An Anthology of Texts and Pictures Format: Paperback

Two classic illustrated anthologies, now combined in one convenient volume

James Pritchard's classic anthologies of the ancient Near East have introduced generations of readers to texts essential for understanding the peoples and cultures of this important region. Now these two enduring works have been combined and integrated into one convenient and richly illustrated volume, with a new foreword that puts the translations in context.

With more than 130 reading selections and 300 photographs of ancient art, architecture, and artifacts, this volume provides a stimulating introduction to some of the most significant and widely studied texts of the ancient Near East, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Creation Epic (Enuma elish), the Code of Hammurabi, and the Baal Cycle. For students of history, religion, the Bible, archaeology, and anthropology, this anthology provides a wealth of material for understanding the ancient Near East.

• Represents the diverse cultures and languages of the ancient Near East―Sumerian, Akkadian, Egyptian, Hittite, Ugaritic, Canaanite, and Aramaic―in a wide range of genres:

Historical texts

Legal texts and treaties

Inscriptions

Hymns

Didactic and wisdom literature

Oracles and prophecies

Love poetry and other literary texts

Letters

• New foreword puts the classic translations in context
• More than 300 photographs document ancient art, architecture, and artifacts related to the texts
• Fully indexed

James B. Pritchard (1909-1997) was professor of religious thought at the University of Pennsylvania and curator of Syro-Palestinian archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Daniel E. Fleming is professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University.