- Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City - Gwendolyn Leick
This book discusses 10 Mesopotamian cities (Eridu, Uruk, Shuruppak, Akkad, Ur, Nippur, Sippar, Ashur, Nineveh, and Babylon) as it describes the development of the city in the Near East from an archeological stand point. The author continually refers to architectural sites, statues, and writings from the era.
Leick's book is meant for someone who at least has a background knowledge of Mesopotamia and the battles between the Assyrians and Babylonians. Also, I suggest the reader stop between chapters to reflect on that particular city, or else keep a reading log of some sort so as not to mix up the cities. Overall I enjoyed the book, but I wish Leick would have included more photographs and that some would be in color. It's difficult to grasp the beauty of the Ishtar Gate in black and white. Also, it would have been nice to have seen the entire Ishtar Gate rather than just the dragonish creature since she spends so much time talking about it being shipped to Germany and its reconstruction.
Leick's book is meant for someone who at least has a background knowledge of Mesopotamia and the battles between the Assyrians and Babylonians. Also, I suggest the reader stop between chapters to reflect on that particular city, or else keep a reading log of some sort so as not to mix up the cities. Overall I enjoyed the book, but I wish Leick would have included more photographs and that some would be in color. It's difficult to grasp the beauty of the Ishtar Gate in black and white. Also, it would have been nice to have seen the entire Ishtar Gate rather than just the dragonish creature since she spends so much time talking about it being shipped to Germany and its reconstruction.
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