Ancient Near East

The Ancient Near East embraces a vast geographical area, from the borders of Iran and Afghanistan in the east to the Levant and Anatolia, and from the Black Sea in the north to Egypt in the south. It was a region of enormous cultural, political and linguistic diversity.In this authoritative new study, Amélie Kuhrt examines its history from the earliest written documents to the conquest of Alexander the Great, c.3000-330 BC. This work dispels many of the misapprehensions which have surrounded the study of the region. It provides a lucid, up-to-date narrative which takes into account the latest archaeological and textual discoveries and deals with the complex problems of interpretation and methodology.The Ancient Near East is an essential text for all students of history of this region and a valuable introduction for students and scholars working in related subjects.Winner of the AHO's 1997 James Henry Breasted Award.

'Simply brilliant, a credit to publisher and author alike. Beautifully produced, it proves that scholarship of a high order on a subject of considerable complexity, with massive accompanying bibliography and footnotes, is yet compatible with solid readability. These are two magisterial volumes, unmatched by anything available today in coverage, scholarship and judgement.' - Literary Review'A very comprehensive synthesis.' - Antiquity'These beautifully written and lavishly produced volumes contain a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the history of the ancient Near East from the earliest documentary evidence to the conquest of Alexander the Great.' - Orientalia'A magnificent handbook to a vast sweep of history, from 3000BC to Alexander the Great.' - Mary Beard, BBC History Magazine

Amelie Kuhrt is a Reader in Ancient History at University College London. She was co-organiser of the Achaemenid History Workshops (1983-1990). She has published a number of books on the ancient Near east, and is co-editor of Images of Women in Antiquity (Routledge 1993).

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