The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Volume V

Abstract

Abstract 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 historical understanding of the periods surveyed. The fifth volume covers broadly the period from the late seventh century to the late fourth century bc, with sixteen chapters surveying the history of the Near East during “The Age of Persia” by discussing Egypt under the Saite Dynasty, the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the kingdom of Lydia, and most importantly, the Persian Empire. Key topics include the formation, consolidation, and disintegration of empires and other complex states, the role of political ideologies, social hierarchies and religious practices, modes of governance and state administration, and the conflicts, diplomatic efforts, and far-reaching trade and knowledge networks that connected a diverse range of states and communities in the diverse environments between the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Indus valley, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Sahara Desert.