Ancient History Books

I read this book in college over thirty years ago as a textbook in my Greek History class. It is one of the best history books I have ever read. If you are wanting to explore the great classic primary writings on history such as Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War, or if you want to read the best philosophical works ever, such as Plato's dialogues, or if you want to read the great dramas by Aeschylus, Sophocles, or Euripides, or even if you want to read the compelling historical novels of Mary Renault, reading this remarkable survey of ancient Greek history and culture will give you exactly what you need to understand those works better.

A couple of years after my class in Greek history, I gave a copy of this book to my father, an avid reader. He loved the book and told me that it was the best general history he had ever read. I concur and I hope that colleges are still teaching Greek history with this book.

I've got a bookshelf of both new and old Greek history, historical novels, even historical fiction. Nothing even comes close to the information, originality of approach and pure delight in reading than this book. If all my school text books would have been this interesting, I'd be up to my umteenth degree by now and still going strong.

Hooper's book panoramas the history of Hellenic civilization from Mycenae to the Alexandrine Age. His grasp of art, archaeology, architecture, and complete command of his sources inform the magistrial prose that pours off of every page. That said, the size of the book is manageable. Hooper's view of history is similar to Thucydides: non-idealistic, and mistrustful of extreme forms of democracy. His views come as through strongly in interpeting the course of Greek history and civilization in this book as they did in his lectures when I was his student at Wayne State. This is most evident in his chapters on the three Athenian generations streching fron Marathon to defeat in the Peloponesian War. The feeling of inevitability, as the city-state moves from triumphant action to hurbis, exemplified by the debate over the expedition to Syracuse,to defeat at the hands of Sparta, reads like a Greek tragedy. So it was. -Lloyd A. Conway

This is one of the best books that I've seen on the art, symbolism and life in Ancient Egypt. Set within the reign of Hatshepsut, a royal wife and queen who transformed herself into Pharaoh, it looks at the lives of royal women from the images and personal artifacts that have been left behind.

Each chapter takes a look at aspects of Hatshepsut's reign and life, as well as the architect Senenmut, who may or may not have been her lover, but was also her most trust confidant -- and to whom she turned the education and care of her daughter, Neferure. One section that was of particular interest to me were the displays of women's lives and those of children, a topic that usually gets overlooked. There are exquisite pieces of jewelry, goldwork and tiny statues -- one of a small child, no longer than a pinkie finger, and holding an unbloomed lotus blossom, was particularly poignant. Along with precious objects there were also everyday items from mirrors, toiletry objects, small jars used to hold cosmetics and oils, to boxes and games, and several very fragile pieces of furniture of exquisite craftsmanship. All of these are shown in the catalog, each one with a detailed description and what it was meant to be used for.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was how Hatshepsut changed the artistic styles that were in use in Egypt, and how it influenced later depictions of rulers. Icongraphy that shows her wearing male attire, false beard and holding symbols of regal authority are throughout, as well as the unusual temple that she designed and built at Deir El-Bahri where she intended to be worshipped and remembered throughout eternity.

The essays are clear and managed to be free of most jargon which would drive away most armchair archaelogists and non-specialists. The book is laid out in beautiful detail and design, giving plenty of room for the reader to savor each object and the type and layout in a pleasing format. Despite the hefty cost at 45$US for the paperback, and 65$US for the hardback editions, it is well worth the price.

In short, if you can't get to one of the locations where this exhibition is showing, this massive and exquisitely produced catalog is the next best thing. The photographs and drawings are very crisp and clear, the writing is informative, there are extensive notes and it provides a lovely experience for anyone interested in the power of women in the ancient world, or Egypt at the height of power and conquest.

For those who are interested in such things, this exhibition was shown in San Francisco in late 2005/early 2006, will continue at the Met until August 2006, and will continue on to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas from 24 August to 31 December 2006. I do suggest that if you can, do try to see this. It's worth it.

Highly Recommended.

Once again the Metropolitan Museum has enriched the history and art of Egypt books with the publication of this very impressive catalogue that accompanies the exhibition 'Hatshepsut : From Queen to Pharaoh'. While many other museum exhibitions have been inundated with people attending the King Tut behemoths, this exhibition focuses on Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, and wife and half-sister of King Thutmose II, who in the mid-15th century BC gradually acquired kingly status and power for herself. Her reign was twenty years in length as a woman pharaoh.

The catalogue that accompanies this traveling exhibition is beautifully designed and is full of extant drawings and objects that demonstrate her influence on history, culture, monumental art, and architecture of the late 17th and early 18th Dynasties. The writing is of the highest order and divides the book into "Setting the Scene," "Hatshepsut and Her Court," "Hatshepsut's Building Projects," "Decorative Arts," "The Proscription," and "The Aftermath." In addition to the written information, the catalogue has superb reproductions of jewelry, pottery, furniture, reliefs, and statuary. Then, sadly, the writing includes detailed descriptions of the demolition and desecration of the important monuments from Hatshepsut's reign.

Here is a moment in history brought to life by a group of fine curators and writers, suggesting that as much as we think we know about the past, there are always surprises to be brought to our attention by the museums of the world. A fine book, this. Grady Harp, March 06

Think of early Egypt and you think of King Tut and Cleopatra. Those two, however, are not the sum total of Egyptian history. This book is basically a catalog of the collection regarding Hatshepsut a most interesting woman. She was the daughter of a king, and was married to her half brother. Upon his death the kingship transferred to his son by a secondary wife with Hatshepsut as regent for her nephew. Later she became co-ruler and king in her own right. Got all that?

The collection, made over many years included numerous pieces that were deliberately smashed about twenty years after her death. Because such fragments were not of value they waited until recent times when they were patiently assembled into the statues that they are today. In addition the collection contains hundreds of objects produced during her reign. The items are described by some twenty-five noted Egyptologists in addition to the three authors.

The book is of large format and profusely illustrated with perhaps 400 pictures, about half of which are in color. This book will remain after the exhibit is gone.

The persecution of Jewish religion by Antiochus IV Epiphanes has puzzled historians for many years, because the Syrians were generally very tolerant of other religions, as long as taxes were paid. So why did Antiochus outlaw the Jewish religion and profane the Temple? Some writers just gave up and characterized Antiochus as "mad." Tcherikover offers the first completely plausible explanation I've seen: the Jewish Hellenists (the Ahmed Chalabi's of their time) in Jerusalem suckered Antiochus into supporting their power grab. When the larger Jewish population refused to acquiesce, Antiochus, who had bought the Hellenist line, thought he was being rebelled against. As a result, he attempted to wipe out the enemies of the Jewish Hellenists. Thus, years of war and the "abomination that makes desolate." (The "abomination" is also a sore-thumb clue that the Book of Daniel was written in this period.)

Tcherikover was one of the first historians to find the beginnings of the Hasidim in the period of the Hasmonaean revolt, and to trace the Hasidic party as it developed into the party of the Pharisees, which in turn formed the basis for the Rabbinate.

So far, the only other title I've seen comparable to the Tcherikover is Emil Schürer's multi-volume, time-payment plan "History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ" (Geza Vermes' New English Edition). If you're on a tight budget, this is the one to buy.

Tcherikover introduces a new approach to the concept of "Hellenization" in the eastern lands of the Mediterranean world by approaching the topic from the historical situation prominent both in Syria and Egypt. Unlike other historians who deal with the pan-Hellenic campaigns of Alexander and the extensive results that Hellenism had in the Levantine countries of Syro-Palestine, Tcherikover introduces the concept of "dualism" that was a major factor in the relationship between the Greek elements and the ancient oriental elements. This provides a valuable perspective when considering the extent of Greek influence on Syria-Palestine during the Hellenistic Age. In light of the historical evidence, Hellenism encountered difficulty "taking root" in Syria-Palestine, and in some respects the Greeks were influenced more by oriental culture. This was due in large part to the establishment of cleruchies (katoikiai) or agricultural communities, inhabited with recruits from the army (p.20). Says Tcherikover, "The fate of the military settlers in Egypt demonstrated decisively that the oriental village was not only uninfluenced by the people of Greek culture . . . but possessed the power of fusing the stranger with itself . . . " (21).

Tcherikover provides many important considerations as a means for understanding the ineffectiveness of Greek culture in Syria-Palestine. First, one must understand that the initial "bearers" of Greek civilization were not the "standard-bearers" of Greek cultural expression; neither were they its patrons. Rather, they were soldiers who became farmers and merchants (115). Following in their footsteps was a mixed group of traders, peasants, mercenaries and "undefined persons" without a fixed occupation (34). Says Tcherikover, "It is doubtful if they were capable of shouldering the great task of diffusing Hellenism among the eastern nations" (34). The second factor concerns the method of establishing Greek poleis, or more precisely, the conversion of ancient oriental cities into Greek poleis. First, every Greek town was founded near or on an ancient urban center. Secondly, the local population received all rights and privileges as Greek citizens. This was a part of the "international fusion" policy common with the Ptolemies and Seleucids in Syria-Palestine, for it had been the policy of Alexander. As a result of this "fusion," the current culture, long established in the region had an overriding effect on the newcomers.

Another good example of how ancient customs prevailed against Hellenism is provided in Tcherikover's discussion on Koine Greek. During the Ptolemaic regime, the Egyptian language prevailed and assumed the form of a "holy tongue" and the language of the common people. In the Hellenistic Fayum, natives frequently employed the assistance of interpreters when conducting "official" business or communicating with the authorities (21). Aramaic remained both the spoken and literary tongue in Syria (34). Several other examples involve the adoption of oriental religion and the naming of towns. With the latter, it was common for the ancient name to outlive the Greek name. In Jordan, Rabbath-Ammon (Amman) survived "Philadelphia" (101). In Israel, Paneas (Banias) survived "Caesarea Philippi" (101). For the most part, it can be said that the Greek appearance in this hybrid culture was generally Greek (speech of business, architecture), but the content (religious customs, art) remained oriental in origin. Says Tcherikover, "We must be careful not to set too high an estimate on the cultural value of the Greek towns of Palestine and on their influence over the country's population" (116).

The "dualism" that Tcherikover expounds throughout the book is a most interesting aspect to the study of the Hellenistic and Roman periods in the Middle East. It is crucial when evaluating the history from both the side of the Greek elements that infiltrated the east after the conquests of Alexander, and the Oriental elements. This is not the usual topic among conversations about these particular time periods. As Tcherikover stated throughout the book, many people place too high an estimate on the cultural influences of Hellenism in the Middle East without commenting on the Oriental side of the issue. It is difficult if not impossible to weigh the amount of influence on either side, but Tcherikover provides an excellent treatment on the topic. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it for any serious study on the Hellenistic-Roman periods (334 BCE - CE 135).

The author's depth of learning and keen deductive powers make this book a treat for anyone interested in the Hellenistic period.

Victor Tcherikover made a career out of studying the Jews in the Hellenistic era, and this text exudes authority in every sentence. The book is divided into two parts: "Hellenistic Civilization in Palestine" and "Hellenistic Civilization in the Diaspora". In each of these he develops his account by describing the world in question before moving on to addressing important puzzles that have exercised scholars over the decades. In Palestine the question is about the order and causes of the events surrounding the Hellenistic reform of Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC; in the diaspora the question is about the status of Jews in Alexandria.

In both cases, but particularly in Palestine, Tcherikover finds convincing answers to the outstanding questions (such as "Why did Antiochus IV decide to ban the practice of Judaism in Palestine?"). He does this by examining all the information without prejudice, and then challenging some common assumptions. With innovative ideas such as reversing the order of two events, everything falls into place and a whole series of events becomes clear, motivated, and convincing.

Tcherikover is unfailingly evenhanded and impartial. He understands clearly and sympathetically the mindsets of both the Jews--Hellenizers and traditionalists alike--and the Hellenistic polities that dominated the world at that time. I was most impressed with his account of the rise of antisemitism, an outcome he regards as inevitable, given the culture and beliefs of the participants, even assuming that everyone was as openminded and tolerant as possible. He expresses no praise or blame for either side in the debate. Excellent.

One pity is that this book might be overlooked by people interested in the Hellenistic period but not specifically in Jewish history. That's too bad, because Tcherikover, though a scholar of Jewish history, had a tremendous understanding of the Hellenistic world in general. In addition, the focus on the Jews actually illuminates many features of Hellenistic thinking and culture that might not show up in such strong relief without that contrast.

So: if you're at all interested in the Hellenistic world, please read this book. It's almost as though the author stepped from that time to tell us about it.

If you are at all interested in bibical history, then this book is for you. Mr Yadin writes extremely well and there are innumerable pictures to support the text

This is an excellent book about the "dig" at Masada and the history of that dominant piece of rock in the Judean desert. I have been there and "kicked the tires" in May 2007 and was interested in expanding my knowledge of what has transpired there over the centuries. Excellent historical, archaeological narrative and pictures and as the Israeli Soldiers say when taking their oath on the rock..."Never Again".

Yigael Yadin is a gifted author who narrates history with captivating excitement. I have read several books and articles on the subject of Masada over the past several years and would recommend this as the most informative and understandable of them all. The before, during and after, excavation photos are amazing and contribute volumes in giving the reader the "Masada Experience." This book is valuable for both the novice and the scholar. It's an excellent introduction to what Masada is all about for the novice. The scholar will find Yadin's love of history details and his awesome photo illustrations compelling and helpful for instruction as well as understanding.

I have started reading a lot of historical fiction and nonfiction, and have found Haywood's Altas to be very useful. It works well as an introduction, being quite readable and succinct. In addition, it is an excellent reference to use when reading nonfiction tombs that presume we all know where all the Hittites came from, or how the Illyrians migrated to Italy. Just easily finding Zhou, or Thrace on a map has been a big help for me. A good atlas, well worth the reasonably price.

Any of the historical atlases by John Haywood is excellent. They combine readable text with great illustrative maps. The combination makes history easier to understand and remember. This atlas covers the time of human origins to 500 BC. Those of you familiar with Haywood's Atlas of World History should note that this atlas contains all of the material as the ancient world section of that comprehensive, one-volume atlas plus about fifty percent more. The only problem is that all of Haywood's atlases seem to be out of print.

This is another fine history book and atlas by Dr. Haywood, whose historical atlases are some of the best out there for readability, ease of use, and price. I have his Atlas of World History, and it's excellent as well. This one seems to be a little less technical than that one, but both are very readable and not dry like your typical historical atlas. I practically collect these things and have 7 or 8 of the major ones, and as I said, Haywood's are often the most readable and often the best value in terms of price.

Haywood has his usual nice touch with the material and he pays more attention to skillfully integrating graphics and illustrations with the text. In fact, his Atlas of World History used a team of graphics experts which worked specifically on that aspect of the book, and it shows compared to the other atlases on the market. I assume the nice layout and design on this book means the same approach was used here. The only other major historical atlas that competes with Haywood's in terms of visual design is the big Dorling-Kindersley one, which, although great, is four or five times the price of this one.

This book contains two-page spreads covering the historical periods from prehistoric times up to 500 B.C. The maps are well done and not too busy like the ones in some atlases, where they're so dense with symbols and other junk that you can hardly read the map. This book and the Atlas of World History overlap somewhat as this volume contains all of the material on the ancient world in that volume, but since it's specifically devoted to the ancient world, there is quite a bit more additional material as well. Overall, another fine history offering from Prof. Haywood.

My class really liked the format of this book, and it encouraged them to find out what this culture was about.

Excellent bite sized tidbits of history presented in an interesting format. Inside you will find a map of the Aztec empire, articles detailing every day life of the Aztec from agriculture, the Spanish invasion, war, the ball game, a guide to the ancient city of Tenochtitlan, a girl talk section, food and classifieds that provide an insight to the culture. What a great series! I purchased a copy as a gift for my 9 year old niece and was so impressed that I am purchasing the whole series for her! What a find! A clever and delightful way to introduce history to youngsters.

I am in the process of doing a school project on the Aztec and this book has all the info I need! I would recomend this book to anyone! It has everything enterusting in it, there is not one boring word!

I wanted a book with a easily understood story of the history of Roman Britain for my own personal knowledge. I found it in this book. Highly recommend.

I should preface this by saying that I am not a person who usually reads histories for fun, but this book is quite impressive. Salway manages to present a massive amount of detail without overwhelming the reader. At no point is the narrative stuffy or dull, and it is frequently amusing and very interesting. I would have prefered at least some photos or drawings (there are none), but the facts and commentary are colorful enough to keep you interested. Based on other books I've read on this period, and a course on the topic, Salway's information seems quite accurate. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Roman history and culture, Celtic history (what there is of it), and the relationships between Britain and the rest of the ancient world. Most historians seem wed to the dry listing of dates and battles, but Salway presents enough cultural information to keep things interesting enough for laymen (or even anthropologists...). Its a bit long - several hundred pages, but I highly recommend this book.

Peter Salway's book offers a good insight into the evolution of Roman Britain from Julius Caesar's first expeditions in 55 and 54 BC to the fall of the Roman Empire c. 475 A.D. Rather easy to read, its a book that can be enjoyed by historians and casual readers.

Peter Salway begins his book with background information on pre-Celtic England and the Celtic culture and then proceeds to discuss Romes first contacts with the Island under Julius Caesar. As the book notes, Julius Caesar's British expeditions were failures in terms of conquests but successful as exploratory ones. The book then glosses over the period between Caesar and Claudius to discuss Britain's full invasion under Claudius. The book discusses the effects of the invasion on the Celtic cultures and how they eventually incorporated many Roman customs into their own lives. The book also covers trade and economics in the region.

This is altogether a great book that covers the subject quite well. It's easy to read by anyone whether they have an advanced understanding of the subject or not.

`[...] contains a marvelous range of information on many aspects of life in the Holocene of the eastern Sahara. The publication is of a very high standard - well finishes and proofread - and should grace the shelves of Saharanists, as well as any university library where African history is taught.'

Journal of Anthropological Research, 59 (2003)

`[...] it is important to stress the objective contribution that these volumes make to the prehistory of the eastern Sahara. They are extremely well produced, with ample illustrations and statistics, and no detail is spared in the description of habitation sites and small finds. Volumes 1 and 2 of Nabta Playa are a superb addition to the prehistory of the eastern Sahara.'

Antiquity, 77:297 (September 2003)

`The Archaeology of Nabta Playa is truly an opus magnus; it is not a casual read, and it will be cited for years to come. As a valuable reference work written for interested experts, it will be of most interest to those who share similar regional and topical foci. This book is thorougly and unequivocally recommended for students of African prehistory... In terms of value for money, however, this work speaks volumes.'

A beautiful and accessible translation. The notes in the back are an added bonus.

For those unfamiliar with the "Homeric Hymns," translated in this case by Diane Rayor: they are a set of thirty-three or thirty-four short and long poems in honor of the major -- and a few minor -- Greek Gods, in the dactylic hexameter used in the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey," and other early Greek poems. They are attributed to Homer in the surviving manuscripts, and some allusions and quotations in classical writing. This is not taken seriously, but provides a label. Some are clearly early, a few are suspected of being Hellenistic, or even post-Christian. The longer hymns combine invocation, praise, and extended narratives; the shorter hymns lack the narrative, and in few cases are little more than invocations. They also vary considerably in the solemnity with which they approach the gods (see the trickster Hermes as a baby in Hymn 4). The two opening hymns survive in one damaged manuscript, so "To Dionysos" is a set of fragments, and, "To Demeter," has several gaps. The third, "To Apollo," is suspected of being two separate works linked by an ancient editor. The last piece, "To Hosts," is sometimes excluded, as it is a reminder that hospitality is a sacred duty, and not actually a hymn, and is also found in other contexts. All but a few are clearly intended for public performance, either as short introductions (proems), or as major pieces in themselves.

As I have commented in reviews of other translations, by Apostolos N. Athanassakis (Johns Hopkins, 1976), Jules Cashford (Penguin Classics, 2003, with Introduction and Notes by Nicholas Richardson) and Martin L. West ("Homeric Hymns, Homeric Apocrypha, Lives of Homer," Loeb Classical Library, 2003, with a newly-edited Greek text), this long-neglected body of texts has received several bursts of attention over the last few decades.

After a gap between World War I (Evelyn-West's old Loeb bilingual edition of 1914, last revised 1936; probably still available for awhile) and the 1960s, we now have English renderings by Boer (1970; a second edition [1975?] restored a Hymn to Apollo), Sargent (W.W. Norton, 1973), Athanassakis, Shelmerdine (Focus, 1995), Crudden (Oxford World's Classics, 2002), Cashford, West, and now Diane Rayor (University of California, 2004) -- counting only those currently in print. There are also editions and translations of individual hymns. Although English readers await a modern full critical text edition (the most recent are Italian: West, following the Loeb format, gives only major manuscript variants and those emendations he uses, with minimal, albeit useful, notes), and a full commentary to replace the venerable Allen, Halliday and Sikes (second edition, 1936), this is still a superabundance. "Get just one, or collect the whole set!" comes to mind.

A recent review by a professional classicist (Stephen Evans, on-line in the "Bryn Mawr Classical Review" 2004.08.02) points out that the Crudden, Cashford, and Rayor translations all have annotations and / or introductions which survey recent literature on the hymns, but that they tend to favor different approaches, and so display remarkably little overlap in their coverage.

Rayor does join Crudden in discussing Near-Eastern parallels to the hymns. Where Crudden cites comparisons of Hymn 3, the great Hymn (or Hymns) to Apollo, to Babylonian and Assyrian compositions about the exploits of the warrior-god Ninurta, though, Rayor is willing to go back to their Sumerian predecessors for the Hymn to Aphrodite. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that the stripping of the love-goddess Inanna (= Ishtar) of her magic vestments as she passes the gates of the Netherworld has much to do with the undressing of the disguised (as a mortal) Aphrodite by the Trojan prince Anchises in Hymn 5 -- particularly since the living body of Inanna is described throughout in terms of the materials of her own cult statue (something even the smitten Anchises would have noticed). The passage comes from "The Descent of Inanna," which Rayor calls a hymn, although it is usually classed as a narrative. These are not mutually exclusive, as both Greek and Mesopotamian examples show, but if it *is* a hymn, it is *not* to Inanna, but to her rival, the Queen of the Netherworld: it ends with the invocation "Holy Ereshkigal, sweet is your praise!" Still, taken as a "type-scene," it is an interesting parallel, particularly since the setting of the Hymn to Aphrodite is explicitly *not* Greece, but "foreign" (Asia Minor); and Greek re-workings even of Greek sources can be rather drastic.

Diane Rayor's translations are not only the product of a distinguished classicist; they have been polished over several years of public readings, and with her students, to create a version which actually works in performance -- at least in American English. Most other available translations are worth reading aloud (with perhaps the exception of Boer's visually experimental free verse, and certainly of Evelyn-White's stodgy prose), but Rayor's alone invites it.

Here is a sample of three recent versions of The (Delian and Pythian) Hymn(s) to Apollo (Hymn 3), lines 331-339, for comparison. Hera, Queen of the Gods, is furious over the many children fathered on others by her husband Zeus, the successful rebel against their father Kronos and his fellow Titans, and current King of the Gods -- particularly the "motherless" Athena, who emerged from his head.

*Cashford*
When she had spoken, she went away from the gods,
Her heart very angry. Then immediately
She prayed, the lady Hera with her cow-eyes,
And she struck the earth
With her hand flat against it, saying:
`Hear me now, Gaia, and broad Ouranos high above,
and you Titan gods who live beneath the earth
around great Tartaros from whom men and gods come.
Listen to me now, all of you,
And give me a child apart from Zeus
And one not lesser than him in strength.
Rather, may he be as much stronger than Zeus,
Who sees all things, as Zeus, for his part,
Is stronger than Kronos.'

*West*
So saying, she went apart from the gods, angry at heart. Then straightway she prayed, did the mild-eyed lady Hera, and struck the earth with the flat of her hand and said, "Hear me now, Earth and broad Heaven above, and you Titan gods who dwell below the earth around great Tartarus, and from whom gods and men descend; all of you now in person, hear me and grant me a son without Zeus' help, in no way falling short of him in strength, but as much superior as wide-sounding Zeus is to Kronos."

*Rayor*
In great fury, she stormed from the gods.
Eyes dark and wide as a cow's, Queen Hera prayed
And with down-turned palms struck the earth:
"Now hear me Earth and wide Heaven above,
and Titans, gods beneath the earth, dwelling around
great Tartaros, from whom men and gods derive:
all hear me and grant me a child apart from Zeus,
in no way weaker in strength than he, a child greater
than Zeus by as much as Zeus is greater than Kronos."

These dynamic translations will interest both beginners and more advanced readers, whether to read these as poetry and great stories, for their importance in World Literature, or their particular relation to classical antiquity. The hymns are immensely readable in Rayor's smooth and engaging translations, and the length of the hymns, and their appeal to myth, makes them really perfect for classroom use. Readers will be fascinated with their speculations on the origins, powers, and mishaps of the gods and goddesses, and they provide a great take-off point for writing assigments, in my classes. Rayor's notes are clear, to the point, giving just enough detail for readers who want more, and signalling where we can look further. The text throughout is well-informed by recent anthropological approaches that have expanded knowledge of ancient Greek culture, evident in the valuable introduction and notes, which attend to the interrelation of literature, folklore, religion, and geography. Rayor's introduction adopts a practical-minded, functionalist approach to literary problems such as genre and authorship, describing a hymn as a poem of praise, sometimes narrative, addressed to a god, and noting the importance of oral performance in Greek culture. I took personal delight in the maps and glossary, whose easy-to-follow pronounciation guide anticipates and lays aside the uncertainties about proper names that many students find to be the greatest single obstacle to the Hymn and to classics. Casual readers will appreciate the clarity and accuracy of the language, with its fast-paced readability: the English of the hymns neither extrapolates nor subtracts from the original texts, balancing the desire for accuracy with creating a translation that is at once concise and musical. The introduction is clear and the bibliography offers a well-balanced selection of recent criticism. Of particular value are the the notes, which point to additional ancient and contemporary sources, always stressing the poems' contexts in poetic performance and religious worship in the ancient world.

Schmandt-Besserat is not only an acknowledged leader in epigraphy, she is one of the only linguists to study the slowly evolving history of the assyro-babylonian literary culture. This book, and any other by this author, is strongly reccommended for any library or archeological department.

This book will take you through the ruins of an ancient city in Mesopotamia and then will explain the meaning of certain tablets and clay coins found there. The author is very clear in her explanations, there are plenty of pictures and graphics which make your understanding of the text easier. This book is for those who like reading scholarly material because it is very concise and precise on the subject but it could seem dry reading to those who prefer the material to be presented in a more entertaining way.
I found it very interesting, and it helped me understand the transition from letters to numbers. I loved it!

Holy Moley! By Internet standards, the first (and only, until mine) review of this book is of a seemingly archaeological date, seven years ago, that is. Well, I suppose this review won't make much difference when (if) it's read seven years from now! This book is, obviously, a work by a scholar, which is an entirely different category of "being smart." We don't call upon scholars to fix our plugged-up toilets or change the flat tire on our car or restore the electricity, but, if you know just enough history to be grateful to live in our consumer-friendly epoch, you'll be grateful that some out there have dedicated their lives to recording and analyzing the long process of human growth, and the growth of civilization. You can have your Back To Nature fantasies--I'll take the hot shower and electric coffee maker, thank you very much. This particular work, apparently, is a condensation of a two-volume scholarly work, one which, I am sure, that I will never read. But the current volume (the second half of which I read last night, while eating fancy crackers and drinking humble red wine--giving me a connection, I felt, to the agrarian Past of Sumer and Uruk, etc.) is about as good as it gets for laymen (me). For me, it's almost like a religious text, transcending race, language, skin color, nationalism; it's like a Time Machine that takes you back within the range of a subtle sniff of our "egalitarian" prehistoric ancestors; "egalitarian" meaning a small-population culture where you pretty much fed yourself and participated in the group without the framework of authority other than myth and ritutal. A fun read for those who have exhausted the cultural potentialities of SIMPSONS reruns. I wholeheartedly agree with the author's thesis that counting preceded writing. In fact, it was my hunch--from my own reading and thinking--that this was so that prompted me to search for a book with this theory. It just makes sense. I highly doubt that any early resident of a city started the road to high civilization talking about "ennui" or "existentialism." They talked about, "Hey! I paid you this much last month. And you owe me this much tomorrow." Makes sense to me. Just the evidence-supported argument alone that breaking the counting-beyond-three barrier took thousands of years was worth the cover price to me. The single concept (and revelation) that in no way is the faculty of counting beyond three inate to brain function and hence, inate to our modern minds, is simply stunning to me, and adds a dose of gratitude to my daily life, a realization that makes it easier to laugh off the troubles of modern life. We owe so much to the hundreds of generations of men and women who have gone before us, most just living day to day. A good read, especially when enjoyed with fancy crackers and red wine...and about forty years' worth of reading, living and reflecting. So far as what the next review will address: I ain't holding my breath--and that is a very archaelogical attitude.