The Sumerians

Rating:
Summary: A Look Inside the Mind of a Great Archaeologist
Review: If you were lucky enough to visit the Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur exhibit at the Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. last year then you saw many of the results of Woolley's genius. The exhibit featured the objects which Woolley recovered in the first part of the last century from the tomb of Puabi, a Sumerian priestess whose court was sacrificed and buried with her.

This book is a look inside his mind, how he viewed the people whose past he was uncovering. Sure, he got some things wrong. He did not have the benefit of the research of countless others who came after him. In particular, he appears convinced that there was something he calls "Sumerian nationalism" which was in conflict with rise of Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia. There is no evidence that the ancient Mesopotamians had a concept of an ethnic group or that this concept was a source of conflict.

Woolley was also writing during an era when it was considered scientific to view history in terms of what he called "race," so he returns regularly to contrast his view of the racial stock of the Sumerians with that of the Semites in Mesopotamia.

Yes, this book is a period piece, but I learned a lot from it, and I am a beginner. Indeed, this is the first history of the Sumerians I have ever read from cover to cover. The listing of the Sumerian King's List early in the book is particularly valuable. I find myself returning to it from time to time. What city was Gilgamesh king of? Oh yes, Erech.

Rating:
Summary: A good introduction for the lay reader
Review: Professor Woolley's relatively short book (194 pages) is divided into seven chapters:

I. The beginnings II. The early history of sumer III. The Period of civil wars IV. Sumerian Society V. The Third Dynasty of Ur VI. Isin and Larsa VII. The claim of Sumer

The first and second chapters are thrilling, introducing the reader to the history, peoples, and ideas of Sumeria. The last chapter summarizes the contributions Sumerian society has made to Egyptian, Greek, and Western Civilization, and I found this particularly fascinating as well. In between, however, I found the text dry, the writing style obtuse, many of the details too cumbersome for the lay reader (but perhaps of interest to the archeologist), and, as a reader below pointed out, the lack of citations disturbing.

One of Woolley's goals in writing this books was to debunk the myth that the Egyptians were the most advanced ancient civilization. In this respect, he has succeeded admirably. His discussion of the development of law was similarly fascinating. However, unless you are particularly interested in law or are an avid reader and collecter of books on Sumeria, I would recommend checking this book out from the library rather than buying it.

Rating:
Summary: A good introduction for the lay reader
Review: Professor Woolley's relatively short book (194 pages) is divided into seven chapters:

I. The beginnings II. The early history of sumer III. The Period of civil wars IV. Sumerian Society V. The Third Dynasty of Ur VI. Isin and Larsa VII. The claim of Sumer

The first and second chapters are thrilling, introducing the reader to the history, peoples, and ideas of Sumeria. The last chapter summarizes the contributions Sumerian society has made to Egyptian, Greek, and Western Civilization, and I found this particularly fascinating as well. In between, however, I found the text dry, the writing style obtuse, many of the details too cumbersome for the lay reader (but perhaps of interest to the archeologist), and, as a reader below pointed out, the lack of citations disturbing.

One of Woolley's goals in writing this books was to debunk the myth that the Egyptians were the most advanced ancient civilization. In this respect, he has succeeded admirably. His discussion of the development of law was similarly fascinating. However, unless you are particularly interested in law or are an avid reader and collecter of books on Sumeria, I would recommend checking this book out from the library rather than buying it.

Rating:
Summary: This is not Scholarship
Review: This book is completely devoid of bibliographic references. There is no bibliography at all, and whatever occasional footnote one might find is merely Woolley elaborating on his own thoughts. I do not remember Wooley once referring to a particular archaeological find or text that is supposed to support his ideas, other than a vague mentioning of the famous Stele of Hammurabi, and in this case he provides no physical data. The book has nothing to offer anyone who wants to seriously research the Sumerians for the purpose of drawing independent conclusions. The book might be interesting to those who simply want to hear Woolley ramble about his interpretation of what happened in the time of the Sumerians and what life was like for them, but even then the book is no use as Woolley's theories are dated, inaccurate, and unsupported.

This is not scholarship. It is just Woolley telling stories.

Rating:
Summary: Outdated?
Review: Woolley said it was the Semetic people who ruined the purity of the Sumerian race and therefore caused the destruction of Sumerian civilization. It was written in the 1960s. Easy to read, less than 200 pages, informative...