Overview

Exploring life, death, and the afterlife in Mesopotamia, Alhena Gadotti and Alexandra Kleinerman examine how life and death experiences continually developed over the course of nearly three millennia of Mesopotamian history. To achieve this, the book follows the life cycle of the people of the Tigris and Euphrates River valleys from 3000 BCE to 300 BCE, from birth, through death, and beyond. This book is the first to interrogate the relationships between living and dying through case studies and primary evidence. Including letters written by both women and men, the book allows readers to enter the minds of the ancients. First, the authors focus on life through topics such as the rituals surrounding birth, marriage, and religion. The authors then examine the common causes of death, the rituals associated with death, and the Mesopotamian views of the netherworld, its gods, and inhabitants. Concepts of gender fluidity, both in life and death, are considered alongside evidence from epigraphic data. Illustrating daily life as a multifaceted subject affected by time, space, location, socioeconomics, and gender, this book creates a window into the conditions and concerns of the Mesopotamian people.

Full Product Details

Author:   Alhena Gadotti (Towson University, USA) ,  Alexandra Kleinerman (Independent Scholar, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Academic
ISBN:  

9781350301870

ISBN 10:   1350301876
Pages:   312
Publication Date:   14 November 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: History and Evidence 2. The Mesopotamian Belief System 3. From Birth to Adolescence 4. Life Rituals 5. The Stuff of Life 6. The Organization of Society 7. From Dying to Death 8. Death Rituals 9. The Stuff of Death 10. The Organization of the Netherworld Bibliography Index

Reviews

Living and Dying in Mesopotamia is an engaging account of what we know about the lives (and deaths) of ordinary people in ancient Mesopotamia. It digests an impressive amount of research in ancient languages and material culture with consistent differentiation according to gender and class. This book is a reliable introduction to the subject and provides a wealth of further literature. * Niek Veldhuis, Professor of Assyriology, UC Berkeley, USA, * This is a well-paced and well researched survey that will introduce scholars and students to daily life in ancient Mesopotamia, often in the words of the ancients themselves. * Steven Garfinkle, Professor of History, Western Washington University, USA *

Author Information

Alhena Gadotti is Professor of History and Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Towson University, USA. Alexandra Kleinerman was a Faculty Research Associate at Cornell University, USA, for over a decade. She is now an independent scholar.

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