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The Sumerians: History's First Recorded Civilization

In the study of history, it is common that we celebrate and attach importance to the great "firsts" that arise. The ancient Sumerians can be said to be the first true historical civilization, as it was they that invented the written language that would allow historians to look back at accounts of ancient events. Arising from proto-historic roots in the southernmost region of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians would gradually rise to become the world's first true civilization, predating even ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley civilization. They would be among the first to organize their communities into larger cities, develop central administration, grow crops using complex methods of irrigation, and by the time their more than 1,000 year domination of Mesopotamia was over, would become the template and inspiration for the great civilizations of Assyria and Babylon that were to follow them. The Sumerians: History's First Recorded Civilization is a historical book meant to be informative yet approachable, and requires no background in the study of Near Eastern languages or civilizations. This book conveys to the reader the remarkable history of this earliest of known human civilizations in an enjoyable and easy to comprehend manner. Containing several full-color illustrations, a historical summary of the periods of history that led to the Sumerian era and comprised it, descriptions of key archaeological sites, a section on the historical deciphrement of the Sumerian language, a selected bibliography of key works for those who wish to learn more about the Sumerians, and much, much more, this book endeavors to act as a key piece of groundwork for the history buff interested in learning about the first civilization in recorded history itself. This work also contains detailed descriptions of the kings and events of the Akkadian empire, which briefly conquered the Sumerian city-states late in the 3rd millennium BCE and would have a massive impact of the history of Sumer. Covering the history of the Sumerians from the earliest days of the pre-dynastic periods to the invasions of the Amorites under Hammurabi, this book takes the reader through the entire history of Sumer and endeavors to give as much historical background and context as possible along the way.

File Size: 3582 KB

Print Length: 94 pages

Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited

Publication Date: January 28, 2016

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B01B8M1CQ4

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #23,556 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer #2 in Books > History > Ancient Civilizations > Mesopotamia #4 in Books > History > Middle East > Iraq

As an introduction I give this 5 stars because it was well written and explained the relation of Sumerian civilization with the rest of the ancient world which is exactly what I was looking for. Also, even though I know this isn't the place for a review of the platform and functionality many others rate books with 1 star exclusively based upon that so I felt this might even things out a bit. There was no problems with the functionality of this text and I'm not using a Kindle product, just an app on my samsung phone. It worked perfectly.

I have a great interest in the Sumerian period. Most people may not care for this book since it's story is so ancient but it an important time as it brought forth so much progress in civilization. There is a lot of detail in this book that makes it a little hard reading but I found it most interesting to learn about an ancient people who could invent writing, time, the wheel, math & even a battery 5,000 yrs ago. This is a great book for the historian, scholar but it is not a book for easy reading RAG

The Sumerians: History's First Civilization by Duncan Ryan is a scholarly work detailing the rise and fall of the Sumerian civilization. I enjoyed the book, but it is not for everyone. A lot of the information Is "who begat whom" in an effort to establish a kingly lineage for the various ruling city states making up the "Sumerian Empire."

At times the list form of running through the King's list got tiresome, but I couldn't think of a better way to structure it without extending the book beyond your intended length.For someone looking to get my feet wet, this was perfect.

A Well written book, concise, and very simplified. I wish it addresses more economic, economic, cultural, and art history of the Sumerians. It's treaties on language and math are too short and make hunger for more.

Provided an interesting background on ancient civilizations and their evolution in relation to biblical accounts. Makes me look at biblical accounts with a different perspective.

Duncan Ryan provides accessible and engaging introductions to historical topics that are badly needed today. I only wish these books had been available when I was younger, as they would undoubtedly have sparked an interest in history I never had then.It would be interesting to have course curricula designed around these short texts to provide students with introductory information about various periods and civilizations and to pique their interest and inspire them to choose history and/or archaeology as their field of endeavor. I'm almost certain I would have made that choice.

Good read, lays the foundation for further more in-depth readings on Sumer. Well organized, easy to follow, I recommend it for anyone looking to gain knowledge of the Sumerian civilization.

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