My one criterion for including a link here is that it has to have something, however remote, to do with Mesopotamia, preferably from ancient history, but also modern questions and outlooks. At the same time, simply because a link is here doesn't mean I endorse or even agree with its contents, outlook, or anything else. Comments, suggestions and additions are all welcome. Contact me at: Wet Clay Tablet Notepad
About.com ancient history links This is a mega site of hundreds of subjects. There are lots of links that are updated constantly.
Ancient/Classical History Main page While the emphasis is on the classical eras, Greece and Rome in particular, there is a wide range of subjects. I recommend subscribing to this section's newsletter, which can be done here.
Achaememid Royal Inscriptions From the general intro:The aim of the Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions project is to create an electronic study edition of the inscriptions of the Achaemenid Persian kings in all of their versions--Old Persian, Elamite, Akkadian, and, where appropriate, Aramaic and Egyptian. The edition is to be accompanied by translations, glossaries, grammatical indexes, basic bibliographic apparatus, basic text critical apparatus, and some graphic apparatus (e.g., plans indicating provenience of the inscriptions, images of exemplars); the texts will be available for downloading and printing. The first stage of the project presents the inscriptions from Persepolis and nearby Naqsh-i Rustam, where the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago carried out excavations between 1931 and 1939.
The Ahora Covenant as an example of (maybe....) "proto-cuneiform," but more likely, as an example of graffiti. Yet the mythology that's grown about it is... interesting.
Berosus responded to my request for more information, saying: The Ahora gorge is the valley nearest to Mt. Ararat, and twenty years ago I read about some petroglyphs found in the vicinity. The page Marie found must be about that discovery. Some people believe they are a record left by the people on Noah's Ark. Though I believe the Noah story, I'm skeptical about this, because nobody who claims they can read the glyphs will explain how they translated them; they don't look like any written script I've seen.
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Akkadian Language This site contains histories of Mesopotamia, examples of transliterated and translated texts, and a grammar of the Akkadian language. It is an great resource, both for history and for language.
Ancien-L This contains archived discussions from various topics, searchable by date, topic, or author. From the site: "ANCIEN-L was set up to provide a means whereby professionals and lay people could meet and discuss issues related to the history of Mediterranean civilizations ranging from Egypt to the fall of the Roman Empire. The discussion also includes the immediate Near East of Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, Hittites, Hyksos, etc."
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Ancient History and Archaeology/ Indexed HTML Texts This site provides translations of a handful of texts, some classical and a few Assyrian and Babylonian items. There is also a link to the complete text of Austen Henry Layard's Discoveries at Nineveh. In addition, the site provides links to other sources.
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Ancient History Bulletin From the site introduction: "The Ancient History Bulletin was founded by W. Heckel, B. Lavelle, and J. Vanderspoel; the first issue, vol. 1.1, appeared in 1987. The Ancient History Bulletin provides a forum for scholarly discussion in Ancient History and in the ancillary fields of Epigraphy, Papyrology and Numismatics, from the Near East to Late Antiquity. The Ancient History Bulletin seeks articles and short notes in the following languages of publication: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish. Papers designed to generate scholarly debate by their experimental nature, or which constructively respond to views published elsewhere, are encouraged. The aim of The Ancient History Bulletin is to provide quick publication, including electronic preview on this site."
Ancient and Lost Civilizations A bit on the mystical side: nice summaries, for the most part and very nice graphics, timelines throughout.
Ancient Metallurgy Research Group Ancient Metallurgy Research Group is an index for sites about ancient metals and metallurgy, from experiments in early copper smelting techniques to looking at tin production.
From the site intro:The Department of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Bradford is a leading centre for the study of ancient metals and metallurgy. The Department's Ancient Metallurgy Research Group (AMRG) is made up of staff, research students and external colleagues with an interest in metals in antiquity, from bio- and geo-chemical studies of archaeological materials to theoretical considerations of prehistoric and early historic metal making and use. The AMRG support a range of research projects concerned with many aspects of ancient metal production and use from the origins of copper extraction and smelting, through the development, properties and fabrication of copper alloys, to iron working technologies and later historic mining and metallurgy. This work involves the study of a wide range of materials from finished artefacts to ores, refractories and furnace materials, slags and residues. The AMRG also support projects concerned with the development of life history reconstruction from the investigation of trace metals in biological materials and the environmental impact of ancient metallurgy.
The Ancient Middle East and Near East Links and more links and then some more, including a link to a translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Qumran scrolls and the Descent of Ishtar. Alas! Not all of the links work.
As of 10.22.99--even few links work... What a disappointment. Hate to drop this page--so many links look so promising.
Ancient World Web An index to end all indices, the site says its lists 880 links. (AS is even listed here)
Browse by category such as--"Alternative Theories," "Language and Literature," "Science." Looks much improved and easier to use than the lists I remember scrolling through. Highly recommended. Enjoy.
Ancient and Classical History World Wide Web Links to History Resources presented by the Department of History University of California, Riverside. Designed as a list of resources for ancient and classical Western history. A few dead links.
Archimedia I- Architecture of the Ancient Near East From the site intro:The object of the Archimedia project is to allow students to understand what ancient buildings looked like and how they were constructed. It does this by displaying numerous views, plans and sections, as well as axonometric and computerized reconstructions of these buildings. The project concentrates on buildings from Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia. It is organized according to each building, and includes a description of its materials and building techniques, followed by a visual comparison of all the buildings involved.
ArabNet This is a huge site, with a headline section, some things in Arabic, information on individual Arab nations and Islamic issues. This emphasis in on the contemporary world, but there are also pieces on background and history. A links section is refered to as the "Magic Carpet."
The Armenian Enlightnement Chronicle The Armenian Enlightenment Chronicle Mirrior Site From the site intro: "theories of historical primacy are due for revision. Fascinating details from Armenian history fill the previously blank pages of many of the chapters of the western history and unlock many previously unsolved riddles. Armenia, being in the middle of the world and on the edges of Europe, served as a bridge between East and West, and made her advanced civilization at home both in Europe and the Near East..." My own humble opinion that while there is a lot of information here, there is also a heaping dose of boosterism.
Asian Studies WWW Virutal Library A huge site, lots of history and discussion of modern topics and events. For example, the entry on Iraq contains articles about Saddam Hussien, a newspapaer article written by T.E. Lawrence (AKA Lawrence of Arabia..) and an article about the ziggaruts of Mesopotamia from the Archimedia site. Info available by subject, by region and by individual country.
Assyira Online This is intended as an informational page for the general public as well as a gathering place people for people of Assyrian background. It has a brief history from the emeregence of Assyria a distinct people and power c. 2400 BCE, up until the present day. There are also articles on language, religion and the Assyrian alphabet. A page on ancient history has dozens of links.
Assyrio-Babylonian FAQby Christopher Siren.
Contains a lot of basic information in outline and question and answer forms.
Austric relationship of Sumerian Language From the site intro:"The Sumerian language has thus far not been linked with any other large family of languages. This web page is dedicated to showing a relationship between Sumerian and the Austric languages.
"Sumerian is an agglutinative language like those in the Austric family. Like those languages it uses liberally both suffixes and prefixes in its morphology. In this sense, it differs from other Asiatic agglutinative languages like Ural-Altaic (Uralic and Altaic), Dravidian, Japanese and Korean, which use almost exclusively suffixes in the conjugation of the verb and declension of nouns and pronouns. " This is in keeping with the idea that the Sumerians originated far from Sumer, but I don't know if one can say it was THIS far with a great degree of confidence. The comparisons are extremely detailed.
Austronesian Navigation and Migration This is rather light the Austric language page (and indeed, has a link to it).
From the site:"In both the Indic and Sumerian languages,
evidence of Austronesian influence may be direct, or through other member of the Austric stock that absorbed some elements that also descended to the Austronesian family at an early stage." Personally, I feel uncomfortable with some of the claims on this page, as well as its companion page on comparison of Asian and Oceanic languages to Sumerian.
Babylon 580 BC courtesy of Beltashazzar Neb
A visual tour of the city of Nebuchadnezar. There are picture galleries, written descriptions, maps, a lot of info. Enjoyable!
Babyloniaca courtesy of ishtarlight E.
Ancient and modern Mesopotamian texts and links. Includes sections of myths, hymns, pantheons, cosomology and ritual. Highly recommended.
Bahrain:History From ArabNet A page or two summarizing the legends and history of the land of Dilmun, regarded as the Sumerian paradise, which also early on became a center of trade.
Catalhoyulk From the site mission statement: "This Web site is designed for those interested in the ongoing excavations at Catalhoyulk. Its aim is to provide information about the activities of the Project and of the different aspects of the research being conducted at Catalhoyulk." Among the features of this site are a newsletter, a summary of the 1999 excavation season at Catalhoyulk, discussion groups not only for archaeologists and students, but also the goddess community.
Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative from UCLA.
From the introduction: The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) represents the efforts of an international group of Assyriologists, museum curators and historians of science to make available through the internet the form and content of cuneiform tablets dating from the beginning of writing, ca. 3200 B.C., until the end of the third millennium..... It is far from complete, and looks to be a decades-long project from what I could tell. A few things are up, especially in the Proto-Cuneiform section. A lot of the site is in German. It is largely a catalogue, with perhaps the most interesting thing at present to the non-specialist English-speaker like myself being the photos of the various tablets. The site does seem to be regularly updated.
Dubsar, The Cuneiform Scribe Dubsar Hammurabi's delightful site. The visitor is welcomed to the "sundried mudbrick house" of Dubsar and his old donkey Anshe, the enterprising equid, who even has his own page. The focus is on the city of Nippur, its history and excavation. There are maps and lists of resources on things from cuisine to languages.
Electronic Open Stacks from the University of Chicago
Contains facsimilies of public domains works on classical and ancient Near East works, including Annals of the Kings of Assyria and E.A. Wallis Budge and L.W. King and The Reports of the Magicians and Astrologers of Ninevah and Babylon in the British Museum (vol 2) by R. Campbell Thompson. For some serious browing!
donated by ShamushNuri ApilSin
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature From Oxford: The introduction states: "The aim of this project is to produce a 'collected works' of over 400 poetic compositions of the classical literature, equipped with translations..."
The catalogue is arranged is by subject--mythology, scribal training texts. The texts that are available are shown in "composite" and translation, plus a bibliography, with links back and forth, i.e., one can link to the composite text from verse numbers in the translation and back again. The site is under a lot of construction and will be for some time simply because of the volume of the work. Definitely one to watch.
Addendum 11.11.99: They do seem to be continually adding to the site. This site takes a little time and effort to get around in, but one is rewarded with reading ancient Mesopotamian texts that are not generally readily available to the non-specialist.
Encyclopedia of the Orient Arranged alphabetically with a focus on the modern era. Most of the entries I read were quite short, one page or less. However, the subject matter is broad. Among the sites stated objectives are to present the good with the bad--no saints, no demons, in effect--and to work on breaking stereotypes.
from Berosus's original submission:I found this yesterday while searching for information on an obscure Islamic sect, Yazidism. In a nutshell, the authors are collecting information to build an online encyclopedia about the Middle East and North Africa. It focuses on this region in the modern era, but I'm sure we'll all find it interesting, especially if we want to learn more about how we got from ancient times to today's headlines.
Ereshkigal A brief summary, from The Dark Goddesses, a site that asks:"Are you sick of New Age-ers who portray the Goddess as a cosmic Barbie doll, all sweetness and light?"
Evidence of Harmony in Ancient Music This is an essay on the interpretation of a cuneiform text found at Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra in Syria) in the 1950's as being notated music. The author also uses illustrations of musicians with stringed intruments to argue that the ancients knew of and used harmony. There is a recording for sale. Not having heard it, I can't speak to its quality or interest.
Exploring Ancient Cultures from the University of Evansville, IL.
From the site intro:Exploring Ancient World Cultures (EAWC) is an on-line course supplement for students and teachers of the ancient and medieval worlds. It features its own essays and primary texts. The site has essays on the Near East, India, China, Greece, Rome and Islam. There is an Internet Index page, providing access to essays, chronologies and images of the various cultures.
Essays on the Ancient Flood Legends by Robert Best. This contains two essays, one on supposed mistakes in the translations from Akkadian of "The Gilgamesh Epic" when it deals with the flood legend, and a second on parallels among several different flood legends from the ancient Middle East. He is selling a book, which I haven't read and so can't comment on. Nor can I comment on his analysis of the Akkadian translations, my Akkadian being a bit, um, non-existent. But it is an interesting read.
The Forgotten Books of Eden (The Pseudepigrapha Books & Apocrypha Books) This includes the first and second books of Adam and Eve, the book of Enoch, the story of Gilgamesh and other flood stories, infancy and childhood of Jesus of Nazareth, the books of the Maccabees, non-canonical gospels such as that of Thomas, and information on the Koran. Berosus, in his original post commented: "but I'll warn you, these are NOT user-friendly pages. I recommend you download them and read them at your own leisure, instead of trying to tackle the whole thing while online."
K.C. Hanson's Homepage Includes chronologies, lists of links, journals, collection of ancient documents.
Harrappa Archaeology There is a section on pre-1947 India, featuring such things as a recording of Mahatma Gandhi, a series of 19th century lithographs and many other things. It is commerical--slides and such are for sale. But it also has a specific area on the ancient Indus Valley which displays false-color slides of the site and artists' recreations. Quite stunning. Highly recommended.
The site claims to have more than 1100 pages. One of them is The Indus Valley Civilization: In Search of those Elusive Centers and Peripheries by Chris J.D. Kostman, M.A. Originally published in JAGNES, the Journal of the Association of Graduates in Near Eastern Studies. The question at hand is the size and organization of the Indus Valley Civilization, which the author describes as reaching from modern Pakistan and northern India and into a bit of Afghanistan. The author sees trade flourishing across this region and into the Near East and South Asia. He draws no firm conclusions about the extent of its sphere of influence, but points out how complex gauging this must be in the absence of written records that can be understood. Though he himself doesn't mention it, I understand the jury is still out on whether the symbols found on various plaques are a full-fledged writing or means of accounting and identification.
Has the Garden of Eden Been Found? This article, originally published in Smithsonian Magazine, uses archaeology, geology, linguistics and myth to equate the Biblical story of the Garden of Eden with Dilmun, the Sumerian "memory" of paradise, now often held to be the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.
Helel Describes Canaanite and Egyptian myth involving a fallen morning star being, a son of gods, and compares the myths to the biblical son of the morning, later named "Lucifer," light-bearer.
Hetepian Dhamma ["An African Buddhadhamma"] Society Homepage Looks at, in part, India's (...perhaps...) Nubian roots.
From the site intro:This home page is likewise dedicated to our Cush-Nubian and Ethiopian- Asiatic Ancestors of the Harrapan and Mohenjo- Daro Civilizations (5000 B.C.- 1500 B.C.). It was these Brothers and Sistahs who laid the foundation of what is now almost all the time spoken of as "Indian" or "Hindu Culture." Almost never a mention that this great foundation was laid by the BLACKS!... Whose migration from Nubia through the Arabian Desert to the then green lush Indus Valley, commenced one of the greatest periods of progressive, peaceful community and proliferation of culture the world has ever seen. The "Light of Asia," was most certainly the "Light of Ethiopia!" Shinning from the "Nile River Valley in Alkebulan!" To the Indus "Cush" Valley by the banks of the Saraswati River.
FOR HUMANITY THERE IS BUT ONE RELIGION That is... LIBERATION FROM SUFFERING AND OPPRESSION.
I have a great many mixed feelings about this page, as I do when any group claims to be the true builders of a particular lost civilization.
The History of the Ancient Near East Electonic Compendium This site is huge and has articles of varying lengths on Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula and Northern Africa, with links for further reading. It also includes maps. It's also a member of the AS WebRing, and is the work of Ribbentrop Assurbanipal.
History and Environment of the Mesopotamian Plane Selected Links Mesopotamian Archaeology: The Land of Sumer and Akkad. This includes links to archaeological journals, sites (on the ground, as well as on the Net), links to books sellers dealing with Mesopotamian and archaeological books, language links and the Argus search engine.
History of Mesopotamian Medicine From the Karolinska Institutet, a Swedish medical university. The title is rather misleading. It deals with many areas of Mesopotamian history--links to pages on mythology, the Code of Hammurabi and the Enuma Elish, as well as a nice assortment of images.
Donated by Nvard ApilSin. (thanks!)
Hittie/Hurrian Mythology FAQ by Christopher Siren.
Like Siren's other FAQ's on mythology, this contains a lot of basic info in outline form and question and answer.
Images of Ancient Iran There are roughly a dozen or so slideshow images, many of Persepolis, nearly all of the quite striking.
Outline of Indo-European language theory From the opening paragraph: "In 1786, Sir William Jones announced in Calcutta earth-breaking news in the linguistic field. He stated that Sanskrit and the European languages "have sprung from some common source which, perhaps, no longer exists." The point of this paper is to question the accuracy of the idea that European and Indic languages necessarily sprang from a common root. The author--whose identity I have not been able to ascertain--contends that classical Sanskrit, which he or she refers to as "Bhasa," is in fact "a native Dravidian one with heavy Austric and Indo-European influence."
I can offer no opinion on this, only that its intricate resaoning makes for good reading as well as a lot of confusion. Anyone who knows the author or at least the author's name, please let me know.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook Intended for student usage. The webmaster includes a note that he will not do student's work for them. *S* The goal is to make available public domain primary sources for the study of ancient history. Also included are essays on "how to study history," sections on human origins, hunting and gathering societies and early agriculture, as well as a section on ancient history in movies, with and eye to accuracy.
Of particular interest is the page on ancient Middle East sources which includes Enuma Elish, the Epic of Gilgamesh and less well-known literary pieces well as selections from Herodotus on his impression of Babylon.
The Jewish Pagan Resources page The emphasis is on ancient Near Eastern religions, particularly among the ancient Hebrews. It lists FAQ's dealing with both mythology and paganism as a modern-day religion.
The Tribe of Kuraysh This site has pages on The Geography of Sumeria [sic], Sumerian Civilization, and Sumerian Cultural and Scientific Achievemetns. These are given in outline form and tend to oversimplification and exaggeration, e.g.: "Sumerian society was 'Matriarchial' and women had a highly respected place in society." There is also some misinformation, but the webmaster assures us that the site is under continuous construction because of ongoing research.
The Life and Times of the Babylonians This article by Francis C.S. Butterley is quite long and detailed with a short bibliography at the end. Lots of info.
Lilith Gives a thorough overivew of the Lilith, from folklore, ancient sources, magic and an essay on Milton's writings called "The Sin of Independance," as well as a the full text of George MacDonald's novel "Lilith." There are also some pictures, ancient portraits which, as the webmaster concedes, may or may not be of Lilith, and some modern representations.
The Lilith Shrine The webmaster refers to this pages as her "online shrine to my role model as an uppity Jewish woman." There are images, discussions original and secondary sources, modern views and many links.
The Louvre The site is brief and offers a few pictures of what it houses, a description of its history and lay-out. And n'inquiet pas! It's in English.
Mesopotamia from the British Museum Donated by Leah Enkidu
Very cool graphics, nice mouse-overs. Most of the information is quite general, but the site does offer links to more information and some games and activities.
Mesopotamia Notes From Ed Haynes of Winthrop University, it is the most basic info on Mesopotamian history in outline form, on a faux wire notebook background. *S*
Mesopotamian Year Names Kings lists, and the years named for their accomplishments and such. Extremely detailed.
Mythology (Richard McLaughlin) This site includes a glossary of terms associated the the study of myth and information on Mesopotamian, Celtic and Scandinavaian myths. Interesting read, though there is some misinformation, i.e., the Sumerians were blond. They referred to themselves as the "black-headed people."
Near East Archaeology Society The visitor is welcomed: "Join us in the quest of learning about the latest archaeological discoveries and the most recent biblical research. We hope you enjoy your visit!" There are pages and pages links, not only to information on digs in specified areas, but journals and magazines. Lots of info.
The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project from the University of Helsinki
The projects stated goals are: The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, started in 1986, is a long-term undertaking to
1) collect all published and unpublished Neo-Assyrian texts into an electronic database, Corpus of Neo-Assyrian (CNA), and maintain the database as a research tool;
2) use the CNA database to publish up-to-date critical text editions of texts written in Neo-Assyrian in a series of volumes organized by text genre (SAA);
3) produce a journal as a medium for the publication of new texts and studies relating to the Assyrian Empire or Assyria in general (SAAB);
4) publish a series of monographic studies based on the texts published in the SAA series or other sources on various topics related to Assyria (SAAS).
5) publish a series of facsimile cuneiform texts, for both classroom and general research use, based primarily on the texts from Assurbanipal’s library (SAACT).
6) publish a complete name book and who was who of the Neo-Assyrian empire based on the CNA database and supplementary materials (PNA).
Nimrud and Nineveh "Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum." The site is put up the the National Museum of Denmark, and says it exhibited the artifacts from May till September of 1997. The pictures are nice, the info quite readable.
Discoveries At Nineveh by Austen Henry Layard, Esq., D.C.L. This is the text of an abridged account of Layard's book, originally published in 1854, on his excavations at Nineveh, called A Popular Account of the Discoveries at Nineveh. The first page gives a chapter by chapter outline, complete with summaries. The text came be downloaded either by chapter or the whole shebang in a zip file.
Nineveh On-Line This site has a wide range of areas, dealing with the living Assyrian/Chaldean community. One is encouraged to "Think Assyrian." There are news bulletins and articles on current events.
You can also learn Assyrian online.
Also of interest--among many other things--are:
Ashurbanipal Software The link from the Ninveveh Online site is outdated. This includes links on software, but also Assyrian history with Babylonian and Assyrian picture galleries.
a paper on Semiramis:Legendary Mysterious Great Queen of Assyria and the ever-popular Assyrian screen saver*S*
This is just a sampling.
NM's Creative Impulse Links and links and links regarding Mesopotamian history, art and architecture, and many aspects of Mesopotmian society, inlcuding--BEER! Also has a search function.
The Origin of Man: Main Links I'm sure they meant to include women here, too.
The Archived Links This is a huge site, drawing articles from mythology from Eastern and Western hemispheres, history, archaeology, religion, environmentalism. There is a lot of speculative areas here, but also presentations of primary texts--Eumna Elish, for example. Though there are some oddball things, there is a wealth of information regarding Mesopotamia.
donated by Nvard ApilSin.
The Oxford University Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents There is a newsletter that can be downloaded or viewed, including back issues. The documents include all manner of ancient writing, not just Mesopotamian examples. Photos of various inscriptions are available.
Qadash Kinahnu From the site intro:This site covers primarily Canaanite and Phoenician history, mythology, and ritual. The different mythologies and religions are laid out in "temple rooms." There are also articles on neo-paganism.
Saar Excavations From the site:"Excavation work on the Early Dilmun site at Saar in Bahrain is due to continue until 1999, with activities to date having uncovered a number of new Dilmun seals." This is a brief blurb, possibly from a newsletter, and has not been unpdated.
Twin Rivers Rising This is put out by members of the Coven of Twin Rivers Rising--Tigris and the Euphrates, of course--and includes sections on magic, religion and myths as well as an English-Sumerian dictionary. One doesn't have to be a pagan or a Wiccan to find this page informative and interesting.
from Women in History Outline of findings in graves, such as the death pit of Queen Shub-ab, temple administration lists, some private correspondence and bit from the Law of Hammurabi.
World Cultures from Washington State University
comments from Pollux's original post: ...not only very well documented, it's written in a way that even a little child could understand it and enjoy it. It's intended for students, supplemental reading and others projects. The graphics are great.
The Xenophile Historian The Internet opus magmun of Berosus. The site includes Berosus' writings on the history of the ancient Middle East, China, India, Northeast and Southeast Asia and well as a history of Christianity.
