A thorough and carefully researched 1937 account of the music of the Sumerians and their immediate predecessors, the Babylonians and Assyrians. On its publication, this book was one of the few studies to concentrate on the music of the ancient civilisations of modern-day Iraq, and is still valued today.

Describes the civilization of the Sumerians, who inhabited the land which today is Iraq, in the beginning of the fourth millennium B.C.

“A readable and up-to-date introduction to a most fascinating culture” from a world-renowned Sumerian scholar (American Journal of Archaeology). The Sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the Semites in the land first known as Sumer and later as Babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums B.C. This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them. Professor Kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the Sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Finally, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world. “An uncontested authority on the civilization of Sumer, Professor Kramer writes with grace and urbanity.” —Library Journal

The Sumerians The Sumerians settled in the area known as Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, around five thousand years ago. They produced many fundamental changes to the way in which human societies developed

This work reviews the social and technological developments in Mesopotamia from 3800 to 2000 BC.

Sumerian is the oldest written language of ancient Iraq, first written down some 5,000 years ago. Its literature, encompassing narrative myths, lyrical hymns, proverbs and love poetry, provides a stimulating insight into the world's first urban civilization. This is a comprehensive collection.

This volume analyses eight cuneiform texts of Ancient Near-Eastern Music theory, essential to the understanding of Ancient Semitic Music, to a level never achieved before. The author explains why previous interpretations had been misapprehended because they were analysed with Western musicological methods, and addresses these problems.