In this examination of the Babylonian cuneiform "algebra" texts, based on a detailed investigation of the terminology and discursive organization of the texts, Jens Høyrup proposes that the traditional interpretation must be rejected.

I Introduction.- II A New Reading.- III Select Textual Examples.- IV Methods.- V Further “Algebraic” Texts.- VI Quasi-Algebraic Geometry.- VII Old Babylonian “Algebra”: A Global Characterization.- VIII The Historical Framework.- IX The “Finer Structure” of the Old Babylonian Corpus.- X The Origin and Transformations of Old Babylonian Algebra.- XI Repercussions and Influences.- Abbreviations and Bibliography.- Index of Tablets.- Index of Akkadian and Sumerian Terms and Key Phrases.- Name Index.

From the reviews: J. Høyrup Lengths, Widths, Surfaces A Portrait of Old Babylonian Algebra and its Kin "A valuable addition to the literature of the ancient Babylonians, the subsequent Seleucid mathematics and their relations with other (later) mathematics. Drawing on studies of the culture in which the texts were developed, it contains extensive 'conformal translations' of the most important texts, as well as analyses of them and interpretations of the pictures that emerge."—THE AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY "Høyrup has drawn together and updated the key insights of his intellectual journey of the past 15 years and presented them in one unified, handsomely produced volume. … it contains a wealth of information and can be minded by the interested reader for years to come. It is a worthy testament to a career of deep scholarship." (Duncan J. Melville, Historia Mathematica, Vol. 33, 2006)