Weavers, scribes, and kings : a new history of the ancient Near East

A unique history of the ancient Near East that compellingly presents the life stories of kings, priestesses, merchants, bricklayers, and others In this sweeping history of the ancient Near East, Amanda Podany takes readers on a gripping journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to brickmakers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that people faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived. Rather than chronicling three thousand years of rulers and states, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings instead creates a tapestry of life stories through which readers will come to know specific individuals from many walks of life, and to understand their places within the broad history of events and institutions in the ancient Near East. These life stories are preserved on ancient clay tablets, which allow us to trace, for example, the career of a weaver as she advanced to become a supervisor of a workshop, listen to a king trying to persuade his generals to prepare for a siege, and feel the pain of a starving young couple and their four young children as they suffered through a time of famine. What might seem at first glance to be a remote and inaccessible ancient culture proves to be a comprehensible world, one that bequeathed to the modern world many of our institutions and beliefs, a truly fascinating place to visit. A unique history of the ancient Near East that compellingly presents the life stories of kings, priestesses, merchants, bricklayers, and others In this sweeping history of the ancient Near East, Amanda Podany takes readers on a gripping journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquest of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to bricklayers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that they faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived. Rather than chronicling three thousand years of kings and kingdoms, The Fertile Crescent instead creates a tapestry of life stories through which readers will come to know specific individuals from many walks of life, and to understand their places within the broad history of events and institutions in the ancient Near East. These life stories are preserved on ancient tablets, which allow us to trace, for example, the career of a weaver as she advanced to became a supervisor of a workshop, listen to a king trying to persuade his generals to prepare for a siege, and feel the pain of a starving young couple who were driven to sell all four of their young children into slavery during a famine. What might seem at first glance to be a remote and inaccessible ancient culture proves to be a comprehensible world, one that bequeathed to us many of our institutions and beliefs, a truly fascinating place to visit. "This sweeping history of the ancient Near East (Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, Iran) takes readers on a journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquest of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to bricklayers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that they faced over time are explored through their written words and the archaeological remains of the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived. Rather than chronicling three thousand years of kingdoms, the book instead creates a tapestry of life stories through which readers come to know specific individuals from many walks of life, and to understand their places within the broad history of events and institutions in the ancient Near East. These life stories are preserved on ancient cuneiform tablets, which allow us to trace, for example, the career of a weaver as she advanced to became a supervisor of a workshop, listen to a king trying to persuade his generals to prepare for a siege, and feel the pain of a starving young couple who were driven to sell all four of their young children into slavery during a famine. What might seem at first glance to be a remote and inaccessible ancient culture proves to be a comprehensible world, one that bequeathed to us many of our institutions and beliefs, a truly fascinating place to visit"-- Provided by publisher. Cover 1 Weavers, Scribes, and Kings 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction 10 PART I The Uruk Period,3500– 2900 BCE 20 1. Builders and Organizers 22 2. Colonizers, Scribes, and the Gods 46 PART II The Early Dynastic Period,2900– 2300 BCE 70 3. Kings and Subjects 72 4. A Queen, a Reformer, and Weavers 101 5. Royal Couples, Divine Couples, and Envoys 121 PART III The Akkadian and Ur III Periods,2300–2000 BCE 150 6. A Conqueror and a Priestess 152 7. Brickmakers, Litigants, and Slaves 176 PART IV The Early Second Millennium, 2000–1750 BCE 206 8. Sparring Kings and Their Military Commanders 208 9. Merchants and Families 227 10. Princesses and Musicians 247 PART V The Early Second Period, 1792–1550 BCE 274 11. A Lawgiver, Land Overseers, and Soldiers 276 12. Naditums and Scribal Students 298 13. Barbers, Mercenaries, and Exiles 328 PART VI The Late Bronze Age, 1550–1000 BCE 350 14. Businessmen, Charioteers, and Translators 352 15. Gift Recipients and Royal In-​Laws 378 16. Negotiators, Sea Traders, and Famine Sufferers 402 PART VII The First Millennium, 1000–323 BCE 428 17. Empire Builders, Sculptors, and Deportees 430 18. Conspirators, Diviners, and Officials 463 19. Gardeners, Artisans, and a Centenarian Priestess 488 20. Brewers, Rebels, and Exorcists 519 Cast of Main Characters 552 Timeline 558 Acknowledgments 564 Abbreviations 568 Notes 574 Bibliography 622 Index 650 A sweeping history of the ancient Near East from 3500 to 323 BCE, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that they faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived.