Book: 'The Sumerians' by Leonard Wooley

I have had the book 'The Sumerians' by Leonard Wooley for some time now but have not gotten much of a chance to read it. Currently, I am gaining an interest in Sumerian and Akkadian history (as well as Canaanite and Semitic) and determined to finally start reading the book.

Wooly was born in 1880 and died in 1960 and was best known for his excavations at Ur. His book, despite it's age, is a very easy yet informative read. The copy I have was printed by Barnes and Nobles in 1995 with a minimal design (which I prefer). Nevertheless, several simple yet powerful illustrations are contained in book.

'Sumerians' starts with a chapter on the begginings of the Sumerian peoples settlement of Mesopotamia. The author argues the Sumerians might have been Caucasian and not ancestors of modern day Arabs. Next, Wooley covers the early history of the Sumerian civilization. Civil wars are covered next. He then outlines Sumerian society, has a chapter on the third dynasty of Ur and wraps up the book with a chapter on Isin and Larsa and finishes with the chapter "the claim of Sumer".

The Sumerians are very relevant today. Mesopotamian history, language, legends and religion are of interest and importance today and form the foundation for the Western World.