To understand the history of Mesopotamia, historians have had to rely on cuneiform texts which represent the oldest tradition of human history. The number and variety of texts written in cuneiform script are enormous, and present a unique source for the study of this ancient culture. Clear and accessible, Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History explores the possibilities and challenges these sources offer. Marc Van De Mieroop considers the political, social, and economic conditions that these texts illuminate as well as the way historians have used these sources to validate their readings of particular historical events. Filled with examples taken from the entirety of Mesopotamian history, Cuneiform Texts and the Writing of History offers readers insight into how we have come to learn about this fascinating chapter of the human past.