The city of Babylon : a history, c. 2000 BC - AD 116 / Stephanie Dalley, University of Oxford.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Babylon, the most famous city of central Mesopotamia, gave its name to the surrounding region, Babylonia, and to the ancient kingdom, culture and language now known as Babylonian. It was one of many great cities clustering in that fertile land, where it rose to dominate the others and held its dominance for nearly 2,000 years. Long before Babylon rose to supreme power, other great cities had powerful kings, fine buildings, extensive literacy, and mighty gods, so it is surprising that Babylon was able to achieve and hold on to exceptional status for such a long time. Mesopotamian civilization in general is extraordinary for its unbroken traditions of cities and literacy, but it did not begin in Babylon. For more than a thousand years the land had nurtured great Sumerian cities such as Ur, Uruk and Lagash, whose rulers were pioneers of architecture, art and literature with a rich and complex cultural history"-- Provided by publisher.