BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 THE ORIGINS OF MESOPOTAMIAN HISTORY -- BACKGROUND INFORMATION -- THE CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE OF ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA -- ACHIEVEMENTS -- CLASSICAL, MEDIEVAL, AND MODERN VIEWS OF MESOPOTAMIA -- MODERN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS -- THE EMERGENCE OF MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION -- THE BEGINNINGS OF AGRICULTURE -- THE EMERGENCE OF CULTURES -- MESOPOTAMIAN PROTOHISTORY -- CHAPTER 2 SUMERIAN CIVILIZATION -- SUMERIAN LANGUAGE -- SUMERIAN CITY LIFE -- LITERARY AND OTHER HISTORICAL SOURCES -- FIRST HISTORICAL PERSONALITIES -- EMERGENT CITY-STATES -- TERRITORIAL STATES -- SARGON'S REIGN -- ASCENDANCY OF AKKAD -- THE END OF THE DYNASTY -- THE THIRD DYNASTY OF UR -- ADMINISTRATION -- ETHNIC, GEOGRAPHIC, AND INTELLECTUAL CONSTITUENTS -- UR III IN DECLINE -- CHAPTER 3 THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD -- POLITICAL FRAGMENTATION -- LITERARY TEXTS AND INCREASING DECENTRALIZATION -- EARLY HISTORY OF ASSYRIA -- THE OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE -- BABYLONIAN LAW -- BABYLONIAN LITERATURE -- THE HURRIANS -- CHAPTER 4 MESOPOTAMIA TO THE END OF THE ACHAEMENIAN PERIOD -- THE KASSITES IN BABYLONIA -- THE HURRIAN AND MITANNI KINGDOMS -- THE RISE OF ASSYRIA -- BABYLONIA UNDER THE SECOND DYNASTY OF ISIN -- ASSYRIA BETWEEN 1200 AND 1000 BC -- ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA UNTIL ASHURNASIRPAL II -- ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA UNTIL ASHURNASIRPAL II -- SHALMANESER III AND SHAMSHI-ADAD V OF ASSYRIA -- ADAD-NIRARI III AND HIS SUCCESSORS -- THE NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE (746-609) -- TIGLATH-PILESER III AND SHALMANESER V -- SARGON II (721-705) AND MARDUK-APAL-IDDINA OF BABYLONIA -- SENNACHERIB -- ESARHADDON -- ASHURBANIPAL (668-627) AND SHAMASH-SHUM-UKIN (668-648) -- DECLINE OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE -- THE NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRE -- NEBUCHADREZZAR II -- THE LAST KINGS OF BABYLONIA -- MESOPOTAMIA UNDER THE PERSIANS.

CHAPTER 5 MESOPOTAMIA FROM C. 320 BC TO C. AD 620 -- THE SELEUCID PERIOD -- SELEUCUS -- POLITICAL DIVISIONS -- GREEK INFLUENCE -- THE PARTHIAN PERIOD -- MITHRADATES II AND HIS SUCCESSORS -- CONFLICT WITH ROME -- DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES -- PARTHIAN ARTS -- THE SASANIAN PERIOD -- ARDASHIR I AND HIS SUCCESSORS -- WARS WITH THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE -- POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND TAXATION -- CHAPTER 6 MESOPOTAMIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE -- SUMERIAN PERIOD -- ARCHITECTURE -- SCULPTURE -- AKKADIAN PERIOD -- ARCHITECTURE -- SCULPTURE -- SUMERIAN REVIVAL -- ASSYRIAN PERIOD -- ARCHITECTURE -- SCULPTURE -- PAINTING AND DECORATIVE ARTS -- NEO-BABYLONIAN PERIOD -- CHAPTER 7 MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION -- STAGES OF RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT -- THE LITERARY LEGACY: MYTH AND EPIC -- SUMERIAN LITERATURE -- MYTHS -- EPICS -- AKKADIAN LITERATURE -- THE MESOPOTAMIAN WORLDVIEW AS EXPRESSED IN MYTH -- COSMOGONY AND COSMOLOGY -- THE GODS AND DEMONS -- HUMAN ORIGINS, NATURE, AND DESTINY -- INSTITUTIONS AND PRACTICES -- CITY-STATE AND NATIONAL STATE -- CULT -- SACRED TIMES -- ADMINISTRATION -- SACRED PLACES -- THE MAGICAL ARTS -- RELIGIOUS ART AND ICONOGRAPHY -- APPENDIX A: MESOPOTAMIAN GODS AND GODDESSES -- ADAD -- AN -- ASHUR -- ENKI -- ENLIL -- ERESHKIGAL -- INANNA -- NANNA -- NINLIL -- TAMMUZ -- UTU -- APPENDIX B: MESOPOTAMIAN CITIES -- ASHUR -- BORSIPPA -- ERECH -- ERIDU -- ESHNUNNA -- KISH -- LAGASH -- MARI -- NINEVEH -- NIPPUR -- TALL AL-'UBAYD -- UR -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- GENERAL WORKS -- PREHISTORY TO THE OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD -- MESOPOTAMIA TO THE END OF THE ACHAEMENIAN PERIOD -- MESOPOTAMIA FROM C. 320 BC TO C. AD 620 -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.