Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History2 reviews Nichol Postgate Routledge, 1994 A 'must' for all serious students of ancient Mesopotamia. + Excellent, but dry. Postgate has written an extremely helpful volume for students of ancient Near Eastern history and culture. It is a scholarly work yet quite readable. His emphasis upon geographical and environmental factors is refreshing and fills a needed gap at this level. Brief citations from contemporanious ...             The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament10 reviews John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, ... InterVarsity Press, 2000 Excellent + IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary + You Need This Tool For Sermon & Teaching Prep + A Most Helpful Quick Reference + So much good info             Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible8 reviews John H. Walton Baker Academic, 2006 Excellent Book: Delivers What It Promises And Then Some + informative, innovative + Excellent resource to understand the cognitive context of the OT + To perceive important basics of Israel's ancient cognitive environment             A Biblical History of Israel7 reviews Iain W. Provan, V. Philips Long, ... Westminster John Knox Press, 2003 Turns critical methodology on its head. + Propositions, Not Proof + A Beautifully Argued Book + A necessary book + Thanks!             Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization7 reviews A. Leo Oppenheim, Erica Reiner University Of Chicago Press, 1977 Classic Introduction + A paradigm shift for Assyriology? + Lively, Insightful and Wide-Ranging + A revolutionary view from a revolutionary scholar             The Israelites in History and Tradition (Library of Ancient Israel) Niels Peter Lemche Westminster John Knox Press, 1998 A preeminent international Old Testament historian makes an important contribution to the understanding of the complex people and culture behind the biblical literature.             The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture1 review Francesca Rochberg Cambridge University Press, 2004 A knowledgeable guide Francesca is an amazing instructor at her college, and her years of expertise in the field are truly insightful. The book thoroughly educates and provokes further thought.             Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God1 review Othmar Keel Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1998 Pretty Helpful I found this book for helpful for providing evidence of polytheism in Ancient Israel. It's not easy reading or for the faint of heart.             History of Ancient Egypt: An Introduction2 reviews Erik Hornung Cornell University Press, 1999 EXCELLENT HISTORY BOOK + Masterpiece of Egyptian study Extremely well translated by American Egyptologist David Lorton, Hornung's book covers the history of Ancient Egypt from its Archaic to its Late Periods. It provides a concise description of important events through historical facts. A thorough yet brief explanation of political, economical, ...             The Kingdom of the Hittites6 reviews Trevor Bryce Oxford University Press, USA, 2006 Good book, made better by prolific use of primary sources. + First rate description of a significant Bronze age civilisation. + Why Should You Care About The Hittites? + Excellent book on the Hittites + The Kingdom of the Hittites             The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World (Context of Scripture) (Context of ...2 reviews William W. Hallo Pilgrim Press, 1997 New Ancient Near East + Outstanding, it is on level with Prichards ANE Texts This 3-book series is an extensive update of the classic Pritchard ANET (ancient near-eastern texts). Though some of the texts are shortened from Pritchard's volume, the new texts, number of texts, and more up to date translations and notes more than make this book worthwhile... if you can afford ...             Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Cultural Atlas of)5 reviews John Baines, Jaromir Malek Checkmark Books, 2000 An intellectual and visual delight + Cultural atlas of Ancient Egypt + A well written and illustrated description of egyptian history + Excellent maps and illustrations + A superb guide.             From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire6 reviews Pierre Briant Eisenbrauns, 2002 Achaemenid Persia + A challenging book needing an introduction + Great! + rich and wonderful text + Iran             A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 - 323 BC (Blackwell History of the Ancient World)4 reviews Marc Van De Mieroop Wiley-Blackwell, 2006 An Excellent Survey of Ancient Mesopotamian History + Comprehensive Look at the Entire Region + Excellent Introduction + A History of the Ancient Near East             A History of Ancient Israel and Judah, Second Edition4 reviews James Maxwell Miller, John Haralson Hayes Westminster John Knox Press, 2006 A Nice Introduction to Ancient Israel + Very Good Standard Book J. Maxwell Miller and John H. Hayes' A History of Ancient Israel and Judah provides a solid introduction to the methods and problems of studying the development of the kingdoms that came to be known as Israel and Judah. The book deals with events from the time of Israel's origins (the Late Bronze ...             The Invention of Cuneiform: Writing in Sumer1 review Jean-Jacques Glassner The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003 Very disappointing I put this book at the top of my wish list, hoping to find in it a history of the development of writing in Sumer and a description of how the writing system operates. Instead I found a long-winded, repetitive discussion in the French philosophical tradition of the nature of reality and whether ...             Ancient Texts For The Study Of The Hebrew Bible: A Guide To The Background Literature1 review Kenton L. Sparks Hendrickson Publishers, 2005 Massive Bibliography and Introduction This work will guide you into the massive amount of ancient textual material that is relevant to understanding the ancient world of the Hebrew Bible and the resources that are available with respect to such literature. In addition to extensive bibliographic information regarding the resources ...             Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia4 reviews Jean Bottero University Of Chicago Press, 2004 Excellent introduction. + An Illustrated Dictionary of Ancient Mesopotamia + The Religion/s of Mesopotamia + Good read in the field             The Sacred Bridge: Carta's Atlas of the Biblical World4 reviews Anson F Rainey, R. Steven Notley Carta, 2005 This is a most valuable treatise, not just an atlas + Only for time intensive study + "The Sacred Bridge" - Simply Stunning + A great resource for Bible students             The Kingdom of the Hittites6 reviews Trevor Bryce Oxford University Press, USA, 2006 Good book, made better by prolific use of primary sources. + First rate description of a significant Bronze age civilisation. + Why Should You Care About The Hittites? + Excellent book on the Hittites + The Kingdom of the Hittites