I was tempted by the name of the series that features this book: The Britannica Guids to Ancient Civilizations. With that 'Britannica'-label you immediately get the sense of solidity, academic foundation, synthesis, etc. And mind you, this is certainly a creditable overview of Mesopotamian history. One half covers what we classically understand by those first civilization(s): from about 4,000 BCE to about 320 BCE, but the other half is simply the historical account of the geographic description of Mesopotamia, in later times, when the classical Mesopotamian civilization(s) had long since gone up in smoke. The emphasis is certainly on synthesis, but you notice that the compilers have sometimes used a rough brush. Thus Ubaidians in the 4th millennium are presented as a separate, pre-Sumerian people, which is very odd. Even more worrisome is the discussion of the early dynastic form of government (early 3rd millennium): “Political power originally belonged to the citizens, but, as rivalry between the various city-states increased, each adopted the institution of kingship.” a Rousseauan lapse. In short: don't be fooled by that Britannica predicate! ( )