Mesopotamia : the invention of the city

Mesopotamia, situated roughly where Iraq is today, was one of the greatest ancient civilizations.

It was here that the very first cities were created and where the familiar sights of modern urban life - public buildings and gardens, places of worship, even streets and pavements - were originally invented.This book examines everyday life as it was in ten long-lost Mesopotamian cities, beginning with Eridu, the Mesopotamian Eden, and ending with Babylon, the first true metropolis: cosmopolitan, decadent, multicultural and the last centre of a dying civilization.

Using archaeological fragments of jewellery, textiles and writings, Gwendolyn Leick paints a colourful picture of the lives of Mesopotamians - from poets and priests to businesswomen and divorcees - and the incredible achievements of their advanced and imaginative society.