Lucent Library of Historical Eras

Life and Worship in Ancient Mesopotamia
Author Don Nardo
Published by Lucent Books

Individual titles in every multivolume set present a historical perspective and a vivid picture of the cultural, political and social life of the era. Fully documented primary and secondary source quotations enliven the text, and each set includes well-organized primary source documents valuable for student research and reports.

Review:

"As American occupation of Iraq moves into a seventh year, it's startling how little U.S. citizens know about the region and its history. Nardo's series on ancient Mesopotamia, part of Lucent's Library of Historical Eras, provides engaging and accessible information on the peoples and cultures that inhabited what is modern-day Iraq. In the introduction to Life and Worship in Ancient Mesopotamia, Nardo reminds readers that 'the past is present' in this region, noting that the basic architecture, the urban markets and the reliance on deeply-help religious beliefs to cope with frequent wars. Subsequent chapters detail daily life, including housing, family life, economic life, slavery, games, sports and travel and religion. The short chapters feature frequent sidebars of high-interest information, such as the popularity of beer, a recipe for bird stew, a lullaby for a prince and Mesopotamian exorcisms."
--Doug's Student Reference Room, July 2009

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