Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation

This book provides the reader with the primary sources for the history of the ancient Near East. Covering the period from the earliest historical and literary texts (ca. 2700 BC) to the advent of Alexander the Great (331 BC), it presents new translations of Mesopotamian and ancient Near Eastern historiographic texts, and other related materials. An opening chapter sets out the themes of the book and discusses the difficulties of translating cuneiform texts into English, as well as the difficulty of reconstructing ancient Near Eastern history from textual sources. Texts featured in the main body of the book range from the code of Hammurabi to the Assyrian royal inscriptions. For each text, a detailed commentary is provided, placing it in its historical and cultural context. A map helps to orient the reader.

Acknowledgments. Abbreviations. Notes on Contributors. Illustrations. Introduction (Mark W. Chavalas). 1. Sumerian Early Dynastic Royal Inscriptions (Glenn Magid). 2. Old Akkadian Period Texts (Benjamin Studevent–Hickman and Christopher Morgan). 3. Late Third Millennium BCE Sumerian Texts (Richard Averbeck, Benjamin Studevent–Hickman, and Piotr Michalowski). 4. Old Babylonian Period Inscriptions (Frans van Koppen). 5. Miscellaneous Old Babylonian Period Documents (Frans van Koppen). 6. Late Bronze Age Inscriptions from Babylon, Assyria, and Syro–Palestine (Frans von Koppen, Kyle Greenwood, Christopher Morgan, Brent A. Strawn, Jeff Cooley, Bill T. Arnold, Eva von Dassow, and Yoram Cohen). 7. Correspondence from El–Amarna in Egypt (Eva von Dassow and Kyle Greenwood). 8. Hittite Historical Texts I (Gary Beckman, Petra Goedegebuure, Joost Hazenbos, and Yoram Cohen). 9. Hittite Historical Texts II (Kathleen R. Mineck, Theo van den Hout, and Harry A. Hoffner, Jr.). 10. Neo–Assyrian and Syro–Palestinian Texts I (Sarah C. Melville, Brent A. Strawn, Brian B. Schmidt, and Scott Noegel). 11. Neo–Assyrian and Syro–Palestinian Texts II (Brent A. Strawn, Sarah C. Melville, Kyle Greenwood, and Scott Noegel). 12. Neo–Babylonian Period Texts from Babylonia and Syro–Palestine (Benjamin Studevent–Hickman, Sarah C. Melville, and Scott Noegel). 13. Achaemenid Period Historical Texts Concerning Mesopotamia (Bill T. Arnold and Piotr Michalowski). Indexes.

Mark W. Chavalas is Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. He has edited or authored six books, including most recently Life and Culture in the Ancient Near East (2002), Mesopotamia and the Bible (2002) and Bible Background Commentary of the Old Testament (2000). He is currently on the Board of Trustees of the American Schools of Oriental Research.

All of these scholars are to be applauded for the excellence of their work. ( Journal of American Oriental Society , January 2008) A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007 "Blackwell has rendered an excellent service to the study of the Ancient Near East by undergraduates and, indeed, to those of the general public with anything more than superficial interest in the subject ... Chavalas provides a solid textual basis for a better understanding of this area." Scholia "Mark W. Chavalas has gathered an excellent ensemble of scholars and doctoral candidates to edit and translate representative historical texts from the major cultures of the ancient Near East into English ... Students and non–specialists who are embarking on the study of the ancient Near East would do well to consult The Ancient Near East for a quick reference to Near Eastern historical documents." Bryn Mawr Classical Review "An invaluable reference for most academic and large public libraries." Choice "An extremely full selection of texts of historical import and an invaluable resource for college and university teaching. The extensive commentaries make it accessible for anyone interested in investigating the manner in which the peoples of the ancient Near East represented their past." Gary Beckman, University of Michigan Chavalas has assembled a sterling cast of translators. The historical introductions bristle with insights and the book gives us ′history from above′ in the best sense. Daniel C. Snell, The University of Oklahoma Mark Chavalas has gathered an impressive international group of scholars, who offer a judicious sampling of texts from Mesopotamia and related ancient Near Eastern cultures. The texts are carefully translated and liberally provided with illuminating introductions and commentary. In all, a volume that should become a prized resource for students and scholars alike. Peter Machinist, Harvard University A welcome and affordable anthology in English and the editor and the contributors deserve our thanks for their efforts. It is extremely readable, the translations are admirably put into context and by and large excellent. J.G. Dercksen, Boekbesprekingen – Algemeen This much–needed, well–done primary sourcebook is a must for anyone teaching the history of the ancient Near East. Religious Studies Review