The Sumerian World

1. Physical geography
2. Hydraulic landscapes and irrigation systems of Sumer
3. Sumerian agriculture and land management
4. The end of prehistory and the Uruk period
5. The Sumerian language
6. History and chronology
7. Patterns of settlement in Sumer and Akkad
8. The organisation of a Sumerian town: the physical remains of ancient social systems
9. Public buildings, palaces and temples
10. Kings and queens: representation and reality
11. The Sumerian sacred marriage: texts and images
12. In the service of the gods: the ministering clergy
13. Democracy and the rule of law, the assembly and the first law code
14. Administrators and scholars: the first scribes
15. Calendars and counting
16. Seals and sealings in the Sumerian World
17. Everyday life in Sumer
18. Women and agency: a survey from Late Uruk to the end of Ur III
19. A note on Sumerian fashion
20. Sumerian and Akkadian industries: crafting textiles
21. Death and burial
22. Sumerian mythology
23. Trade in the Sumerian World
24. North Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC
25. Cultural developments in western Syria and the middle Euphrates Valley during the third millennium BC
26. Sumer, Akkad, Ebla and Anatolia
27. The Kingdom of Mari
28. Ebla
29. Iran and its neighbors
30. The Sumerians and the Gulf
31. Mesopotamia, Meluhha, and those in between
32. Egypt and Mesopotamia
33. The Mesopotamian marshlands: a personal recollection

The Sumerian World explores the archaeology, history and art of southern Mesopotamia and its relationships with its neighbours from c.3,000 - 2,000BC. Including material hitherto unpublished from recent excavations, the articles are organised thematically using evidence from archaeology, texts and the natural sciences. This broad treatment makes the volume of interest to students looking for comparative data in allied subjects such as ancient literature and early religions. Providing an authoritative, comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the Sumerian period written by some of the best-qualified scholars in the field, The Sumerian World will satisfy students, researchers, academics and the knowledgeable layperson wishing to understand the world of southern Mesopotamia in the third millennium.