A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000–323 BC

Incorporating the latest scholarly research in this rapidlydeveloping field, the third edition of A History of the AncientNear East ca. 3000 323 BC presents a comprehensiveoverview of the extraordinary multicultural civilizations of theancient Near East. Presenting the region s complex history ina concise and accessible manner, chapters begin with the emergenceof writing around 3000 BC, and proceed with the origins of thefirst cities in Mesopotamia and growth of the Babylonian andHittite kingdoms up to the rise of the Assyrian and Persianempires. Concluding chapters address the transformation of theancient Near East by the conquests of Alexander theGreat with a new chapter addressing governance and continuityin the region during the Persian Empire. Other updates include acomprehensive timeline of events, 30 new illustrations, andexpanded coverage of the myriad political events, militarycampaigns, and social and cultural developments that emergedthroughout the Near East over the course of more than threemillennia . Another notable update is the inclusion of KeyDebate boxes designed to illuminate differing perspectives onvarious critical issues after each chapter . A History of theAncient Near East ca. 3000–323 BC, Third Edition, enhances itsreputation as one of the most accessible introductions to the richand complex history of ancient Near Eastern civilizations availabletoday.

Marc Van De Mieroop is Professor of History at Columbia University. He is the author of many books on various aspects of the histories of the ancient Near East and Egypt, including The Ancient Mesopotamian City (1997, 1999) , King Hammurabi of Babylon (Blackwell, 2004) , The Eastern Mediterranean in the Age of Ramesses II (Wiley–Blackwell, 2009), and A History of Ancient Egypt (Wiley–Blackwell, 2010) .