This is a list of accessible resources one may refer to as a means to enrich one’s own spiritual practice, supplement a group’s practice, include in a personal library, or use for general reference and research purposes. This is by no means a comprehensive list, as resources, research, and recommendations change constantly. If you are unable to acquire these books from Amazon or your local retailer, Abebooks is another option, as is your local library’s inter-library loan program.
1. General Introduction
A History of the Ancient Near East by Marc Van de Mieroop
The Ancient Near East by James B. Pritchard
The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character by Samuel Noah Kramer
History begins at Sumer by Samuel Noah Kramer
The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion by Thorkild Jacobsen
Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia by Jean Bottéro
Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City by Gwendolyn Leick
Ancient Mesopotamian Religion and Mythology by Wilfred G. Lambert
The Babylonian World by Gwendolyn Leick
The Sumerian World edited by Harriet Crawford
2. Mythology and Reference
Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary by
Jeremy Black, Andrew Green
A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Gwendolyn Leick
Sumerian Mythology by Samuel Noah Kramer
Before The Muses: An Anthology Of Akkadian Literature by Benjamin R. Foster
The Harps that Once- Sumerian Poetry in Translation by Thorkild Jacobsen
The Literature of Ancient Sumer by Jeremy Black
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East (Four Volume Set) by Jack M Sasson
Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (with supplement) by James B. Pritchard
Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament (with Supplement) by James B. Pritchard
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others by Stephanie Dalley
Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature by Gwendolyn Leick
The Image of the Netherworld in the Sumerian Sources by Dina Katz
Dingir: Adventures of the Gods by Edward VanDerJagt
The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture by Francesca Rochberg
Festivals and Calendars of the Ancient Near East by Mark E. Cohen.
A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and texts by John L. Hayes
3. Selected Mythology
Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth : Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer translated by Diane Wolkstein & Samuel Noah Kramer
Love Songs in Sumerian Literature: Critical Edition of the Dumuzi-Inanna Songs by Yitzhak Sefati
Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna by Betty De Shong Meador
Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna by Betty De Shong Meador
Ishtar by Louise M. Pryke
Descent of Inanna: Annotated and Illustrated by Edward VanDerJagt
Myths Of Enki, The Crafty God by Samuel Noah Kramer
The God Enki in Sumerian Royal Ideology and Mythology by Peeter Espak
Ancient Near Eastern Gods Enki and Ea: Diachronical analysis of texts and images from the earliest sources of the Neo-Sumerian Period by Peeter Espak
The Healing Goddess Gula by Barbara Böck
The God Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ideology of Ancient Mesopotamia by Amar Annus
Babylonian Prayers to Marduk by Takayoshi Oshima
4. Magic and Ritual
Witchcraft and Magic in Europe, Volume 1: Biblical and Pagan societies by Frederick H. Cryer and Marie-Louise Thomsen
Mesopotamian Magic by I. Tzvi Abusch
Mesopotamian witchcraft by I. Tzvi Abusch
The Magical Ceremony Maqlû by I. Tzvi Abusch
The Anti-Witchcraft Ritual Maqlu: The Cuneiform Sources of a Magic Ceremony from Ancient Mesopotamia by Schwemer, Daniel
Corpus of Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Rituals: Volume One
by Daniel Schwemer and I. Tzvi Abusch
Corpus of Mesopotamian Anti-Witchcraft Rituals: Volume One
by Daniel Schwemer and I. Tzvi Abusch
The Witchcraft Series Maqlû by I. Tzvi Abusch
Magico-medical means of treating ghost-induced illnesses in ancient Mesopotamia by Jo Ann Scurlock
Healing Magic and Evil Demons: Canonical Udug-hul Incantations by Markham J. Geller
Forerunners to Udug-Hul: Sumerian Exorcistic Incantations by Markham J. Geller
The Cults of Uruk and Babylon: The Temple Ritual Texts by Marc J. H. Linssen
Pazuzu by Nils P. Heessel
Lamastu: An Edition of the Canonical Series of Lamastu Incantations and Rituals and Related Texts from the Second and First Millennia B.C by Walter Farber
Deliver me from Evil: Mesopotamian Incantations, 2500-1500 BC by Graham Cunningham
Mesopotamian Protective Spirits: The Ritual Texts by F. A. M. Wiggermann
Ur III Incantations from the Frau Professor Hilprecht-Collection, Jena. by Johannes J. A. van Dijk and Markham J. Geller
Surpu, A Collection of Sumerian and Akkadian Incantations by Erica Reiner
The Akkadian Namburbu Texts: An Introduction. By Richard Caplice
Assyrian Royal Rituals and Cultic Texts by Simo Parpola
Four Reeds 