“[A] stimulating new book. . . . The Sumerians, for all their doubtful status as a formal society, have a remarkable list of achievements to their credit. Besides being the world’s earliest attested civilization in the fourth millennium BCE, they invented cuneiform—the world’s earliest writing—and the sexagesimal system of mathematics. Their cities, such as Uruk and Ur, were the headquarters of the world’s earliest city-states, with bureaucracies, legal codes, divisions of labor, and a money economy. . . . A civilization made vivid by Collins’s clear and expert text.”

Andrew Robinson | Science

"In this fascinating monograph, Collins provides a thought-provoking study of the Sumerians as representing the most ancient of all civilizations. Instead of presenting a traditional descriptive account, Collins explores how archaeological and textual sources were used over the past 150 years to construct multiple and often-conflicting notions of the ancient land called Sumer and the people who became known as the Sumerians. . . . Well-written, well-illustrated, and well-documented, this volume will be of great interest to both scholars and students. . . . Highly recommended."

Choice

"This book makes a vital and thought-provoking contribution to the study of the ancient Middle East, and is written in such a way that readers beyond those working in the field will also find it accessible."

Journal of the American Oriental Society

"A highly readable, fully authoritative account of all aspects of the ways of life of the Sumerians, one of the most important peoples of the ancient world. Collins also covers the issue of the discovery and rediscovery of the Sumerians very effectively, bringing to life not just the Sumerians themselves but also the early travelers and antiquarians who first engaged with them. The book, too, is superbly illustrated."

Roger Matthews, Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology, University of Reading