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

Incorporating the latest scholarly research, the third edition of A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000-323 BC presents a comprehensive overview of the multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East. Integrates the most up-to-date research, and includes a richer selection of supplementary materials Addresses the wide variety of political, social, and cultural developments in the ancient Near East Updated features include new "Key Debate" boxes at the end of each chapter to engage students with various perspectives on a range of critical issues; a comprehensive timeline of events; and 46 new illustrations, including 12 color photos Features a new chapter addressing governance and continuity in the region during the Persian Empire Offers in-depth, accessible discussions of key texts and sources, including the Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member tuckerresearch

A standard textbook treatment of the Fertile Crescent.

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LibraryThing member booktsunami

I'm half way through this and wondering whether it's worth finishing. Basically, I'm finding it pretty boring; kind of like reading Deuteronomy....a succession of kings and kingdoms. Admittedly, Marc does try and peg things back to the evidence; documentary or hard evidence like pottery etc., Still

there is a heck of a lot of sheer speculation. Take this for example "...this may merely show the spread of southern scribal practices. Widespread territorial control of the region seems unlikely. The old Akkadian kings probably established points through which they could channel their commercial interests , possibly backed by the threat of military action."....Here we have this collection of weasel words: "merely", "unlikely", "probably", "possibly"....I feel a bit like I'm reading "Holy Blood and Holy Grail" ....or Dan Brown's take on it. Obviously, there is a lot of guess work when you are writing about things that happened 4000 years ago ....and written records were limited (and usually only showed one side of the history).
Marc does try to draw out something of a big picture ....most obviously with his chapter headings: for example, "Political centralisation in the late third Millennium" or "The growth of territorial states in the early second Millennium" .
I guess, I am learning something ...but it is rather hard going. OK I will soldier on with reading it. But it is a chore.

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