The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character

by Samuel Noah Kramer

point to a far more intimate connection between the ancient Hebrews and Sumerians than has been suspected. Finally, there are the Appendixes, especially prepared for those readers who prefer going to the original sources whenever possible; they include translations of a number of the more important documents utilized in the chapter on history, as well as several miscellaneous items which are of special interest to a book on Sumer and the Sumerians. The work is dedicated to the University of Pennsylvania and its University Museum. This may seem rather unusual and unorthodox, but the fact is that were it not for these two institutions, this book could never have been written. Not only have the university administration and faculty encouraged my researches in every way, in spite of their rather remote and esoteric character, but the University Museum and its Babylonian Collection provided me with much of the original source material on which this book is based. Its dedication to these two institutions is therefore but a token of my deep and heartfelt gratitude to all the individuals connected with them who in one way or another were helpful to me and my Sumerological research throughout the years. I also wish to express my thanks to the