Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History

Description

History does not begin in Classical antiquity. Several cultures in the Near East predate Greek historical tradition by many centuries. To understand the history of one of the main ancient Near Eastern cultures, that of Mesopotamia, the scholar has to rely on cuneiform texts which represent the oldest tradition of writing in human history, in use for nearly 3,000 years. The number and variety of texts written in the cuneiform script are enormous, and present a unique source for the study of history. This book describes the possibilities and challenges this material presents to the modern historian. Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History discusses how the abundant Mesopotamian sources can be used for the study of various aspects of history - political, social, economic and gender. Marc Van De Mieroop * criticises disciplinary methodologies which are often informed by a desire to write a history of events * scrutinises the intellectual background of historical writings * examines how Mesopotamia's position as the 'other' in classical and biblical writings has influenced scholarship * suggests how the cuneiform texts can be used in innovative ways * illustrates approaches with examples taken from the entirety of Mesopotamian history. Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History provides a challenging introduction to the written sources from Mesopotamia which will be useful to academics and students.

"Van de Mieroop has written a stimulating book that historians will find as interesting as Assyriologists, ancient historians, and archaeologists do. His reflections are always worth pondering, and he continues to grow in depth as one of our most important scholars of ancient Mesopotamia."
-D.T. Potts, University of Sydney, American Historical Review, October 2002
"Van de Mieroop has afforded the undergraduate student an excellent opportunity for understanding the difficulties of reconstructing Mesopotamian history from the cuneiform sources.
Thus, this work is not only for the introductory student but also for the classical scholar (or general historian), who will no longer think that history began with the Greeks. It will no doubt be a most indispensable volume for any course on ancient Near Eastern history or civilization, or, for that matter, on historiography."
-Religious Studies Review