Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature

Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature allows a glimpse of a world with a sexual culture and erotic values very different from our own, through exploration of the earliest preserved written evidence on the subject - the Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform sources of the 21st to 5th centuries BC. Drawing on sophisticated and astonishing literary texts - courtly love poems and bridal songs, myths, narratives and incantations - Gwendolyn Leick uncovers a fascinating range of perspectives on the subject of passion and pleasure. The reader is treated to eloquent and freely-expressed views on topics from prostitution, love magic and deviant sexual practice to gender, fertility and potency. This revealing and candid volume celebrates a wealth of erotic material from one of the world's earliest literate civilizations, and encompasses archaeological, religious, historical, anthropological and gender-based themes and approaches. It will be of interest to students and teachers.