A Reading Bibliography for the ED Period

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An Early Dynastic Reading Bibliography

First I should explain the origin and significance of these reading suggestions. For the below insight into the secondary literature of the Mesopotamian archaeology of the early period, I am indebted to Prof. Clemens Reichel, who has been my instructor for some years now. The excellent series of courses Prof. Reichel gives at UofT have been structured around a series of hand picked articles and chapters which the Prof. favors, and this is a result of his (correct) notion that no single text book on the subject offers sufficient breadth and depth. There is no single satisfactory textbook on Mesopotamian archaeology. Therefore the learner is better advised to study the focused and innovative articles and chapters listed in this bibliography.


While I would have much preferred to request permission to reproduce the list below, the Prof. is a little to busy at the moment for such requests. However the sharing of references is something in line with the spirit of scholarship, the spread of reliable and authoritative information, and such a list does not represent original work per se. The format is Section 1: specification of reading chapter and articles; Section 2: Bibliography that gives the full title of the works specified in section 1.








Section 1: Recommended Reading for the ED period:





Cities in Conflict: the Early Dynastic Period (2,900 - 2,300 BC)

• Roaf, M.: 1990: 78-95. “States in conflict”

• Nissen, H.: 1988: 129-64 “5. The period of rival city states, (2800-2350 B.C.)” [R]

• Postgate, J.N.: 1994: “2. Cities and Dynasties [The Early Dynastic Period, pp. 25-35]; “6. The Temple” [pp. 109-36]; “7. The palace [I. on Kish, pp. 137-40]; “13. War and Peace” [pp. 241-59]

• Hansen, D.P.: 2003a. “Art of the early city-states,” in: Aruz, J. and Wallenfels, R. (eds.) Art of the First Cities. The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus.
New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. New Haven and London: Yale UniversityPress: 21-42.

• Umma-Lagash Border conflict: Textural Sources

Pollock, S.: 1999. “5. A changing way of life: the oikos-based economy of the third millennium,” pp. 117-48 [on economy; ]

• Pollock, S.: 1999. “7. Ideology and images of power,” pp. 173-195. [royal imagery from Uruk to Akkadian period; .

• Potts, D.T.: 1997. “VIII. Some material correlates of religious life,” pp. 185-207.[temple and ritual; ].

• Pollock, S.: 1999. “8. Death and the ideology of community,” pp. 196-217 [on Royal Cemetery of Ur etc.; ].

• Hansen, D.P.: 1995. “Royal Building Activity at Sumerian Lagash in the Early Dynastic Period,” Biblical Archaeologist 55.4: 206-211.


• Hansen, D.P.: 2003b. “Temple” and “Palace” [with contributions by K. Wilson, J. Evans, B. Andr-Salvini, J.F. de Lapérouse, P. Collins] in: Aruz, J. and Wallenfels, R. (eds.) Art of the First Cities. The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the
Indus. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. New Haven and London: Yale University Press: 58-91. [votive sculpture, inlays; ]

• Potts, D.T.: 1997. “X. Mortuary Practices,” pp. 220-235.

• Baadsgaard, A. and Monge, J. and Cox, S. and Zettler, R.: 2011.

"Human sacrifice and intentional corpse preservation in the Royal Cemetery of Ur," Antiquity 85 (327): 27-
42. [new results on the retainers from the Royal Cemetery graves; ]

• Zettler, R.: 1998 (ed.). Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.


• Cooper, J. S.: 1983. Reconstructing history from ancient inscriptions : the Lagash-Umma border conflict. Malibu: Undena Publications.








Section 2: Bibliography






• Roaf, M.: 1990. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. Oxford:
Equinox.

• van de Mieroop, M.: 2004. A history of the ancient Near East ca. 3000-323 B. C.
Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishing (2nd ed.).

• Postgate, J.N.: 1994. Early Mesopotamia: society and economy at the dawn of history.
Routledge.

• Matthews, R.: 2003. The Archaeology of Mesopotamia. Theories and Approaches.
London: Routledge.

• Nissen H.J.: 1988. The early history of the ancient Near East, 9000-2000 B.C. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.


• Pollock, S.: 1999. Ancient Mesopotamia: the Eden that never was. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

• Algaze, G.: 2008. Ancient Mesopotamia at the Dawn of Civilization. The Evolution of
the Urban Landscape. Chicago: University Press.
[two chapters required; will be provided through Blackboard;

• Potts, D.T.: 1997. Mesopotamian Civilization. The material foundations. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. [some chapters required; will be provided through Blackboard

• Roux, G.: 1992. Ancient Iraq (3rd ed). New York: Penguin Books.