Book excerpt: This book uses insights from religious studies, literary theory, and the history of science for understanding the Sumerian composition "Nanse and the Birds" in the context of the Old Babylonian scribal school. The discussions of Babylonian religion, literature, and scholarship focus on the usefulness and relevance of these modern concepts for categorizing the ancient text. The volume presents the first critical edition of "Nanse and the Birds," as well as editions of the hymn Nanse B and all third millennium and Old Babylonian lexical lists of birds. It includes 37 plates with photographs and line drawings, including many previously unpublished tablets. The final chapter discusses the identity and orthography of all Sumerian bird names in literary, administrative and lexical texts.