| Formatted Contents Note: |
Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Time line for ancient Mesopotamia -- Introduction: -- Rediscovery and decipherment -- Dating the past (relative dating vs absolute dating) -- General Information: -- Geographical setting of Mesopotamia -- Peoples and their languages -- Historical Overview: -- Permanent settlement and domestication -- Beginnings of civilization: from farming villages to cities -- Period of city-states and nation-states: the third millennium -- Period of new kingdoms: the second millennium -- Empires in Mesopotamia: the first millennium -- Writing, Education, And Literature: -- Origins of writing -- Education and professional activity of scribes -- Archives and libraries -- Literature: poetry and prose -- Nonliterary texts -- Sciences: -- Medicine -- Mathematics -- Astronomy -- Technology -- Natural sciences -- Cartography and geography -- Society, Part 1: City Life, Country Life, Nomadic And Semi-Nomadic Life: -- City life -- Countryside -- Nomadic and semi-nomadic life -- Class and society -- Society, Part 2: Private Life: -- Private houses -- Family life -- Property and succession -- Women's roles -- Fashions -- Food and drink -- Recreation: -- Hunting -- Sports -- Board games -- Toys -- Music -- Dancing -- Banquets -- Performance of literary works -- Religion: -- Religious views of early man -- Development of the Pantheon -- Composition of the Pantheon -- Representations of the Gods -- Service to the Gods -- Places of worship and their functions -- Worshipers -- Religious personnel and servants -- Religious festivals -- Sorcerers, exorcists, and diviners -- Prophets -- Government: -- King -- Administration of justice -- Warfare -- Consequences of war -- International relations -- Economy: -- Farming -- Canals and irrigation -- Land management -- Domestic economy -- Foreign trade -- Crafts and labor -- Legacy Of Ancient Mesopotamia: -- Notes -- Glossary -- Selected bibliography -- Index. |
