books on summerian civilation

I am starting to get into my begining and i know its not the bible. Atleast in the literal sense. this web site i believe host some really bright minds who have, i believe read a great deal of books. i just started to get into reading again. I try not to watch any tv some football and rent movies mostly. I am asking to all the scholars out there for help. can you recomend some books that deal with the summerians that are good and early civilations please. I am aware of the summerians and the alien connection, I dont mind books on that if you got good ones but i also would like ones on the early history and sumerians. Maya as well. I read some books on the summerain alien thoery but i want to know about them as a civilation or more about there civilation. I want to make the connection if i choose my self through reading more than one book. If there is anyone out there please help. Its like trying to find a needle in a hay stack when your looking for the right book and there are plenty to go around for this era.

To conclude books on sumerian history as well as the alien connection and the early civilations before and after. ones you have read or have known some else to read. I say that couse i could reccomend a bunch from amazon but they all could suck. i would like your opinion on the book. i am gearing up for a big winter haul to see how many books i can read in 6 months. thank you for who ever responds.

reply to post by itsallalie


While the history of the Sumerian civilization can be found on line and is plenty of qualify sites that offer their literature to read, the links of Sumerians and aliens is more speculative, ofter nothing more than the opinions of authors.

So you will have to research hard and read the good authors with the bad to make your own opinions.

Historical on line literature,

history-world.org...

This site have plenty of recommended books at the end of the page,

ancientneareast.tripod.com...

Now for more controversial historical accounts,

www.strayreality.com...

www.ufodigest.com...

True Origins of Man - Sumerian Alien Connection
(interesting)

www.netscientia.com...

Planet earth nibiru facts

xfacts.com...

I hope some other member will have more to help.

www.crystalinks.com...







[edit on 10-7-2009 by marg6043]

Sumeria is one of my main areas of study, so I can happily offer a few recommendations.

History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-nine Firsts in Recorded History by Samuel Noah Kramer

The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion (Paperback)
by Thorkild Jacobsen

Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary by Jeremy Black

Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C. by Samuel Noah Kramer

Ancient Mesoamerica is another of my main areas of study, and the book I would recommend most for this is:

Human Work: The Human Design - 2000 Year of Mayan Literature by D. Tedlock

You might alos want to check out:

Maya Civilization by Peter Schmidt and Mercedes de la Garza

History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-nine Firsts in Recorded History by Samuel Noah Kramer

Glad to hear this one comes recommended, and at the top of the list of a Sumerian expert, no less. I picked it up at a secondhand store recently but I haven't read it yet. Not much I can say about it without having read it yet, other than that it's a fairly small, unintimidating book, about the size of a smaller paperback novel, and hopefully won't cost you an arm and a leg like a full hardcover textbook would. (probably more than the $1.55 list price on this ancient copy though, lol)

One thing though, my copy says 27 firsts on the cover, not 39, and after googling, the more recent version has 39 'firsts', so be sure to get the newer one. Amazon had it at $24, which is a fair price if it's a quality read.

Originally posted by itsallalie
I am aware of the summerians and the alien connection, I dont mind books on that if you got good ones but i also would like ones on the early history and sumerians. Maya as well. I read some books on the summerain alien thoery but i want to know about them as a civilation or more about there civilation.

I'd say avoid anything by Sitchin, von Daniken, and the like-minded. These are not historical. Just inventions by authors exploiting people's gullibility.

Sumerian manuscripts have been translated by scholars who have found none of the things Sitchin claims or his wild speculations.

To put it simply, he's a fraud.


Mike

I just finished reading a good book. Life in the Ancient Near East by Daniel C. Snell.

It is not specifically about the Sumerians, but rather all of the cultures in the area. Like the title says, it is about how people lived. Family life, food, economics, and that kind of thing. There is not any information about things like religion or wars, just how the common folks lived. It was very interesting.

Some of the other posters have mentioned some of the most well known books concerning the Sumerians, so I won't repeat them. You should remember however, that until the 1930s the existence of Sumeria was considered to be a legend.

If it weren't for the mention of Shinar in Genesis the place may well have been forgotten entirely in the West. Which is ironic as you don't hold the Bible in very high regard.

Nevertheless, I have a few things I can add concerning the Sumerians and their civilization. Here we go:

Sumerian civilization, thus world civilization, was born out of the murder of a King of the Ubaid society that precedes Sumeria. Apparently this event occured as Kish.

After the destruction of the Ubaid, the Sumerian civilization, totally inept at governing, slowing disintegrated. Their inevitable demise was postponed with the arrival of Sargon of Akkad, but eventually the Sumerians were totally destroyed by massive hordes from the north.

This is their story...they were the first to enslave humanity and make what was a Garden into a desolation.

The Sumerian way however has survived and in spirit they have always existed in all lands under different names througout history. As a general rule wherever you find an Emperor or Imperial form of Government, with Eastern societies as an exception in some cases, or a Theocracy, led by a Priest, but under no circumstances a King, as the Sumerians are Anti-Monarchial as a sacred rule, you've got yourself a Sumerian.

The Saudis are an inigma to me though, while Mecca is the home of Utnapishtims Ark (Sumerian Noah), otherwise known as the Kaaba, and Islam is the primary Sumerian religion, the leader of the Saudis calls himself a King. But eventually we'll get to the bottom of that whole thing.

Hope I helped...good luck with the whole Sumerian thing.

[edit on 23-7-2009 by IDK88]

I was a bit mean with what I said about Islam, all religion is the creation of Sumerians. The Sumerians are basically the kind of people that sneak in your home at night and murder the parents and enslave the children. Religion began as the hope that the orphans held onto that they would once again see their parents.

[edit on 23-7-2009 by IDK88]