Annotated Bibliography

This is an annotated bibliography of the resources I have used so far this year:

- Huehnergard, John. A Grammar of Akkadian, Third Edition. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2011. Print.

This is the book I am using to self-study Akkadian. It is divided into thirty-eight chapters and each chapter ends with a list of new vocabulary and multiple exercises can that range from translation to declining nouns to writing out words in cuneiform.

- Huehnergard, John. Key To A Grammar of Akkadian, Third Edition. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2013. Print.

This is the key to the exercises found at the end of each chapter in A Grammar of Akkadian.

It gives clear answers to the questions, however, it does not provide any extra clarification or information concerning tricky translations.

- Finkle, Irving and Jonathan Taylor. Cuneiform. Los Angles: Getty Publications, 2015. Print.

This a very recently published book written by Irving Finkle and Jonathan Taylor, two cuneiform curators at the British Museum (which holds the largest collection of cuneiform tablets in the world).

It focuses on practical ideas concerning cuneiform by answering questions such as how it was written, why it died out, and how it was deciphered by modern historians.

The book supplements my study of Akkadian by allowing me to develop a greater depth of understanding of the stages cuneiform went through in order for me to be able to self-study it today.

- Foster, Benjamin R. From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia. Bethesda: CDL Press, 1995. Print.

Foster, a well-known and highly praised Assyriologist, provides clear translations a vast assortment of ancient Near Eastern texts, ranging from hymns and prayers to magical spells and humorous stories, in his book.  Complete with a full-length introduction and many explanatory footnotes (both by Foster) his work gives a wealth of background information that offers clarity for the reader, no matter their previous knowledge.

Foster also includes snippets of information (ranging in length from a few sentences to full length paragraphs) for each individual translation. This information generally covers the background, author (if known), and purpose of the text and is extremely important information as it gives specific facts about the seven texts I have chosen to study.

- Van De Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Print.

Marc Van De Mieroop provides a comprehensive and thought-provoking description of the ancient Near East as a whole between the years 3000 -323 BCE.

This book is especially important for the research aspect of my signature as it enhanced my basic knowledge of the ancient Near East which I will be need in order to provide crucial background details when I start studying specific texts.