The Age of Agade Inventing Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia [Paperback]

The Age of Agade is the first book-length study of the Akkadian period of Mesopotamian history, which saw the rise and fall of the worlds first empire during more than a century of extraordinary political, social, and cultural innovation. It draws together more than 40 years of research by one of the worlds leading experts in Assyriology to offer an exhaustive survey of the Akkadian empire.

Addressing all aspects of the empire, including its statecraft and military, territory and cities, arts, religion, economy, and production, The Age of Agadeconsiders what can be said of Akkadian political and social history, material culture, and daily life. A final chapter also explores how the empire has been presented in modern historiography, from the decipherment of cuneiform to the present, including the extensive research of Soviet historians, summarized here in English for the first time. Drawing on contemporaneous written and artifactual sources, as well as relevant materials from succeeding generations, Foster introduces the reader to the wealth of evidence available. Accessibly written by a specialist in the field, this book is an engaging examination of a critical era in the history of early Mesopotamia.

Introduction  1. The Rise and Fall of the Akkadian Empire  2. The Land and People of Akkad  3. Akkadian Centers and Settlements  4. Works and Days  5. Industries and Crafts  6. Religion  7. Statecraft and the Military  8. Trade, Business, and the Economy  9. Arts, Letters, and Numeracy  10. Akkadian Human Values  11. The Akkadian Period in Retrospect  12. The Akkadian Period in Modern Historiography  Appendix I: Akkadian Royal Inscriptions  Appendix II: The Works Attributed to Enheduanna  Appendix III: Two Sumerian Poems about the Akkadian&al3&