The Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer - 4 stars

[Joy D]

The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World's Oldest Writing by Joshua Hammer - 4* - My Review

This non-fiction delves deeply into the discovery of cuneiform writing, and the competition to be the first to translate it. Hammer takes the reader to legendary ancient cities such as Babylon, Nineveh, and Ur. The first evidence of cuneiform writing was discovered in the ancient city of Uruk (which is in modern-day Iraq). Cuneiform is characterized by wedge-shaped marks made by pressing a reed stylus into clay tablets. It originated with the Sumerians in Mesopotamia around 3400 BCE, making it one of the earliest writing systems in human history.

The archeologist, soldier, and clergyman referenced in the sub-title refer to Austen Henry Layard, Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, and Edward Hincks, respectively. These three were Englishmen of the Victorian era. The book covers a wide swath of Mesopotamian history while also shedding light on Victorian times. Hammer covers the use of historical, mythical, and Biblical texts in uncovering meaning in the ancient writing. He illuminates the personalities of the men, and their multiple interactions, some friendly, others rather frosty. It is always interesting to see who gets the “credit” and it is not always the person who contributed the most (big surprise).

The book is about more than solving a riddle. It explores the question of removing historic artifacts from their region of origin. He criticizes the British attempt to amass these historic artifacts together in the British museum, examines the ongoing conflicts between the French and English, and portrays the lack of knowledge of the European public at the time (who largely believed the transportation of artifacts had the approval of the local authorities.) I picked this book to find out more about cuneiform, and I learned a great deal. Fans of books about ancient languages are sure to enjoy it.

[Joanne]

This looks good Joy. Nice review, I am going to check it out

[Joy D]

Hope you enjoy it, JoAnne. I thought it was a fun read. I also watch archeological documentaries, which is where I obtained my interest in cuneiform.