Table of Contents

List of Figures viii

List of Maps ix

Notes on Contributors x

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction xviii

Part I The Shape of the Ancient Near East 1

1 Historical Overview 3
Mario Liverani

2 From Sedentism to States, 10,000–3000 BCE 20
Augusta McMahon

3 The Age of Empires, 3100–900 BCE 34
Mark Chavalas

4 World Hegemony, 900–300 BCE 48
Paul-Alain Beaulieu

Part II Discourses on Methods 63

5 Archaeology and the Ancient Near East: Methods and Limits 65
Marie-Henriette Gates

6 The Languages of the Ancient Near East 79
Gonzalo Rubio

7 The Historian’s Task 110
Daniel C. Snell

Part III Economy and Society 123

8 The Degradation of the Ancient Near Eastern Environment 125
Carlos E. Cordova

9 Nomadism Through the Ages 142
Jorge Silva Castillo

10 Mesopotamian Cities and Countryside 157
Elizabeth C. Stone

11 Money and Trade 171
Christopher M. Monroe

12 Working 185
David A. Warburton

13 Law and Practice 199
Bruce Wells

14 Social Tensions in the Ancient Near East 212
John F. Robertson

15 Gender Roles in Ancient Egypt 227
Ann Macy Roth

16 Royal Women and the Exercise of Power in the Ancient Near East 235
Sarah C. Melville

17 Warfare in Ancient Egypt 245
Anthony J. Spalinger

Part IV Culture 259

18 Transmission of Knowledge 261
Benjamin R. Foster

19 Ancient Near Eastern Literature: Genres and Forms 269
Tawny L. Holm

20 Ancient Near Eastern Architecture 289
Sally Dunham

21 Mesopotamian Art 304
Marian H. Feldman

22 Ancient Mesopotamian Medicine 325
JoAnn Scurlock

23 Mesopotamian Cosmology 339
Francesca Rochberg

24 Divine and Non-Divine Kingship 353
Philip Jones

25 How Religion Was Done 366
Gary Beckman

Part V Heritage of the Ancient Near East 377

26 The Invention of the Individual 379
Daniel C. Snell

27 Ethnicity 392
Henri Limet

28 Public versus Private in the Ancient Near East 406
Steven J. Garfinkle

29 Democracy and Freedom 419
Matthew Martin III and Daniel C. Snell

30 Monotheism and Ancient Israelite Religion 430
S. David Sperling

31 The Decipherment of the Ancient Near East 443
Peter T. Daniels

32 Legacies of the Ancient Near East 454
Daniel C. Snell

References 458

Index 527

About the Author

Daniel C. Snell is L. J. Semrod Presidential Professor of History at the University of Oklahoma. His books include Life in the Ancient Near East (1997), A Workbook of Cuneiform Signs (1979), The E.A. Hoffman Collection and Other American Collections (1979), Ledgers and Prices (1982), Twice Told Proverbs (1993) and Flight and Freedom in the Ancient Near East (2001).

Reviews

“This is a welcome companion volume intended to be used with an introductory text to the history of the ancient Near East. There are unexpected topics and insightful inclusions … .In addition to serving successfully as a companion for teaching, this volume also serves as a useful short reference because of the sixty-eight page bibliography.” (Religious Studies Review, September 2008) "Many will find specific chapters of interest, both for insights into their own specialities and for challenging overviews of related fields. Students will find stimulating introductions to a wide range of subjects, not treated in encyclopaedias or dryer standard works ... on which to hone their own critical faculties." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review) "The chapters are written by some of the world's leading scholars, like the veterans Liverani and Limet ... Some of the articles are highly relevant, even dealing with contemporary issues such as the individual, ethnicity ... democracy, and freedom." (Scholia) "As is usual for the Blackwell Companions the essays making up this volume have all been written by leading experts and as such the coverage is inclusive... The introduction, written by the editor, is excellent and clearly explains what the book is setting out to achieve, aims which are met. A Companion to the Ancient Near East is an excellent book and is one that should, without doubt, be read by those with a keen interest in this historical period." (Reference Reviews) A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year