The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East : Volume I: From the Beginnings to Old Kingdom Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad

This groundbreaking, five-volume series offers a comprehensive, fully illustrated history of Egypt and Western Asia (the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran), from the emergence of complex states to the conquest of Alexander the Great. Written by a highly diverse, international team of leading scholars, whose expertise brings to life the people, places, and times of the remote past, the volumes in this series focus firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities of the ancient Near East. Individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, paying particular attention to the most recent archaeological finds and their impact on our historical understanding of the periods surveyed. Commencing with the domestication of plants and animals, and the foundation of the first permanent settlements in the region, Volume I contains ten chapters that provide a masterful survey of the earliest dynasties and territorial states in the ancient Near East, concluding with the rise of the Old Kingdom in Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad in Mesopotamia. Politics, ideology, religion, art, crafts, economy, military developments, and the built environment are all examined. Uniquely, emphasis is placed upon elucidating both the internal dynamics of these states and communities, as well as their external relationships with their neighbors in the wider region. The result is a thoughtful, critical, and robust survey of the populations that laid the foundation for all future developments in the ancient Near East. "The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East offers a comprehensive and fully illustrated survey of the history of Egypt and Western Asia (the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran) in five volumes, from the emergence of complex states to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The authors represent a highly international mix of leading academics whose expertise brings alive the people, places, and times of the remote past. The emphasis lies firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities under investigation. The individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, devoting special attention to the most recent archaeological finds and how they have impacted the current interpretation. The first volume covers the long period from the mid-tenth millennium to the late third millennium BC and presents the history of the Near East in ten chapters: From the Beginnings to Old Kingdom Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad. Key topics include the domestication of animals and plants; the first permanent settlements; the subjugation and appropriation of the natural environment; the emergence of complex states and belief systems; the invention of the earliest writing systems; and the wide-ranging trade networks that linked diverse population groups across deserts, mountains, and oceans." -- Oxford Scholarship Online "The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East offers a comprehensive and fully illustrated survey of the history of Egypt and Western Asia (Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Iran) in five volumes, from the emergence of complex states to the conquest of Alexander of Great. The authors represent a highly international mix of leading academics whose expertise brings alive the people, places and times of the remote past. The emphasis lies firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities under investigation. The individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, giving special attention to the most recent archaeological finds and how they have impacted our interpretation. The first volume covers the long period from the mid-tenth millennium to the late third millennium BC and presents the history of the Near East in ten chapters "From the Beginnings to Old Kingdom Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad". Key topics include the domestication of animals and plants, the first permanent settlements, the subjugation and appropriation of the natural environment, the emergence of complex states and belief systems, the invention of the earliest writing systems and the wide-ranging trade networks that linked diverse population groups across deserts, mountains and oceans"-- Provided by publisher "The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East offers a comprehensive and fully illustrated survey of the history of Egypt and Western Asia (Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Iran) in five volumes, from the emergence of complex states to the conquest of Alexander of Great. The authors represent a highly international mix of leading academics whose expertise brings alive the people, places and times of the remote past. The emphasis lies firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities under investigation. The individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, giving special attention to the most recent archaeological finds and how they have impacted our interpretation. The first volume covers the long period from the mid-tenth millennium to the late third millennium BC and presents the history of the Near East in ten chapters "From the Beginnings to Old Kingdom Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad". Key topics include the domestication of animals and plants, the first permanent settlements, the subjugation and appropriation of the natural environment, the emergence of complex states and belief systems, the invention of the earliest writing systems and the wide-ranging trade networks that linked diverse population groups across deserts, mountains and oceans"-- Site de l'éditeur Cover 1 Series 3 The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Preface 8 The Contributors 14 Abbreviations 18 Introducing the Oxford History of the Ancient Near East (Karen Radner, Nadine Moeller, and D. T. Potts) 22 1. Prehistoric Western Asia (Peter M. M. G. Akkermans) 48 2. Prehistoric Egypt (E. Christiana Köhler) 116 3. The Uruk Phenomenon (Gebhard J. Selz) 184 4. Early Dynastic Egypt (Laurel Bestock) 266 5. Egypt’s Old Kingdom: A View from Within (Miroslav Bárta) 337 6. Egypt’s Old Kingdom in Contact with the World (Pierre Tallet) 418 7. Egypt’s Old Kingdom: Perspectives on Culture and Society (Richard Bussmann) 480 8. The Early Dynastic Near East (Vitali Bartash) 552 9. The Kingdom of Akkad: A View from Within (Ingo Schrakamp) 633 10. The Kingdom of Akkad in Contact with the World (Piotr Michalowski) 707 Index 786 The first volume in this groundbreaking series covers the period from the mid-tenth to the late third millennium BC and presents the history of Egypt and Western Asia (Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran) in ten chapters