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Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary
Jeremy Black and Antony Green, illus. by Tessa Rickards
(Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 1992) 192 pp., $19.95, paper
This basic guidebook introduces the culture that gave the world both literacy and city life—ancient Mesopotamia (c. 3000 B.C. to c. 100 A.D.). Alphabetized, cross-references entries illustrated with Photographs, diagrams and line drawings explain beliefs and customs revealed in Mesopotamian art and writing. An introduction places the information in a historical, geographical and cultural setting, and a brief list of readings gives direction for further study.
The Royal City of Susa: Ancient Near Eastern Treasures in the Louvre
ed. Prudence O. Harper, Joan Aruz and Francoise Tallon
(New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art/Harry N. Abrams, 1992) 336 pp., $60.00
Susa, a city of ancient Elam (in modern Iran), was continually occupied from about 4000 B.C. until the 13th century A.D. This handsome volume-profusely illustrated with excellent black-and-white and color photos-is much more than an exhibit catalogue of over 200 objects spanning Susa’s history. Besides the detailed discussions of the seals, statues, inscriptions, tiles and bricks in the exhibit, it includes scholarly essays on the history of art and excavations in the area and on the development of writing.
The Macmillan Bible Atlas
Yohanan Aharoni, Michael Avi-Yonah, Anson F. Rainey and Ze’ev Safrai, revised third edition
(New York: Macmillan, 1993) 215 pp., $35.00
Updated after 15 years to reflect new knowledge gained from recent archaeological excavations, this highly regarded work features 272 two-color maps and a detailed text covering religious, political, military and economic events of Biblical history. In the Old Testament: section, nearly every map has been rewritten. The Second Temple section has also been extensively revised, especially in regard to Herodian Jerusalem.
Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary
