Benjamin Read Foster

"Before the Muses offers a comprehensive anthology in new English translations, of the best writing from the Mesopotamian lands of Babylonia and Assyria: myths, epics, love poetry, prophecy, hymns, prayers, stories, wisdom, proverbs, and magic spells. The richness and variety of this ancient written legacy reveal the ideas, beliefs, feelings, and artful expression of men and women who speak to us from the dawn of civilization."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

An Anthology of Akkadian Literature

Before the Muses

Karen Polinger Foster

""Civilizations of Ancient Iraq" is an elegantly engaging account of cultural and political history around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from the first human settlements to the coming of Islam. Equally importantly the authors describe the rediscovery of Mesopotamia beginning in the mid-nineteenth century and highlight the dire state of Iraqi heritage today. They deftly interweave quotations from Babylonian and Sumerian literature with the latest archaeological and historical research to bring their narrative to life."--Eleanor Robson, author of "Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History" "With its penetrating asides about Iraq's archaeological history and the recent fate of its antiquities, this introduction to the country's ancient history will be a revelation to general readers. Iraqi history has not been covered before with this concision or with this concern for the history of archaeology and how the archaeological record has been affected by the country's current conditions. "Civilizations of Ancient Iraq" is written with flair."--Daniel C. Snell, author of "Life in the Ancient Near East" "Original and unique, this ambitious grand survey provides a refreshing history of ancient Iraq in its entirety in one brief and accessible volume. Considering the current crisis in Iraq, and especially the catastrophe facing its ancient heritage, general readers should find this book interesting. It should also inspire students and scholars to approach the history of ancient Iraq as a whole rather than a set of fragments."--Marc Van De Mieroop, author of "King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography"

Civilizations of Ancient Iraq

A selection and abridgment of Benjamin Foster's comprehensive, two-volume work on Babylonian and Assyrian literature, Before the Muses. This paperback edition is well-suited for college courses in Biblical Studies, Classical Studies, Religious Thought, Mythology, or Comparative Literature. Among the many compositions included are: Epic of Creation; Story of the Flood; When Ishtar Went to the Netherworld; How Nergal Became King of the Netherworld; How Adapa Lost Immortality; Etana; the King without an Heir; Anzu the Bird Who Stole Destiny; How Erra Wrecked the World; Legends of Sargon of Akkad; Legend of Naram-Sin; Tukulti-Ninurta Epic; Nebuchadnezzar and Marduk; Tiglath-Pileser and the Beasts; The King of Justice; Letters from Gods; Marduk Prophecy; Oracles to Assyrian Kings; Prayers to the Gods; Coronation Prayer for Assyrian Kings; Sargon II for His New City; Assurbanipal Pious Scholar; Nebuchadnezzar II for His Public Works; Diviners' Prayers; Dialogue between a Man and His God; Poem of the Righteous Sufferer; A Sufferer's Salvation; The Babylonian Theodicy; Who Has Not Sinned?; The Piteous Sufferer; Elegy for a Woman Dead in Childbirth; Love Charms; Love Lyrics; Ishtar at the Tavern; The Faithful Lover; At the Cleaners; The Poor Man of Nippur; Why Do You Curse Me?; The Jester; The Gilgamesh Letter; The Dialogue of Pessimism; Land for the Birds; Counsels of Wisdom.

Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia

From Distant Days

Before the Muses: Archaic, classical, mature

Umma in the Sargonic Period

An English-language rendering of the world's oldest epic follows the journey of conquest and self-discovery by the king of Uruk, in an edition that includes an introduction that places the story in its historical and cultural context.

Benjamin Read Foster

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