Synopses & Reviews
Written for the student of history and the general reader, this study of the civilization of the ancient Near East brings together the findings of historians, anthropologists, linguists, geographers, art historians, scientists, and other specialists. It begins with an examination of prehistory, and then focuses on social and cultural themes while broadly outlining Near Eastern political and military developments.
Table of Contents
1. Tracing Early Humanity. 2. The Transition From Hunter-Gathering To Farming. 3. The Rise Of The First Urban Civilization; Summer In Southern Mesopotamia. 4. Sumerian Culture Through The Early Dynastic Period. 5. New Powers And Peoples In Southern Mesopotamia; Agade, Ur, Babylon. 6. Life And Death Along The Nile; Egypt Through The Old Kingdom. 7. Egypt In The Middle And New Kingdoms. 8. The Hittites Of Anatolia And Their Neighbors. 9. The Phoenicians And Other Early Semitic Speakers Of Syria-Palestine. 10. The Hebrews. 11. The Religion-Centered Hebrew Culture. 12. Great Powers Of Western Asia; Assyria, Chaldean Babylonia, Lydia. 13. Persia. 14. Persian Cultural Achievements.