Robert W. Rogers (1864-1930), American professor of biblical exegesis, became fascinated by the Hebrew language as a boy, when trying to understand the Book of Job, and subsequently studied ancient languages and history in Leipzig and Oxford, where he became a friend of A. H. Sayce. In this two-volume 1901 work, he provides a history of the Mesopotamian civilisations, but begins with an extensive review of the archaeological and literary sources of information, opening with the earliest accounts of Western travellers. Volume 1 then continues with a discussion of the environment and resources, and the peoples and the chronology of the area, before beginning a narrative of Babylonian history. Volume 2 deals with the history of Assyria and of the Chaldean empire. The work, with its detailed review of and reliance on original sources, is still valuable as an introduction to a long period of ancient Middle Eastern history.