This revised edition of A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000–323 BCintegrates new research from the rapidly developing field of ancient Near Eastern history and greatly expands the guide to further reading from the first edition. The book presents a clear, concise history of the extraordinary multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East, their political and military events, and their cultures and societies. Beginning with the emergence of writing around 3000 BC, the narrative ranges from the origins of the first cities in Mesopotamia, through the growth of the Babylonian and Hittite kingdoms, to the Assyrian and Persian empires. It ends with the transformation of the ancient Near East by the conquests of Alexander the Great.

This accessible text is accompanied by numerous maps and illustrations, and contains a rich selection of Near Eastern texts in translation. Each chapter also includes key research questions or additional text references, such as passages on the use of the Bible as a historical source, excerpts from the Epic of Gilgamesh, or the Assyrian royal annals, intended to add an additional element of comprehension to the text.

"If the first edition was already by far the best choice for a relatively simple introduction to the history of the Ancient Near East for the English-speaking world — certainly for the period until the rise of the Achaemenid Empire — this certainly is the case for this edition. With the book of Van De Mieroop available there is no longer any possible excuse for any undergraduate curriculum in ancient history not to offer a course of Ancient Near Eastern history under the pretext that there would be no adequate, accessible, and affordable textbook." Scholia

Praise for the first edition:

"Marc Van De Mieroop's introduction to the history of Iraq and the Asiatic Near East is suited to first-year undergraduates in ancient history, the archaeology of Western Asia and ancient Near Eastern studies generally, and to all others who need an up-to-date summary of what happened before the Greeks." Times Higher Education Supplement

"I do not know of any other handbook of similar size that can compete with Van de Mieroop's book in philological competence, in historiographic method, and in expository clearness." Mario Liverani, in Orientalia

“This text deserves a place on the shelves of ancient historians and archaeologists, and it will certainly have pride of place in reading lists for courses in Mesopotamian history.” Norman Yoffee, University of Michigan

“As a textbook on Mesopotamian history, particularly the period from c.3000 BC to 612 BC, this book has no English-language equivalent … This should be standard reading, therefore, for all students and scholars in the field.” Bryn Mawr Classical Review

This title presents a concise history of the extraordinarily multicultural civilizations of the Ancient Near East, beginning with the emergence of writing around 3000 BC.

A straightforward & concise narrative of the complex history of the ancient Near East, this work addresses political, social & cultural developments, with in-depth discussion of key texts & sources.

This book presents a clear, concise history of the extraordinary multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East.

• Bestselling narrative of the complex history of the ancient Near East.

• Addresses political, social, and cultural developments.

• Contains in-depth discussion of key texts and sources, including the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh.

• Includes numerous maps, illustrations, and a selection of Near Eastern texts in translation.

• Integrates new research, and greatly expands the guides to further reading for this second edition.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [297]-302) and index.

Marc Van De Mieroop has taught ancient Near Eastern studies at Columbia University, New York and now also teaches at the University of Oxford. He has written numerous books and articles including King Hammurabi of Babylon: A Biography (Blackwell, 2004).

List of Illustrations.

List of Charts.

List of Maps.

List of Boxes.

List of Documents.

Preface to Second Edition.

Preface to First Edition.

Acknowledgments.

Author’s Note.

1. Introductory Concerns.

1.1 What is the Ancient Near East?.

1.2 The Sources.

1.3 Geography.

1.4 Prehistoric Developments.

Part I: City-States:.

2. Origins: The Uruk Phenomenon.

2.1 The Origins of Cities.

2.2 The Development of Writing and Administration.

2.3 The “Uruk Expansion”.

2.4 Uruk’s Aftermath.

3. Competing City-States: The Early Dynastic Period.

3.1 The Written Sources and their Historical Uses.

3.2 Political Developments in Southern Mesopotamia.

3.3 The Wider Near East.

3.4 Early Dynastic Society.

3.5 Scribal Culture.

4. Political Centralization in the Late Third Millennium.

4.1 The Kings of Akkad.

4.2 The Third Dynasty of Ur.

5. The Near East in the Early Second Millennium.

5.1 Nomads and Sedentary People.

5.2 Babylonia.

5.3 Assyria and the East.

5.4 Mari and the West.

6. The Growth of Territorial States in the Early Second Millennium.

6.1 Shamshi-Adad and the Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia.

6.2 Hammurabi’s Babylon.

6.3 The Old Hittite Kingdom.

6.4 The “Dark Age”.

Part II: Territorial States:.

7. The Club of the Great Powers.

7.1 The Political System.

7.2 Political Interactions: Diplomacy and Trade.

7.3 Regional Competition: Warfare.

7.4 Shared Ideologies and Social Organizations.

8. The Western States of the Late Second Millennium.

8.1 Mittani.

8.2 The Hittite New Kingdom.

8.3 Syria-Palestine.

9. Kassites, Assyrians, and Elamites.

9.1 Babylonia.

9.2 Assyria.

9.3 The Middle Elamite Kingdom.

10. The Collapse of the Regional System and its Aftermath.

10.1 The Events.

10.2 Interpretation.

10.3 The Aftermath.

Part III: Empires:.

11. The Near East at the Start of the First Millennium.

11.1 The Eastern States.

11.2 The West.

12. The Rise of Assyria.

12.1 Patterns of Assyrian Imperialism.

12.2 The Historical Record.

12.3 Ninth-Century Expansion.

12.4 Internal Assyrian Decline.

13. Assyria’s World Domination.

13.1 The Creation of an Imperial Structure.

13.2 The Defeat of the Great Rivals.

13.3 The Administration and Ideology of the Empire.

13.4 Assyrian Culture.

13.5 Assyria’s Fall.

14. The Medes and Babylonians.

14.1 The Medes and the Anatolian States.

14.2 The Neo-Babylonian Dynasty.

15. The Persian Empire.

15.1 The Rise of Persia and its Expansion.

15.2 Political Developments.

15.3 Organization of the Empire.

15.4 Alexander of Macedon.

King Lists.

Guide to Further Reading.

Index