Question

A short note on the different sources used to reconstruct the history of Mesopotamia

Answer 1

First one might start with the historiography of subject. In other words, what has been written about before on the topic. Before a historian can add anything new, we first must understand everything that has been written on the subject previously. Second, examine as many primary sources on the subject as possible. I say as possible because you may not have access to that many. For example, if one were researching something from antiquity, from the US, one might be limited on access to primary sources. This is where students of history should start.