discusses how the abundant Mesopotamian cuneiform text sources can be used for the study of various aspects of history: political, social, economic and gender. Marc Van De Mieroop provides a student-friendly introduction to the subject and: * criticises disciplinary methodologies which are often informed by a desire to write a history of events * scrutinises the intellectual background of historical writings * examines how Mesopotamia's position as the 'other' in Classical and Biblical writings has influenced scholarship * illustrates approaches with examples taken from the entirety of Mesopotamian history.