---
product_id: 4226350
title: "Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization"
price: "4986 kr"
currency: ISK
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/4226350-babylon-mesopotamia-and-the-birth-of-civilization
store_origin: IS
region: Iceland
---

# Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization

**Price:** 4986 kr
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## Description

Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization [Kriwaczek, Paul] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization

Review: This is an excellent survey of ancient Mesopotamian civilisation - This is an excellent survey of ancient Mesopotamian civilisation, from its beginnings 5000 years ago until the occupation of Babylon by Cyrus of Persia. Kriwaczek writes in an erudite journalistic style that is a pleasure to read. The author uses major historical events to provide a kind of narrative tension, and between these he draws on many different sources to recreate detailed impresssions of ancient daily life, including excerpts from the actual stories, myths, epic poems and letters preserved on steles and clay tablets. The result is a remarkably well paced overview of human civilisation as an arc, passing through different societies over thousands of years. The book itself is a very satisfying read, but it also concludes with a long annotated reading list, for those want to explore specific topics in more detail. * Note that the Kindle edition has all of the maps (there are 8 of them) but none of the photo illustrations, which is really a pity. And I can't imagine why it should have been so difficult to include them: even a low-res black & white photo would be enough to give first-timers like me an idea of what a ziggurat looks like, for example. But the text of the book still reads well enough without them.
Review: The Driest Four Stars I have Issued - Much of the book was dry and hard to digest. It was excellent. I don't think this was the author's fault, though. It is subject matter. The author had a writing style I really liked. He had both philosophical and psychological insight. Additionally, the book filled so many gaps in my knowledge of ancient history that I lost count. He did rush through the latter part, the part on Assyria, and I thank God that he did. The character of Assyria does not fit with the over-all character of millennia of Mesopotamian history. Overall, the story of Sumer, really over half the text of the book, was fascinating, as was the story of Babylon. If you are looking for a book with lots of tales of titillating battles and military strategy, then this is definitely not the book for you. There is very little of that. This book deals with archeological discoveries, some of them quite revealing and quite amazing, and with the philosophical and politically strategic patterns in history prior the "Story of the Greeks and Persians." It discusses ancient Mesopotamian Law and sense of Justice, sociology and religious philosophy. It discussing what we know about these and more importantly, how we know. It correlates the study to modern times, to Biblical Times and to relevant similar times throughout history. One review of a book I read about Ancient Macedonia criticized that author's lack of "insight," because the reviewer did not feel that the author delved deeply enough into the underlying thought patterns of the time. No one would ever make such a charge against the author of this work. One such example is his analysis of the origins of modern day monotheism and religious misogyny that was partially borne in Assyria, and how, with the changing view of what the role of God was and what his relationship to humans is, it was inevitable (that discussion, the best part of the book, begins on page 225 if you are truly interested).

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #56,440 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer History #9 in Iraq History (Books) #38 in History of Civilization & Culture |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,011) |
| Dimensions  | 6 x 0.75 x 9 inches |
| Edition  | Illustrated |
| ISBN-10  | 1250054168 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1250054166 |
| Item Weight  | 1 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 338 pages |
| Publication date  | March 27, 2012 |
| Publisher  | St. Martin's Griffin |

## Images

![Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71nETmd1mIL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an excellent survey of ancient Mesopotamian civilisation
*by U***R on June 20, 2018*

This is an excellent survey of ancient Mesopotamian civilisation, from its beginnings 5000 years ago until the occupation of Babylon by Cyrus of Persia. Kriwaczek writes in an erudite journalistic style that is a pleasure to read. The author uses major historical events to provide a kind of narrative tension, and between these he draws on many different sources to recreate detailed impresssions of ancient daily life, including excerpts from the actual stories, myths, epic poems and letters preserved on steles and clay tablets. The result is a remarkably well paced overview of human civilisation as an arc, passing through different societies over thousands of years. The book itself is a very satisfying read, but it also concludes with a long annotated reading list, for those want to explore specific topics in more detail. * Note that the Kindle edition has all of the maps (there are 8 of them) but none of the photo illustrations, which is really a pity. And I can't imagine why it should have been so difficult to include them: even a low-res black & white photo would be enough to give first-timers like me an idea of what a ziggurat looks like, for example. But the text of the book still reads well enough without them.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Driest Four Stars I have Issued
*by A***S on March 22, 2015*

Much of the book was dry and hard to digest. It was excellent. I don't think this was the author's fault, though. It is subject matter. The author had a writing style I really liked. He had both philosophical and psychological insight. Additionally, the book filled so many gaps in my knowledge of ancient history that I lost count. He did rush through the latter part, the part on Assyria, and I thank God that he did. The character of Assyria does not fit with the over-all character of millennia of Mesopotamian history. Overall, the story of Sumer, really over half the text of the book, was fascinating, as was the story of Babylon. If you are looking for a book with lots of tales of titillating battles and military strategy, then this is definitely not the book for you. There is very little of that. This book deals with archeological discoveries, some of them quite revealing and quite amazing, and with the philosophical and politically strategic patterns in history prior the "Story of the Greeks and Persians." It discusses ancient Mesopotamian Law and sense of Justice, sociology and religious philosophy. It discussing what we know about these and more importantly, how we know. It correlates the study to modern times, to Biblical Times and to relevant similar times throughout history. One review of a book I read about Ancient Macedonia criticized that author's lack of "insight," because the reviewer did not feel that the author delved deeply enough into the underlying thought patterns of the time. No one would ever make such a charge against the author of this work. One such example is his analysis of the origins of modern day monotheism and religious misogyny that was partially borne in Assyria, and how, with the changing view of what the role of God was and what his relationship to humans is, it was inevitable (that discussion, the best part of the book, begins on page 225 if you are truly interested).

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mighty Kings, Heroes and Gods
*by M***E on May 28, 2025*

Extremely interesting and well written history! Going back before 4,000 BC; speaking of Gilgamesh and The Flood and how civilization developed into Babylon and Assyria. Black and white maps and photos. Highly recommend!!

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*Product available on Desertcart Iceland*
*Store origin: IS*
*Last updated: 2026-02-10*