LA DOCUMENTATION FRANÇAISE. - Lot 172

LA DOCUMENTATION FRANÇAISE. Mesopotamia. Photographic Documentation, File No. 5,254. Paris, La Documentation française, April 1965. In-4, loose-leaf in the publisher’s illustrated folder. A comprehensive documentary collection devoted to Mesopotamia, the cradle of the first great urban civilizations of the ancient Near East. Published in the renowned *Documentation Photographique* series, it combines a summary booklet with a rich collection of photographic plates intended for teaching and the dissemination of archaeological knowledge. The work traces the history of the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian civilizations through their major sites and monuments. The particularly extensive illustrations depict the major discoveries from the excavations at Mari, Ur, Uruk, Babylon, Nineveh, Khorsabad, and Nimrud: votive statues, bas-reliefs, androcephalic bulls, stelae, cylinder seals, cuneiform tablets, ritual objects, monumental architecture, and major works preserved in major museums. The texts place these artifacts in their historical, political, and artistic context, while also discussing the major French and international archaeological campaigns conducted in the Near East. A complete copy, including its cover and plates. The cover shows some very slight signs of wear; the interior is in good condition. Sold as is.