A Companion to the Ancient Near East

by Daniel C. Snell (Editor)

Overview

A Companion to the Ancient Near East offers students and general readers a comprehensive overview of Near Eastern civilization from the Bronze Age to the conquests of Alexander the Great. Written by leading experts, the book examines all the major civilizations of the region, including the Sumerians, Hittites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Israelites, and Persians. The Companion provides a survey of both the history of the Ancient Near East and the sources for studying the period. It places special emphasis on social and cultural history and also covers the legacy of the Ancient Near East in the medieval and modern worlds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119362494
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	03/17/2020
Series:	Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	560
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Daniel C. Snell is L. J. Semrod Presidential Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. His books include Life in the Ancient Near East (1997), A Workbook of Cuneiform Signs (1979), The E.A. Hoffman Collection and Other American Collections (1979), Ledgers and Prices (1982), Twice Told Proverbs (1993) and Flight and Freedom in the Ancient Near East (2001).

Table of Contents

List of Figures     viii
List of Maps     ix
Notes on Contributors     x
Acknowledgments     xv
Introduction     xviii
The Shape of the Ancient Near East     1
Historical Overview   Mario Liverani     3
From Sedentism to States, 10,000-3000 BCE   Augusta McMahon     20
The Age of Empires, 3100-900 BCE   Mark Chavalas     34
World Hegemony, 900-300 BCE   Paul-Alain Beaulieu     48
Discourses on Methods     63
Archaeology and the Ancient Near East: Methods and Limits   Marie-Henriette Gates     65
The Languages of the Ancient Near East   Gonzalo Rubio     79
The Historian's Task   Daniel C. Snell     110
Economy and Society     123
The Degradation of the Ancient Near Eastern Environment   Carlos E. Cordova     125
Nomadism Through the Ages   Jorge Silva Castillo     142
Mesopotamian Cities and Countryside   Elizabeth C. Stone     157
Money and Trade   Christopher M. Monroe     171
Working   David A. Warburton     185
Law and Practice   BruceWells     199
Social Tensions in the Ancient Near East   John F. Robertson     212
Gender Roles in Ancient Egypt   Ann Macy Roth     227
Royal Women and the Exercise of Power in the Ancient Near East   Sarah C. Melville     235
Warfare in Ancient Egypt   Anthony J. Spalinger     245
Culture     259
Transmission of Knowledge   Benjamin R. Foster     261
Ancient Near Eastern Literature: Genres and Forms   Tawny L. Holm     269
Ancient Near Eastern Architecture   Sally Dunham     289
Mesopotamian Art   Marian H. Feldman     304
Ancient Mesopotamian Medicine   JoAnn Scurlock     325
Mesopotamian Cosmology   Francesca Rochberg     339
Divine and Non-Divine Kingship   Philip Jones     353
How Religion Was Done   Gary Beckman     366
Heritage of the Ancient Near East     377
The Invention of the Individual   Daniel C. Snell     379
Ethnicity   Henri Limet     392
Public versus Private in the Ancient Near East   Steven J. Garfinkle     406
Democracy and Freedom   Matthew Martin III   Daniel C. Snell     419
Monotheism and Ancient Israelite Religion   S. David Sperling     430
The Decipherment of the Ancient Near East   Peter T. Daniels     443
Legacies of the Ancient Near East   Daniel C. Snell     454
References     458
Index     527

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Many will find specific chapters of interest, both for insights into their own specialities and for challenging overviews of related fields. Students will find stimulating introductions to a wide range of subjects, not treated in encyclopaedias or dryer standard works ... on which to hone their own critical faculties."
Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"The chapters are written by some of the world's leading scholars, like the veterans Liverani and Limet ... Some of the articles are highly relevant, even dealing with contemporary issues such as the individual, ethnicity ... democracy, and freedom."
Scholia

"As is usual for the Blackwell Companions the essays making up this volume have all been written by leading experts and as such the coverage is inclusive... The introduction, written by the editor, is excellent and clearly explains what the book is setting out to achieve, aims which are met. A Companion to the Ancient Near East is an excellent book and is one that should, without doubt, be read by those with a keen interest in this historical period."
Reference Reviews

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year

Editorial Reviews

This is a welcome companion volume intended to be used with an introductory text to the history of the ancient Near East. There are unexpected topics and insightful inclusions … .In addition to serving successfully as a companion for teaching, this volume also serves as a useful short reference because of the sixty-eight page bibliography.” (Religious Studies Review, September 2008)

"Many will find specific chapters of interest, both for insights into their own specialities and for challenging overviews of related fields. Students will find stimulating introductions to a wide range of subjects, not treated in encyclopaedias or dryer standard works ... on which to hone their own critical faculties." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review)

"The chapters are written by some of the world's leading scholars, like the veterans Liverani and Limet ... Some of the articles are highly relevant, even dealing with contemporary issues such as the individual, ethnicity ... democracy, and freedom." (Scholia)

"As is usual for the Blackwell Companions the essays making up this volume have all been written by leading experts and as such the coverage is inclusive... The introduction, written by the editor, is excellent and clearly explains what the book is setting out to achieve, aims which are met. A Companion to the Ancient Near East is an excellent book and is one that should, without doubt, be read by those with a keen interest in this historical period." (Reference Reviews)

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year

From the Publisher