msiduri's Full Review: J.N. Postgate - Early Mesopotamia: Society and Eco...
According the blurb on the cover, the author is "Reader in Mesopotamian Studies at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the British Academy." The focus of the book is Mesopotamia from 3000-1500 BCE. After the latter date (the era of the Kassite hegemony, a foreign people probably from the Zagros Mountains to the Northeast), the author states, Mesopotamian society changed so much, despite retaining language, script and literary traditions that the history becomes something of a different order, its relationship rather like that of the Byzantine Empire with 5th century BCE Athens. His interest is, as the title states, economics, though he does not ignore the rich literary texts. Most of these, though, come from the period after which he wishes to write about.
Postgate discusses just about every area of life in ancient Mesopotamia, from livestock to religion to bureaucracy to trade and crafts to home and family life, intending to shed light on every possible corner. Though viewing all these areas with economics in mind seems at first glance to be a dull way to go about it, it does bring about a lot of information about the people themselves. For example, colonies of Assyrian merchants in Anatolia (modern Turkey) often wrote not only their inventory lists, but sent letters of warning on a crackdown on smuggling. "Please do not smuggle anything," writes one merchant to an agent. "If you pass through Timilkia leave your iron [an extremely valuable quantity at this time] which you are bringing through in a friendly house in Timilkia, and leave one of your lads whom you trust, and come through yourself and we can discuss it." p. 214
Sumerian was spoken for the most part up until about 2000 BCE, when it is thought that, like Latin in medieval Europe, it remained a language written for religious and scholarly uses, while the daily language was Akkadian, a language related to Hebrew and Arabic. There are short translations of texts throughout the book, most of them lists for what appears to be bookkeeping purposes. The lists seldom make for exciting reading--items dedicated to gods, a bride's dowry, household goods, goods to be bought or sold--but do give a clue as to what life was like. Many contain the names objects or phrases whose exact meaning remain uncertain. For example:
Baksisum has received [x] shekels of silver from Mannum-ki-iliya. He has placed his son as pledge. If Baksisum (wishes to redeem[?]) his son, he shall pay the silver together with its interest. If (the son) dies or escapes, he will take his silver from Baksisum. (7 witnesses, including a smith.) p. 194
There are also black and white photographs of various artifacts such as tablets and other items inscribed with cuneiform, statues, tools, line drawings, maps, cylinder seals with their impressions, and numerous other things. These and the translated texts are itemized and listed in indexes in the front of the book.
This is not a leisurely read, though it is not so bogged down it technical terms and details as to make it accessible to specialists only. The reader can expect to encounter names of unfamiliar places and a number of Sumerian, Akkadian and Assyrian terms. The book is large and heavy, 366 pages, including the extensive notes and indexes. At the end of each chapter is a list of books and articles for further reading, often with comments from the author on the writings he cites.
I find it interesting that this book, first published in 1992, is dedicated to the people of Iraq, as if the author wishes to say that wars come and go, but society and scholarly inquiry remain. He probably did not then imagine the sanctions on Iraq or its isolation continuing this long. There are repeated calls throughout the book for not only continued translation of texts but archaeological exploration despite political difficulties.
Sadly, it is not possible for me to recommend this book to readers who have little or no interest in ancient history, particularly as it deals with such an obscure area so far removed from us. (Yes, I know such readers are out there!) I have to make my recommendation provisional: for anyone who is interested in the history of a the ancient Near East enough to make your way around the karum (a colony of foreign merchants) and the sila dagala (city square), this book is ninda (bread) and kash (beer).
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