Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B. C.

Benjamin Noah Kramer was born in Russia in 1897, but following a series of anti-semitic pogroms, he and his family emigrated to the USA in 1905. Passionately interested in Near Eastern Studies, at the age of 30 he began his life's work: the decipherment of the cuneiform texts of one of the world's earliest civilisations - Sumer. 'Sumerian Mythology' gives a well-rounded introduction to this ancient people. As well as translations of Sumerian Lore, we hear of their culture, the pantheon of Gods they worshipped, the problems and dangers that led to the discovery of their literature, and the painstaking decipherment of their writing. The book is filled with illustrations, including an easily understood chart describing the Sumerian writing system. 'Sumerian Mythology' is a must-read for all those interested in early civilisations, a book which (as the author later said) "helped... to make people aware of the crucial role the Sumerians played in the ascent of civilized man"