Utilising material spanning 3000 years, this book examines childbirth in the Biblical and Babylonian world. It follows the mother and child from conception to weaning, analyzing a variety of different texts and topics. It deals with the vicissitudes and procedures of labour and delivery, delivery with magical plants and amulets, and with legal issues relating to abortion or to the liability of the wet-nurse. Many of the texts are rich and distinctive. Babylonian incantations to facilitate birth describe the child moving "over the dark sea" and, like a ship, reaching "the quay of life". Discussions are supplemented with relevant examples drawn from Greek and Roman sources, Rabbinic literature, and modern ethnographic material from traditional Middle Eastern societies. The last chapter deals with the horrible baby-snatching demon, Lamastum.