Moudhy Al-Rashid
Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid explores the 5,000-year-old ancient artifacts of Mesopotamia. Each chapter examines a specific artefact and formulates what it reveals about life in Ancient Mesopotamia and the people who inhabited the region.
Among the wealth of artefacts examined are a clay drum, a brick, a statue of King Shulgi, school tablets, the cone of Kudur Mabuk, a boundary stone, and a mace head. Dr. Al-Rashid concludes her research with a chapter on Ennigaldi-Nanna, a high priestess and the daughter of King Nabonidus. Ennigaldi-Nanna was possibly the first ever curator of a museum of ancient objects since many of the artefacts located in her “palace” pre-date her by many centuries.
Dr. Al-Rashid is an honorary fellow of Assyriology at the University of Oxford’s Wolfson College, specializing in the languages and history of ancient Mesopotamia. Fortunately, she writes in a style that is accessible and engaging, avoiding academic jargon. By comparing ancient artefacts with modern day equivalents, Dr. Al-Rashid humanizes the past, making the material relatable and drawing connections between those who lived 5,000 years ago and ourselves. She shows how the era laid the foundation for our understanding of astronomy, mathematics, and the spread of diseases.
Dr. Al-Rashid’s expertise and knowledge of the subject matter is clearly evident. Her scholarship is impressive. Her enthusiasm for the material is contagious. She shares some fascinating details about the lives of not only kings, nobles, and priestesses, but also the lives of ordinary people. Her excitement is palpable as when, for example, she translates a lullaby found on a tablet thousands of years old. This triggers memories of her own attempts to lull her crying infant to sleep with a soft lullaby. And, not surprisingly, some 5,000 years ago, women’s complaints about the challenge of juggling child-care with full-time employment resonates with women today. And some will relate to the merchant who suggested his couriers smuggle goods in their underwear to avoid paying taxes. The methods may differ, but the desire to avoid taxes is, apparently, thousands of years old.
A fascinating, thoroughly engaging, and accessible study of a time and place in history that gave birth to civilization. An extensive bibliography and notes are provided for further reading.
Highly recommended.