Hello, can anyone tell me where I can find trusted, accurate, and in-depth sources where I can learn more about the Bronze Age?
I'm specifically interested in Mesopotamia, but I'd be more than happy to have anything about the Bronze Age in general.
Primary sources are welcomed as I don't know where to look for those either. Or at least not in a place where I can see multiple easily.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello
I can provide some online and hard-copy sources.
A favorite book of mine is A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC:
https://www.amazon.com/History-Ancient-3000-323-Blackwell-World/dp/111871816X
Another is The Age of Agade: Inventing Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia:
The Code of Hammurabi is an extensive set of laws which provides an excellent insight into daily life (You discover a lot about what goes on by finding out what people are not allowed to do!) and the values of the period:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp
The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the very first recorded mythological stories in history, and is set in ancient Mesopotamia:
https://uruk-warka.dk/Gilgamish/The%20Epic%20of%20Gilgamesh.pdf
Check out the AskHistorians reading list, which has quite a few books on Bronze Age Mesopotamia. I haven't yet added The Sumerians by Paul Collins to the list, but it is well worth a read.
Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation edited by Mark Chavalas is an excellent place to start for Mesopotamian texts in English translation. Also check out the Writings from the Ancient World series and the Context of Scripture volumes.
The Context of Scripture, Volume 1: Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World
The Context of Scripture, Volume 2: Monumental Inscriptions from the Biblical World
The Context of Scripture, Volume 3: Archival Documents from the Biblical World
I agree with u/ByzantineBasileus that the laws of Hammurabi are fascinating – and typically the first text students read in introductory Akkadian courses – but note that there is virtually no evidence suggesting the laws were ever consulted or followed, and it is methodologically unsound to assume the laws mirrored Mesopotamian society. (Indeed, the laws are often at odds with judicial and administrative accounts.) Rather, the stela was a work of propaganda emphasizing the king's dedication to justice, just as victory monuments like the stela of Naram-Sin showcased a king's military might. I've written a bit more about this in a previous post.