Selena Wisnom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History

<div>My guest on this week's <em>Book Club</em> podcast is the Assyriologist Selena Wisnom, author of <em>The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History</em>. Selena tells me about the vast and strange world of cuneiform culture, as evidenced by the life and reign of the scholar-king Ashurbanipal and the library – pre-dating that of Alexandria – that he left to the world. She describes the cruelty and brilliance of the Ancient Near East, the uses of lamentation, the capricious Babylonian gods, the ways in which we can recognise ourselves in our ancestors there – plus, what <em>The Exorcist</em> got wrong about Sumerian demons.</div><p>Become a <em>Spectator </em>subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to <a href="spectator.co.uk/follow-your-podcasts/"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/adfree</a> to find out more.</p><br><p>For more <em>Spectator</em> podcasts, go to <a href="spectator.co.uk/podcasts/"; rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spectator.co.uk/podcasts</a></p><br><p>Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk</p>

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