The Oxford history of the ancient Near East. Volume IV, The age of Assyria

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 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. The fourth volume of the Oxford History of the Ancient Near East covers the period from the end of the second to the middle of the first millennium BC, ca. 1100-600 BC, corresponding with Egypt's "Third Intermediate Period". Fifteen chapters present the history of the Near East during "The Age of Assyria," from the formative period of the Assyrian Empire to this influential state's disintegration. Several of the chapters discuss the challenges of reconstructing the sequence of local rulers and the various sources and diverse strategies harnessed in order to overcome these difficulties, notably for Egypt, for Elam, for Urartu and on northern Syria and southeastern Anatolia. This volume offers new and complementary perspectives on the history of northeastern Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East from the 11th to the 7th century BC. "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 Cover 1 HalfTitle 2 Series 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Preface 8 Time Chart 12 The Contributors 16 Abbreviations 22 35. Egypt before the Saites (Jean Li) 26 36. Kush under the Dynasty of Napata (Geoff Emberling) 107 37. Assyria from Tiglath-​pileser I to Ashurnasirpal II (Daisuke Shibata) 186 38. The Assyrian Empire: A View from Within (Heather D. Baker) 282 39. The Assyrian Empire in Contact with the World (Jamie Novotny) 377 40. The Assyrian Empire: Perspectives on Culture and Society (Frederick Mario Fales) 450 41. Babylonia from Nebuchadnezzar I to Tiglath-​pileser III (John P. Nielsen) 545 42. Elam in the Iron Age (Alexa Bartelmus) 613 43. The Medes and the Kingdom of Mannea (Andreas Fuchs) 699 44. The Kingdom of Urartu (Yervand Grekyan) 794 45. The Kingdom of Phrygia (Annick Payne) 890 46. The Iron Age States of Central Anatolia and Northern Syria (Mark Weeden) 937 47. The Iron Age States on the Phoenician Coast (Françoise Briquel Chatonnet) 1052 48. The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (Omer Sergi) 1140 Index 1232