This book provides an account of life in the nineteenth century BCE, based on information provided by cuneiform Babylonian records excavated in two palaces - one in Syria, one in Iraq - during the last fifty years.

It is the first detailed study of its kind written for the general reader, and the information provided by the texts, written on clay tablets, has enhanced a remarkably vivid picture of every day life to be created.

The historical and geographical background to the cities of Mari and Karana is set out, members of the royal family and the men and women who served them are introduced, and the reader is shown what kind of work they did and how they entertained. The private lives and religious beliefs of the people are considered, as are the patterns of trade from which Mari and Karana derived their wealth and relative sophistication.

The overall picture is one of a high civilization with a well-developed trade in luxury goods and of great achievements in the arts and crafts, rivaling those of Ancient Egypt and Crete but often surpassing them in the richness of the textual evidence which is available.

The book is fully illustrated with photographs and drawings of objects which have been uncovered at a variety of sites during the excavations, and these provide a lively counterpart to the texts themselves, many of which are quoted in translation.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to the Second Edition
• List of Figures
• Prologue
• Diagram of Cultures Showing Geographical Spread and Chronology
• Guide to Kingdom and Royal Families, around 1850-1800 BC
• Chief Officials at Mari
• Dynastic Chronology
• Discovering Mari and Karana
• Rulers and Vessals
• Work and Houshold Staff in the Palaces
• Food and Drink
• Women
• Cults and Beliefs
• Warfare and Diplomacy
• Animals, Transport and Communication
• The Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age