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

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