Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Audiobook

Civilization was born eight thousand years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place.

In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period and explores the political and social systems, as well as the technical and cultural innovations, which made this land extraordinary. At the heart of this book is the story of Babylon, which rose to prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi from about 1800 BCE. Even as Babylon's fortunes waxed and waned, it never lost its allure as the ancient world's greatest city.

Engaging and compelling, Babylon reveals the splendor of the ancient world that laid the foundation for civilization itself.

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"I had doubts about buying a book to listen to that certainly seemed like a book that one would have to move around in, rereading sometimes, and reading ahead other times; not something one would want to listen to start to finish. Like a reference book. And yes, it can be that. But it works nicely as an audiobook anyway. The narrator does a fine job of turning a subject that could be very "dry" into something that makes a person almost feel like he or she is really there, on the archaeological digs, or even in ancient Sumer itself. I bought this book because I needed some material on Sumer (and Mesopotamia in general) for a project I'm working on. And I DID end up buying a paper version for reading and paging back and forth, but I really do enjoy listening to it on long drives. This is a good history and a good story besides. "

— Ed Madaj (5 out of 5 stars)