Abstract
Unlike works inherited from Greek or Roman antiquity, the writings of Mesopotamian Civilization are all the result of excavations. Assyriologists work from clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform characters. He has to reconstruct texts from fragments, put them in chronological and geographical order, and gradually build up a history of Mesopotamia that is not only political, but also social, economic and cultural. The task is immense, requiring a multidisciplinary approach combining archaeology, epigraphy, philology and history.