Reference Reviews

Doug’s Student Reference Room

People and Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia, by Don Nardo. 104 pp. Farmington Hills, MI: Lucent Books. ISBN 13: 978-1-4205-0101-8; ISBN 10: 1-4205-0101-1. $32.45

Peoples and Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia offers a chronological history of the era, from the first farmers and city dwellers to the fall of the Sassanians. The author frequently points out the significance of this region to all of human civilization; Mesopotamia was home to the world's first farmers and cities; the first cuneiform writing systems; and the first city-states. Hammurabi's code was the most influential set of laws prior to the Greeks and Romans. The author also notes, chapter by chapter, the history of conflict that plagues the region to this day.
—Doug Achterman