The Sumerians

The History and Legacy of the Ancient Mesopotamian Empire That Established Civilization

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Neil Holmes

When American archaeologists discovered a collection of cuneiform tablets in Iraq in the late 19th century, they were confronted with a language and a people who were at the time only scarcely known to even the most knowledgeable scholars of ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians. The exploits and achievements of other Mesopotamian peoples, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians, were already known to a large segment of the population through the Old Testament, and the nascent field of Near Eastern studies had unraveled the enigma of the Akkadian language that was widely used throughout the region in ancient times, but the discovery of the Sumerian tablets brought to light the existence of the Sumerian culture, which was the oldest of all the Mesopotamian cultures.

Although the Sumerians continue to get second or even third billing compared to the Babylonians and Assyrians, perhaps because they never built an empire as great as the Assyrians or established a city as enduring and great as Babylon, they were the people who provided the template of civilization that all later Mesopotamians built upon. The Sumerians are credited with being the first people to invent writing, libraries, cities, and schools in Mesopotamia (Ziskind 1972, 34), and many would argue that they were the first people to create and do those things anywhere in world.

For a people so great, it is unfortunate that their accomplishments and contributions, not only to Mesopotamian civilization but to civilization in general, largely go unnoticed by the majority of the public.

©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River Editors

Not worth the credit

Although the topic and delivery were excellent way too short for the credit used ... I wouldn't recommend.

Brief overview

I purchased this book to delve a little deeper into the Sumerians but honestly didnt learn anything new. Amazon Prime great course on Mesopotamia and the two Audible books (Long course by Prof Aldrete(?) & the 12 hr lecture on Ancients) cover this material better. Wasnt worth the 4.95 IMO unless you havent listened to the other courses, then this one will be confusing so worth a skip in any event. Also, the narrator appears to be computer generated... sounded...off.

left me curious for more

I enjoyed this very short summary if an ancient people whose culture seems to be the building block or a great influence on the first great cultures to arise in the mesoporltamian region. Old testament stories echo in the nearly forgotten tales of these people. I would like to read more about gilgamesh and any more recent anthropological or cultural discoveries.

love these

interesting facts if you're into old religion and ancient life like I am. great "read" while I'm at work.

A simple overview

An interesting, simple overview of a fascinating culture and people, with numerous mispronunciatons by the reader.