PDF HIST4; Volume 1 (with Online; 1 term (6 months) Printed Access Card) by Kevin M. Schultz in History

Description

Excerpt from Myths Legends of Babylonia AssyriaThe purpose of this book is to provide not only a popular account of the religion and mythology of ancient of Babylonia and Assyria; but to extract and present to the reader the treasures of romance latent in the subject; the peculiar richness of which has been recognized since the early days of archaeological effort in Chaldea. Unfortunately; with few exceptions; writers who have made the field a special study have rarely been able to triumph over the limitations which so often obtrude in works of scholarship and research. It is true that the pages of Rawlinson; Smith; Layard; and Sayce are enlivened at intervals with pictures of Assyrian splendour and Babylonian glory - gleams which escape as the curtains which veil the wondrous past are partially lifted - but such glimpses are only interludes in lengthy disquisitions which too often must be tedious for the general reader.It was such a consideration which prompted the preparation of this volume. Might not a book be written which should contain the pure gold of Babylonian romance freed from the darker ore of antiquarian research? So far; so good. But gold in the pure state is notoriously unserviceable; and an alloy which renders it of greater utility may detract nothing from its brilliance. Romance or no romance; in these days it will not do to furnish stories of the gods without attempting some definition of their nature and origin. For more than ever before romance and knowledge are a necessary blend in the making of a satisfactory book on mythology.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com