemy armies to highly effective guerilla tactics), together with the obvious Greek discipline and camaraderie, could stand in army manuals today.

Page-turner, 31 Dec 2003
Nail-biting account of how a defeated army of Greek mercenaries, stranded deep in enemy territory, battled their way home through Persia and Kurdistan. Xenophon's account may be somewhat self-serving (and disconcertingly, he writes about himself in third person), but it's still plenty gripping. It's impossible not to cheer as the Greeks, lost and exhausted, top their umpteenth mountain crest and finally catch a glimpse of their salvation: "The sea! The sea!".

Xenophon is your basic military man, so he pretty much cuts to the chase. Rivers are to be forded, women are to be seized, and he doesn't have much time for poetical asides. Nevertheless he's a sharp observer of human character, in a practical sort of way; this is no dry historical document. The always surprisingly modern outlook of the Greeks comes through in every line, and passages of Xenophon's pep-talks could be taken out a management handbook:

"... there will be a great rise in their spirits if one can change the way they think, so that instead of having in their heads the one idea of "What is going to happen to me?", they may think "What action am I going to take?"."

The Penguin translation is clear and servicable, although the introduction is actually more difficult to follow than the story itself.

Very pleasurable, 08 Mar 2000
A very pleasurable introduction to classical literature. Easily the best work of Xenophon. I slogged through the _Hellenica_ and found this book wonderful in comparison.

It is crisp in language and easy to digest. The Warner translation comes across better than the Loeb translation.

Highly recommended

well written and not as stuffy as most, 08 Dec 2005
well researched and well written guide to the subject, although probably not one for the history virgin. Its quite a complex history, but she manages to cover it without the usual snotty tone so many Mesopotologists seem to aquire. Could have done with a few more maps on certain points, and some of the illustrations didnt seem to fit in with the text but id recommend it overall.

A walk through time and space: ancient cities in Mesopatamia, 21 Dec 2002
This book describes ten cities in ancient Mespotamia. From the oldest one, Eridu, to the best known one, Babylon. These are among the first cities ever built. The oldest settlement in Eridu dates from about 4900 BC. The Mesopotamians were pretty urbanized. By the 3d millenium BC a staggering 90% of the population of south Mesopotamia lived in cities. The subject matter of the book is quite fascinating. Some aspects of life there were similar to ours, other aspects are very different and exotic. Mesopotamians had schools, they could read and write, they read literature, they had a sense of history. The time scale of their lives were different from ours. They had textbooks, for example, which they used for centuries. Their civilization had an enormous continuity; it was certainly extremely conservative. Religion was very important for these people. They learned that the Gods created men as helpers to serve them by making sacrifices. Each city had a dominant god. Societies must have been rather stratified: there were leaders (Gods, kings, and priests) and followers, who had to obey. With often terrifying consequences if they didn't. This book has a fascinating story to tell, therefore. The author, Gwendolyn Leick, is a scientist. Her story is well-researched. She reminds us of the sources of our knowledge. Interwoven in the book is how recent scientists, both westerners and modern Irakese, excavated the cities. She explains what we know and what we don't know. For me the book raised my interests. It raised many questions, for which there is apparently no answer yet. It discusses very well the history of these cities, their religion, literature, and architecture. My one critique on the book is that it leaves the key question unanswered: how did the Mesopotamians indeed invent the city, as the subtititle of the book says? The book is structured in ten chapters, one for each city described. It has no conclusive chapter. It does not, for me at least, piece the elements of knowledge together to explain what it meant for these people to invent the city. How did the early Mesopotamians deal with hygiene in the city, and with crime and violence? Which facilities did their cities offer; did they have hotels for foreigners? Which inventions did they make, besides writing and the city itself, to make life bearable in a densely packed city? Throughout the chapters some details are indeed brought forward, but I would have liked an overview chapter. I also would have liked some more pictures or drawings of the remains of these cities.

An important contribution to Near Eastern history., 23 Oct 2001
Leick takes a city-based approach looking at Eridu, Uruk, Shuruppak, Akkad, Ur, Sippar, Nippur, Nineveh & Babylon. The approach is innovative but could be confusing for the non-specialist. Those new to the field would definitely benefit from reading Georges Roux's 'Ancient Iraq' first. There is plenty of well-informed anthropological and sociological theorisation e.g. Charvat's contention that the Ubaid may have been the last self-sufficient, non-hierarchic society and that the rise of social stratification was strongly correlated with the rise of the temple at Ubaid Eridu I.

Eridu seems to be almost unique in that even in the reign of Amar-