![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I came across this book from the Codex website of all places. I looked to see what books they were recommending on Chinese history, and as one was by my ex-professor who is one of my all time favourite Chinese historians I thought there opinions would be reasonably trustworthy. The book rather than trying to give a standard history of Mesopotamian history looked at ten different cities within the region and the history of each, with each city representing a slightly different age. It was an interesting approach. I felt that it worked better in the early part of the book where there was less going on outside the city, for the later chapters it was harder to focus on just events in the city as politics and invasions were a much larger part of the story. Without a lot of previous knowledge about the area this was at times a little confusing. But on the whole the book was very interesting and I felt that I learned a lot.
I am fascinated by early urban settings. I love cities, and the idea of cities in all ages. Leick combined the historical setting with reports of its excavation, and current to print, explanations of current restoration attempts. One thing that stood out was the development in ideas. I remember two years ago learning about the royal graves of Ur, they were used as a comparison with Shang dynasty Chinese graves that had been found, also with large numbers of men and women buried alongside the “main” burials. The Chinese graves had been interpreted as “accompaniers in death” men and women who had voluntarily been buried with their leaders. It was interesting to see so many similarities between two such ancient cultures. However, Leick talks about the most recent archaeological analysis of the Ur graves which gives a different picture. There are now several theories as to why there were extra bodies buried. It turns out that not all the bodies buried came from the same time, rather it is thought that they were put there at different times, over a period of decades as a form of second burial, and status to be placed near the royal tombs. This was quite interesting and made me wonder if similar enquires had been made about the Chinese gravesites.
There were also several fascinating accounts of women’s history within the book. It was interesting to see the status of women and the important roles that they held within the ancient society. I have to say I was quite amazed at the lengthy sources that have surveyed written by women from so many thousands of years ago. One was the story of Enheduanna who was a priestess in 2000 BCE, a translation of which has been made by Anette Zgoll. There was a strong tradition for religious women, in particular Leich looked at the Naditu women of Shamash in Sippar. These were women who lived in their own community, often these women came from the wealthiest families within the city and it was considered to be an honour. These woman had to support themselves and were active participants in the economy, quite different to nuns in Christianity or Buddhism. They were expected not to bear any children, though whether or not they were required to be celibate is not known. These women were also allowed to inherit a share of their parents estate and have control over it, normally a woman’s share would go to her husband. It is interesting that the women who lived as Naditu had longer life expectancies than other women, presumably because they did not have the risk of childbirth. These women numbered in the hundreds and had their own “granary, an administrative building and perhaps workshops, as well as a small arable plot of land.” (180).
The book was also rich in literate accounts and examples from myths and religious rituals that had been translated into English. These added a great depth to the book and made it more enjoyable.
(for my notes 241 211 192 182 120 114)
I am fascinated by early urban settings. I love cities, and the idea of cities in all ages. Leick combined the historical setting with reports of its excavation, and current to print, explanations of current restoration attempts. One thing that stood out was the development in ideas. I remember two years ago learning about the royal graves of Ur, they were used as a comparison with Shang dynasty Chinese graves that had been found, also with large numbers of men and women buried alongside the “main” burials. The Chinese graves had been interpreted as “accompaniers in death” men and women who had voluntarily been buried with their leaders. It was interesting to see so many similarities between two such ancient cultures. However, Leick talks about the most recent archaeological analysis of the Ur graves which gives a different picture. There are now several theories as to why there were extra bodies buried. It turns out that not all the bodies buried came from the same time, rather it is thought that they were put there at different times, over a period of decades as a form of second burial, and status to be placed near the royal tombs. This was quite interesting and made me wonder if similar enquires had been made about the Chinese gravesites.
There were also several fascinating accounts of women’s history within the book. It was interesting to see the status of women and the important roles that they held within the ancient society. I have to say I was quite amazed at the lengthy sources that have surveyed written by women from so many thousands of years ago. One was the story of Enheduanna who was a priestess in 2000 BCE, a translation of which has been made by Anette Zgoll. There was a strong tradition for religious women, in particular Leich looked at the Naditu women of Shamash in Sippar. These were women who lived in their own community, often these women came from the wealthiest families within the city and it was considered to be an honour. These woman had to support themselves and were active participants in the economy, quite different to nuns in Christianity or Buddhism. They were expected not to bear any children, though whether or not they were required to be celibate is not known. These women were also allowed to inherit a share of their parents estate and have control over it, normally a woman’s share would go to her husband. It is interesting that the women who lived as Naditu had longer life expectancies than other women, presumably because they did not have the risk of childbirth. These women numbered in the hundreds and had their own “granary, an administrative building and perhaps workshops, as well as a small arable plot of land.” (180).
The book was also rich in literate accounts and examples from myths and religious rituals that had been translated into English. These added a great depth to the book and made it more enjoyable.
(for my notes 241 211 192 182 120 114)