A history of the ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC

Bibliographic Information

A history of the ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC

Marc van de Mieroop

(Blackwell history of the ancient world)

Blackwell Pub., 2004 [i.e. 2003]

  • : pbk

Other Title

A history of the ancient Near East

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Note

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

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

ISBN 9780631225515

Description

This book presents a clear, concise history of the extraordinarily multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East. 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. Incorporating the most recent discoveries and scholarship, the book provides both an account of political and military events and a survey of the cultures and societies of the ancient Near East. The straightforward, accessible text is accompanied by plentiful maps and illustrations, and contains a selection of Near Eastern texts in translation. Each chapter includes a key research question or text, such as the use of the Bible as a historical source, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Assyrian royal annals. It is essential reading for anyone interested in this crucial period in world history.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations. List of Charts. List of Maps. List of Boxes. List of Documents. Acknowledgements. Author's Notes. Preface. 1. Introductory Concerns: What is the Ancient Near East?The Sources. Geography. Prehistoric Developments. Part I: City-States: 2. Origins: The Uruk Phenomenon. The Origins of Cities. The Development of Writing and Administration. The 'Uruk Expansion'. Uruk's Aftermath. 3. Competing City-States: the Early Dynastic Period. The Written Sources and Their Historical Uses. Political Developments in South Mesopotamia. The Wider Near East. Early Dynastic Society. Scribal Culture. 4. Political Centralization in the Late Third Millennium. The kings of Akkad. The Third Dynasty of Ur. 5. The Near East in the Early Second Millennium. Nomads and Sedentary People. Babylonia. Assyria and the East. Mari and the West. 6. The Growth of Territorial States in the Early Second Millennium. Shamshi-Adad and the Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia. Hammurabi's Babylon. The Old Hittite Kingdom. The 'Dark Ages'. Part II: Territorial States: 7. The Club of the Great Powers. The Political System. Political Interactions: Diplomacy and Trade. Regional Competition: Warfare. Shared Ideologies and Social Organizations. 8. The Western States of the Late Second Millennium. Mittani. The Hittite New Kingdom. Syria-Palestine. 9. Kassites, Assyrians, and Elamites. Babylonia. Assyria. The Middle Elamite Kingdom. 10. The Collapse of the Regional System and its Aftermath. The Events. Interpretation. The Aftermath. Part III: Empires: 11. The Near East at the Start of the First Millennium. The Eastern States. The West. 12. The Rise of Assyria. Patterns of Assyrian Imperialism. The Historical Record. Ninth Century Expansion. Internal Assyrian Decline. 13. Assyria's World Domination. The Creation of an Imperial Structure. The Defeat of the Great Rivals. The Administration and Ideology of the Empire. Assyrian Culture. Assyria's Fall. 14. The Medes and the Babylonians. The Medes and the Anatolian States. The Neo-Babylonian Dynasty. 15. The Persian Empire. The Rise of Persia and its Expansion. Political Developments. Organization of the Empire. Alexander of Macedon. King Lists. Guide to Further Reading. Index.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780631225522

Description

This book presents a clear, concise history of the extraordinarily multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East. 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. Incorporating the most recent discoveries and scholarship, the book provides both an account of political and military events and a survey of the cultures and societies of the ancient Near East. The straightforward, accessible text is accompanied by plentiful maps and illustrations, and contains a selection of Near Eastern texts in translation. Each chapter includes a key research question or text, such as the use of the Bible as a historical source, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Assyrian royal annals. It is essential reading for anyone interested in this crucial period in world history.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations. List of Charts. List of Maps. List of Boxes. List of Documents. Acknowledgements. Author's Notes. Preface. 1. Introductory Concerns: What is the Ancient Near East? The Sources. Geography. Prehistoric Developments. Part I: City-States: 2. Origins: The Uruk Phenomenon. The Origins of Cities. The Development of Writing and Administration. The 'Uruk Expansion'. Uruk's Aftermath. 3. Competing City-States: the Early Dynastic Period. The Written Sources and Their Historical Uses. Political Developments in South Mesopotamia. The Wider Near East. Early Dynastic Society. Scribal Culture. 4. Political Centralization in the Late Third Millennium. The kings of Akkad. The Third Dynasty of Ur. 5. The Near East in the Early Second Millennium. Nomads and Sedentary People. Babylonia. Assyria and the East. Mari and the West. 6. The Growth of Territorial States in the Early Second Millennium. Shamshi-Adad and the Kingdom of Upper Mesopotamia. Hammurabi's Babylon. The Old Hittite Kingdom. The 'Dark Ages'. Part II: Territorial States: 7. The Club of the Great Powers. The Political System. Political Interactions: Diplomacy and Trade. Regional Competition: Warfare. Shared Ideologies and Social Organizations. 8. The Western States of the Late Second Millennium. Mittani. The Hittite New Kingdom. Syria-Palestine. 9. Kassites, Assyrians, and Elamites. Babylonia. Assyria. The Middle Elamite Kingdom. 10. The Collapse of the Regional System and its Aftermath. The Events. Interpretation. The Aftermath. Part III: Empires: 11. The Near East at the Start of the First Millennium. The Eastern States. The West. 12. The Rise of Assyria. Patterns of Assyrian Imperialism. The Historical Record. Ninth Century Expansion. Internal Assyrian Decline. 13. Assyria's World Domination. The Creation of an Imperial Structure. The Defeat of the Great Rivals. The Administration and Ideology of the Empire. Assyrian Culture. Assyria's Fall. 14. The Medes and the Babylonians. The Medes and the Anatolian States. The Neo-Babylonian Dynasty. 15. The Persian Empire. The Rise of Persia and its Expansion. Political Developments. Organization of the Empire. Alexander of Macedon. King Lists. Guide to Further Reading. Index.

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