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  • Sumerian Mythology

  • Myths and History of Ancient Mesopotamia (Annotated) with a Historical Introduction: Discover the Secrets of the Sumerian Civilization and Their Gods
  • By: Samuel Noah Kramer
  • Narrated by: Jim D. Johnston
  • Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (13 ratings)

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Sumerian Mythology

By: Samuel Noah Kramer
Narrated by: Jim D. Johnston
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Publisher's summary

Discover the secrets of the Sumerian civilization and their gods

The annotations includes:

  • Author biography of Samuel Noah Kramer
  • The history of Sumer, their culture, kings, and how they disappeared

The Sumerians are widely regarded as the first people to develop civilization in the sense that modern humans understand the term. They were pioneers in a variety of fields, including language, government, architecture, and more. Before the Babylonians took control in 2004 BC, they ruled the region for close to 2,000 years, during which time they were successful in maintaining their dominance.

In Sumerian culture, schools were widespread, and they represent the earliest widespread attempt to disseminate knowledge in order to maintain and advance a community.

The Sumerians left behind a large number of written documents, but they are best known for their epic poetry, which had a profound impact on subsequent Greek and Roman writers as well as portions of the Bible, particularly the tales of the Great Flood, Eden, and the Tower of Babel. The world's oldest musically notated song, "Hurrian Hymn No. 6," is thought to have been composed by the musically oriented Sumerians.

The book will cover the Sumerian myths of Origins, Myths of Kur as well as other miscellaneous myths including: the deluge, The mariage of Martu, Inianna prefers the farmer.

About the Author:

Samuel Noah Kramer was a distinguished Assyriologist who was an authority on Sumerian history as well as the Sumerian language. He was born on September 28, 1897, and passed away on November 26, 1990.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia, then went on to Dropsie College and Penn University.

His contributions are widely regarded as having had a significant impact on the academic study of Sumerian history. Through the publication of his best-selling book History Begins at Sumer, he brought Sumerian literature to the attention of the general public.

Get this title today and immerse yourself into the myths of Sumer, the world's first known civilization!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2022 Chronos Publishing
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
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What listeners say about Sumerian Mythology

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Mythistorical

Originally, when I got this book I had expected nothing but mythology, and when Half the book was Summarian history I got a little miffed. You know, false advertising and all that. Planned on slapping it with a 3 over all because it was misleading, but I listened to it and it is well written and evokes some thinking. I would have gone higher in my score, BUT I felt the actual myth portions were too small/short and could have used a little punch to make it more interesting, maybe that's the narrator's fault. I don't know, I think the narration was solid but it maybe needed some more Juice to really elevate the book. Also, the Book is Sumerian Mythology, but then it also says Myths and HISTORY of Ancient Mesopotamia, so I shouldn't have felt like there was a bait and switch going on. Its pretty good. If you are interested in mythology or ancient history then you'll enjoy this.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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misleading title

the book is great for historians but the title is misleading. you don't even begin to cover any myths until chapter 7 of 9. Personally I love history but for the people who want just the mythology, it is not so great. The biggest mistake the book formatting people made was the author notes, life, and what should be the footnotes are at the beginning of this book not in the back of book where references are supposed to go.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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very interesting book

For the most part I enjoyed this book. There is a lot of background information given that is quite fascinating. I got a little lost when it came to the myths. Some of the unfamiliar names sound similar and I lost track of which god was which.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Sumerian Mythology

The first half of the book is an in-depth explanation of Sumerian culture which provides a great framework for understanding the myths that follow. In addition, each story is accompanied by notes providing context and noting passages that lack a reliable translation. I found this book fascinating, and I have gained a much deeper understanding of the topic than that with which I began.
I received a free Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, awful narration. Awful whistle sound on each “s”. Very distracting.

I don’t know how others haven’t commented on the whistle sound the narrator makes with each “s”. It’s especially awful when a word ends in “s”. Almost unable to listen to the book. It is so distractin

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    5 out of 5 stars
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very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! good overall

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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A Brief but Complete Collection of Sumerian Myth

I enjoyed this collection. It covers a brief accounting of the history and culture and then a fairly complete collection of the myths and key heroes, gods and goddesses who figure in Sumerian mythology, organized by section, beginning with creation myths and includes actual translations to the extent that the tablets had been translated at the time of writing.
I found that there are many similarities to the myths and legends of other cultures and it is interesting to note how they differ as well as where they are the same.
If you have an interest in folklore and mythology or in ancient history, this is a good primer.

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Interesting short story compilation

I am a fan of all mythologies because they are fun, often crazy but can provide some insights to specific cultures. I knew nothing about the Sumerians going into this book but I learned a lot about this ancient civilization. The narration is very well done.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I really love this audiobook series!

It's not the first time I listen one book from this publisher, and all I can say is they are great. They just bring us sometimes forgotten classics and record them in a fresh mode. The result, a really invaluable treasure.

I really enjoy reading / listening about sumerian mythology. I'm completely a fan.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Painful

I hate to say it, but the narration is so bad I can't bear to finish it. I'm just gonna wait some years for a better version. Mainly because there is no Sumerian mythology audio book available that's both well written, and well read. Also the accuracy of translation is bound to improve, and missing pieces of stories may turn up.

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