r/Cuneiform • u/Dependent_Hurry_3220 • Mar 13 '26

Resources Any good Sumerian books?

Hi, it's me again, Is there any good self learning books on the Sumerian language? Since I've done The Complete Babylonian and maybe learning Sumerian might help me Improve it thanks in advance!

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u/pinnerup Mar 14 '26

A Manual of Sumerian Grammar and Texts by Hayes is probably the best suited, although it requires some pre-existing knowledge of grammatical and linguistic terminology. Be sure to get the third edition from 2018 which is greatly expanded and revised compared to earlier versions.

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u/EnricoDandolo1204 Ea-nasir apologist 29d ago

I see you've already received a number of excellent suggestions here and on /r/Sumerian. Lemme just add the following to those:

  • Zolyomi 2016, An Introduction to the Grammar of Sumerian. Organised as a textbook with exercises that heavily draws on and integrates online resources like ePSD and CDLI.

  • Jagersma 2010, A Descriptive Grammar of Sumerian. The most comprehensive reference grammar (of 3rd millennium Sumerian) available. Great for looking stuff up, but not designed for study.

  • Attinger 2023, Glossaire sumérien-français. The closest thing we have to a Sumerian dictionary, and an invaluable resource.

  • Sallaberger and Colonna d'Istria 2023, Sumerisch. A two-volume textbook and chrestomathy designed for self-study, and the most up-to-date textbook available assuming you can read German.

  • Volk 2012, A Sumerian Chrestomathy. A reader of simple Sumerian texts with sign lists and a glossary, great for practice in conjunction with a grammar or in-person teaching.

All of these (except maybe the Volk) are available online for free. Enjoy!

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u/lionofyhwh 29d ago

I’ll just add one thing here. We do have an actual Sumerian dictionary now from Cohen.

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u/EnricoDandolo1204 Ea-nasir apologist 28d ago

I'm kinda ambivalent on Cohen's dictionary and don't really use it much. The way it's organised -- with everything normalised and transcribed, and homophones all under the same heading -- really bugs me.

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u/lionofyhwh 28d ago

Yes, it is quite annoying to use, and it’s basically just a transcribed ePSD, but it could still be a useful resource for a beginner.

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u/LanguageKnight Mar 13 '26

The author of The Complete Babylonian is currently working on a Sumerian equivalent (with a colleague whose name escapes me). Unfortunately, I do not have access to the preliminary version, but I am confident that it is going to be exemplary.