Review (PDF) Ur: The History And Legacy Of The Ancient Sumerian Capital
*Includes pictures*Includes ancient passages and accounts about Ur written by Babylonian kings and others*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contentsWhen 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. Long before Alexandria was a city and even before Memphis and Babylon had attained greatness, the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur stood foremost among ancient Near Eastern cities. Today, the greatness and cultural influence of Ur has been largely forgotten by most people, partially because its monuments have not stood the test of time the way other ancient culture’s monuments have. For instance, the monuments of Egypt were made of stone while those of Ur and most other Mesopotamian cities were made of mud brick and as will be discussed in this report, mud brick may be an easier material to work with than stone but it also decays much quicker. The same is true to a certain extent for the written documents that were produced at Ur. The people of Mesopotamia, which Ur was part of, employed the cuneiform system of writing; since cuneiform was almost always written on clay tablets, modern scholars have been forced with the unfortunate problem that many of those tablets have been broken and made unreadable throughout the centuries. Despite the ephemeral nature of its monuments and to some extent its written texts, Ur proved to be an inspiration to the Sumerians who built the city and also to later cultures and dynasties that inhabited Mesopotamia.An examination of primary sources relating to Ur, as well as archaeological excavations done in the ancient city reveal that the city was a cultural beacon for thousands of years. Ur began as a Sumerian city of secondary importance but quickly grew to be the most important Sumerian city. At its height Ur was the center of a great dynasty that controlled most of Mesopotamia directly through a well maintained army and bureaucracy and the areas that were not under its direct control were influenced by Ur’s diplomats and religious ideas. This study will also reveal that Ur was a truly resilient city because it survived the downfall of the Sumerians, outright destruction at the hands of the Elamites, and later occupations by numerous other peoples, which included Saddam Hussein more recently. Ur inspired the imaginations of ancient peoples, but it has also enraptured the minds of moderns, who have worked for over 150 years to unlock the city’s mysteries. Truly, when it comes to important ancient cities, Ur should be counted among the greatest.Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital traces the history and legacy of one of the most influential cities of antiquity. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the history of Ur like never before, in no time at all.
File Size: 3034 KB
Print Length: 48 pages
Publisher: Charles River Editors (December 2, 2015)
Publication Date: December 2, 2015
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B018W3ZG2I
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #21,393 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 #10 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > History
Every few days I get an email from charlesrivereditors.com featuring three of their ebooks, usually $3-$5, available for free on Kindle for a short time. The subjects are usually pop culture or history, and so far I have read, among others, their books on Coney Island, the General Slocum fire and sinking, Francis Gary Powers, the Titanic, and now this book on Ur. I suppose a main part of the series' attraction for me is the breadth of the subjects covered; I probably wouldn't have read a book on the General Slocum or Ur if I hadn't come across it in their listings.The CRE format is pretty simple: a short book, maybe about 50-70 pages, with a light overview of the subject, but enough to make you decide if you want to learn more on the topic (there's a short bibliography at the end). Proofreading, considering it's a cheap or free ebook, is pretty good, and they include a variety of illustrations in reasonable resolution. Factually, as far as I've determined, they're correct, but there's no real research involved. Their book on the Titanic, for example, failed to mention the role weak rivets may have played in its sinking, a problem revealed as far back as 7 years ago. They usually start each of the 7 or 8 brief chapters with an extended quote from a publication written at the time of the subject covered.This book, on Ur, is somewhat different, since it's hard to find news stories written 6000 years ago, so more of the book is original text by the anonymous editors. It lacks the detail of the Wikipedia article but has better pictures, and ends well before growing tiresome. In all, like the other CRE books I've read, it's a fine book at the price of $0, but I'd definitely have wanted to see a sample before spending $3 on it.
A people called The Sumerians came from no one knows where, and settled in the lower Mesopotamian delta. A marshland that would soon be turned into Greatest civilization of the ancient middle east. Although Uruk would become the first and largest city Ur, would be the religious center of Sumer. Is a history of the rise and fall, and rise again of this remarkable city. Even though every empire of the ancient middle east ruled Ur.( at one time or another.) The city weathered every storm of invasion. This book details every aspect of the long history or Ur. I recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing how the middle east began.
I like this book because it is about a city & culture not fascinates me & I am writing a book about it. This book provides me with a lot of material I can use (with proper credits). You must be a student of history & interested in Sumerian culture & history to like it. It is not for the average novel reader. It is a part of the Charles River Editors series on history of much of the world. These are short, edited books on various areas of the world that are cheap to buy & a relatively quick read. I like them but many won't. Historians will find them too short & not delving deeply into history. Others will find them boring because there is only history & no story (although most tell the story of the discoverers & excavators of the sites). It's ok for it's use.
The book Ur: the History and Legacy of the Ancient Samarian Capital was interesting. I especially enjoyed reading this book and comparing this ancient culture with references in the Bible. As with most Charles River's Editors books the book was brief and concise. I would like to learn a lot more about this culture but since it's in Iraq it will be years or more before one can obtain information about the culture.
This book traces the history and legacy of Ur, one of the most influential cities of antiquity. Supported with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn the history of the Sumerian established city, Ur. Written in an easy to understand and interesting manner, I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. Because Sumeria and its cities were the first recorded civilization it is especially interesting and even exciting to learn how the people first adapted, organized, and innovated to resolve the multitude of issues and problems related to living close to each other in large numbers. I encourage everyone to read this well written book!
This book is(like all the CHARLES RIVER EDITOR BOOKS I have read) is factual, well researched and easy to understand. It also is a book that can be read in a short time as on a comute.
Another great job by the Charles River people helping make us more aware of the ancient past
This book is easy to read. Quick intro to those curious of Ur's history. This is my first book on Sumerian culture so I hope it was true to the evidence.
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