Early Mesopotamia and Iran

The Early Sumerian texts tell how civilization began again in the Land of the Two Rivers, after the Flood when Sumerian Noah, Utnapishtim, was saved through divine intervention. The Archaeological identification of fluviatile deposts at Kish and Shuruppak confirms the ancient legends which recall a widespread disastrous flood. The findings of archaeology also credit the Sumerians with one of the accomplishments which rendered man civilized, namely, writing. The same people were, however, outstanding in the invention and the execution of what may be themed the "polite arts" which include architecture. The remains of one of their outstanding architectural moments, the ziggurat, may still be seen in the plains of Mesopotamia and is the true ancestor of the Tower of Babel and the legends that go with it. Professor Mallowan has worked for many years on archaeological sites in the Middle East and has set down for the general reader and University student alike some of the basic information which is needed for a proper appreciation of human achievement in Mesopotamia and Iran in the third millennium B C. This evidence is not always easily accessible and the text serves to elucidate and clarify some of the text and act as a pictorial guide to this important area that was the cradle of civilization as we know it today.