According to received wisdom, ancient Mesopotamia gave rise to not only the city as we know it but a specific type of city, one that lasted from approximately 3000 to 300 BCE in the Middle East. While cities appeared in places such as the Nile River Valley, nowhere does urbanism seem to play such anContinue reading “Review of “The Ancient Mesopotamian City” by Marc Van De Mieroop”
Tag Archives: book review
Review of “The Cosmic Code”
I read this book on a dare some time ago. This is the sixth book in the late Zechariah Sitchin’s (1920-2010) Earth Chronicles series detailing his ideas on how humans and human culture are the byproducts of ancient extra-terrestrial meddling. He sees evidence of this in Sumerian mythology, in particular, positing that Sumerian gods were,Continue reading “Review of “The Cosmic Code””
Review of “The Iron Woman” by Margaret Deland
Plot: Set some decades before the turn of the twentieth century, this follows the lives of four children who grow up in fictional Mercer, Ohio-ish, a stand-in for the author’s own hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, then an ironworks hub. The iron woman of the title is Sarah Maitland, mother and stepmother of two of theContinue reading “Review of “The Iron Woman” by Margaret Deland”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 