The Library of Ancient Wisdom
Language: English
Published by Penguin Books Ltd (UK) Feb 2026, 2026
- Softcover
- New
Seller: Books-by-Floh, Paderborn, GermanyBooks-by-Floh
AbeBooks seller since March 13, 2026
Condition: New
£ 21.88
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Neuware -The story of the ancient world's most spectacular library, and the civilization that created it'A thrilling trip back to Mesopotamia, birthplace of horoscopes and algorithms . via the abundant records they left behind, written on clay tablets. absorbing. hums with life' - Mathew Lyons, Daily Telegraph 'Fascinating and rich in detail. provides an excellent survey of Mesopotamian literary classics. and offers snippets of daily life' - Literary Review When a team of Victorian archaeologists dug into a grassy hill in Iraq, they chanced upon one of the oldest and greatest stores of knowledge ever seen: the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, seventh century BCE ruler of a huge swathe of the ancient Middle East known as Mesopotamia. After his death, vengeful rivals burned Ashurbanipal's library to the ground - yet the texts, carved on clay tablets, were baked and preserved by the heat. Buried for millennia, the tablets were written in cuneiform: the first written language in the world.More than half of human history is written in cuneiform, but only a few hundred people on earth can read it. In this captivating new book, Assyriologist Selena Wisnom takes us on an immersive tour of this extraordinary library, bringing ancient Mesopotamia and its people to life. Through it, we encounter a world of astonishing richness, complexity and sophistication. Mesopotamia, she shows, was home to advanced mathematics, astronomy and banking, law and literature. This was a culture absorbed and developed by the ancient Greeks, and whose myths were precursors to Bible stories - in short, a culture without which our lives today would be unrecognizable.The Library of Ancient Wisdom unearths a civilization at once strange and strangely familiar: a land of capricious gods, exorcisms and professional lamenters, whose citizens wrote of jealous rivalries, profound friendships and petty grievances. Through these pages we come face to face with humanity's first civilization: their startling achievements, their daily life, and their struggle to understand our place in the universe. 448 pp. Englisch.…
Seller Inventory # 9780141997506
- Title
- The Library of Ancient Wisdom
- Author
- Selena Wisnom
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd (UK) Feb 2026
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- Neu
- Binding
- Taschenbuch
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0141997508
- ISBN 13
- 9780141997506
- Item weight
- 334 grams
- Dimensions
- 191x130x30 mm
The story of the ancient world’s most spectacular library, and the civilization that created it
'A thrilling trip back to Mesopotamia, birthplace of horoscopes and algorithms … via the abundant records they left behind, written on clay tablets… absorbing… hums with life' - Mathew Lyons, Daily Telegraph
'Fascinating and rich in detail… provides an excellent survey of Mesopotamian literary classics.. and offers snippets of daily life' - Literary Review
When a team of Victorian archaeologists dug into a grassy hill in Iraq, they chanced upon one of the oldest and greatest stores of knowledge ever seen: the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, seventh century BCE ruler of a huge swathe of the ancient Middle East known as Mesopotamia. After his death, vengeful rivals burned Ashurbanipal’s library to the ground - yet the texts, carved on clay tablets, were baked and preserved by the heat. Buried for millennia, the tablets were written in cuneiform: the first written language in the world.
More than half of human history is written in cuneiform, but only a few hundred people on earth can read it. In this captivating new book, Assyriologist Selena Wisnom takes us on an immersive tour of this extraordinary library, bringing ancient Mesopotamia and its people to life. Through it, we encounter a world of astonishing richness, complexity and sophistication. Mesopotamia, she shows, was home to advanced mathematics, astronomy and banking, law and literature. This was a culture absorbed and developed by the ancient Greeks, and whose myths were precursors to Bible stories - in short, a culture without which our lives today would be unrecognizable.
The Library of Ancient Wisdom unearths a civilization at once strange and strangely familiar: a land of capricious gods, exorcisms and professional lamenters, whose citizens wrote of jealous rivalries, profound friendships and petty grievances. Through these pages we come face to face with humanity’s first civilization: their startling achievements, their daily life, and their struggle to understand our place in the universe.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Books-by-Floh
Paderborn, Germany
AbeBooks seller since March 13, 2026
Shipping rates from Germany to U.S.A.
| Item | 60 to 60 business days | 60 to 60 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 87.92 | £ 108.85 |
Payment methods
Store description
Books-by-Floh steht für ein breites, kuratiertes Buchsortiment aus einer Hand. Unser Fokus liegt auf Qualität, Vielfalt und zuverlässiger Abwicklung. Wir führen Romane, Krimis, Thriller, Liebesromane, Lyrik, Anthologien, Mythologie, Fachbücher sowie Werke der Gegenwartsliteratur – für Leserinnen und Leser mit Anspruch. Alle Artikel werden ausschließlich aus Deutschland versendet. Das garantiert kurze Lieferzeiten, transparente Prozesse und einen verlässlichen Service. Unser Anspruch: unkomplizierter Einkauf, Bücher, die man gerne liest – heute und morgen. Books-by-Floh – Bücher. Klar. Verlässlich. …
Specialty
BelletristikSeller's business information
Books-by-Floh
Germany
Terms of sale
** Imprint **
Florian Gerlach | booksbyfloh.de | Von-Wied-Str. 8b | 33104 Paderborn | Telefon: +4915227781070 | E-Mail: info@booksbyfloh.de | Finanzamt Paderborn | Umsatzsteuer-ID: DE227453788
Books-by-Floh steht für ein breites, kuratiertes Buchsortiment aus einer Hand. Unser Fokus liegt auf Qualität, Vielfalt und zuverlässiger Abwicklung.
Wir führen Romane, Krimis, Thriller, Liebesromane, Lyrik, Anthologien, Mythologie, Fachbücher sowie Werke der Gegenwartsliteratur – für Leserinnen und Leser mit Anspruch.
Alle Artikel werden ausschließlich aus Deutschland versendet. Das garantiert kurze Lieferzeiten, transparente Prozesse und einen verlässlichen Service.
Unser Anspruch: unkomplizierter Einkauf, Bücher, die man gerne liest – heute und morgen.
Books-by-Floh – Bücher. Klar. Verlässlich.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Books-by-Floh, Paderborn, Germany, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.