GREAT CIVILIZATIONS: THE ROOTS OF HUMANITY
In this section, we return to the beginning of it all. Oriente History has selected works that explore the birth of the first complex societies of the Fertile Crescent. Here, the focus is on the records of Mesopotamia, the apogee of Ancient Egypt, and the cultures that established the foundations of writing, law, and spirituality.
Explore the recommendations that unveil the daily life and thought of the peoples who laid the foundations of the world.
As an Amazon Associate, I receive commissions for qualifying purchases.
MESOPOTAMIA
BABYLON: MESOPOTAMIA AND THE BIRTH OF CIVILIZATION
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: PAUL KRIWACZEK
Civilization was born eight thousand years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place.
In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period and explores the political and social systems, as well as the technical and cultural innovations, which made this land extraordinary. At the heart of this book is the story of Babylon, which rose to prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi from about 1800 BCE. Even as Babylon's fortunes waxed and waned, it never lost its allure as the ancient world's greatest city.
ST. MARTINS PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE:
MARCH 01, 2012
PAGES:
338
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Origins Module: Essential for understanding the transition from city-states to the Babylonian Empire.
✔︎ Code of Hammurabi: Details the legal foundations that we analyze in depth.
✔︎ Culture: Complements our study of the mathematical and religious legacy of Babylon.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
THE SUMERIANS: THEIR HISTORY, CULTURE AND CHARACTER
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER
The Sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the Semites in the land first known as Sumer and later as Babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums B.C. This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them.
Professor Kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the Sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Finally, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world.
"There are few scholars in the world qualified to write such a book, and certainly Kramer is one of them. . . . One of the most valuable features of this book is the quantity of texts and fragments which are published for the first time in a form available to the general reader. For the layman the book provides a readable and up-to-date introduction to a most fascinating culture. For the specialist it presents a synthesis with which he may not agree but from which he will nonetheless derive stimulation." - American Journal of Archaeology.
PUBLISHER:
CHICAGO PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE:
FEBRUARY 15, 1971
PAGES:
372
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Sumerian Pioneering: Essential work for the topic "The First Times in History," where we analyze the inventions of government and writing.
✔︎ Cultural Identity: Deepens our study of the character and religiosity that defined life in southern Mesopotamia.
✔︎ Primary Sources: Complements the module on the translation of archaic texts and the social structure of city-states.
👉 Want to be notified of the release of our classes and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
CIVILIZATIONS OF ANCIENT IRAQ
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: BENJAMIN R. FOSTER
In Civilizations of Ancient Iraq, Benjamin and Karen Foster tell the fascinating story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements ten thousand years ago to the Arab conquest in the seventh century. Accessible and concise, this is the most up-to-date and authoritative book on the subject. With illustrations of important works of art and architecture in every chapter, the narrative traces the rise and fall of successive civilizations and peoples in Iraq over the course of millennia--from the Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians to the Persians, Seleucids, Parthians, and Sassanians.
Ancient Iraq was home to remarkable achievements. One of the birthplaces of civilization, it saw the world's earliest cities and empires, writing and literature, science and mathematics, monumental art, and innumerable other innovations. Civilizations of Ancient Iraq gives special attention to these milestones, as well as to political, social, and economic history. And because archaeology is the source of almost everything we know about ancient Iraq, the book includes an epilogue on the discovery and fate of its antiquities. Compelling and timely, Civilizations of Ancient Iraq is an essential guide to understanding Mesopotamia's central role in the development of human culture.
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE:
JUNE 08, 2021
ARCHIVE
16.9 MB
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Comprehensive Chronology: Foundational work for the course that traces the complete timeline of ancient Iraq, from the Sumerians to the Sassanids.
✔︎ Art and Architecture: Complements our modules on the monumental innovations and aesthetics of the great Mesopotamian cities.
✔︎ Human Legacy: Essential for understanding how past innovations shaped the culture and society we study in class.
👉 Want to be notified of the release of our classes and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
A HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST (3000 - 323 BC)
EDITION: INGLÊS | AUTHOR: MARC VAN DE MIEROOP
"Incorporating the latest scholarly research in this rapidly developing field, A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000--323 BCpresents a comprehensive overview of the extraordinary multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East. Presenting the region's complex history in a concise and accessible manner, chapters begin with the emergence of writing around 3000 BC, and proceed with the origins of the first cities in Mesopotamia and growth of the Babylonian and Hittite kingdoms up to the rise of the Assyrian and Persian empires. New to the fourth edition will be updated historical data and evidence throughout. Since the 3rd edition, several significant new archaeological and textual findings have triggered revised and refined takes on ANE history. The bibliography throughout will be heavily updated, giving students the best and most recent scholarship to enhance their learning. Finally, the text throughout will be streamlined and improved based on feedback from adopters, reviewers, and direct teaching experience with undergraduate students. The fourth edition will enhance its reputation as one of the most accessible introductions to the rich and complex history of ancient Near Eastern civilizations available today"--
WILEY BLACKWELL
PUBLICATION DATE:
OCTOBER 08, 2024
PAGES:
400
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Multicultural Panorama: An essential work for the module that explores the interaction between Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Hittites.
✔︎ Historical Rigor: Complements our classes on research methodology and analysis of recent archaeological sources.
✔︎ Political Evolution: Fundamental for understanding the transition from city-states to the first great empires that we study in depth.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: MARIO LIVERANI
The Ancient Near East reveals three millennia of history (c. 3500–500 bc) in a single work. Liverani draws upon over 25 years’ worth of experience and this personal odyssey has enabled him to retrace the history of the peoples of the Ancient Near East. The history of the Sumerians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians and more is meticulously detailed by one of the leading scholars of Assyriology.
Utilizing research derived from the most recent archaeological finds, the text has been fully revised for this English edition and explores Liverani’s current thinking on the history of the Ancient Near East. The rich and varied illustrations for each historical period, augmented by new images for this edition, provide insights into the material and textual sources for the Ancient Near East. Many highlight the ingenuity and technological prowess of the peoples in the Ancient East. Never before available in English, The Ancient Near Eastrepresents one of the greatest books ever written on the subject and is a must read for students who will not have had the chance to explore the depth of Liverani’s scholarship.
EDITORA
ROUTLEDGE
PUBLICATION DATE:
DECEMBER 04, 2013
PAGES:
626
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Social Structure and Economy: A fundamental work for the module that analyzes how the first cities managed their resources and their population.
✔︎ Historiographical Vision: Complements our classes on how to interpret archaeological findings from a modern and systemic perspective.
✔︎ Three Millennia of History: Essential for those who wish to deepen their theoretical understanding of the great empires we study.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
THE OXFORD HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
The Ancient Near East reveals three millennia of history (c. 3500–500 bc) in a single work. Liverani draws upon over 25 years’ worth of experience and this personal odyssey has enabled him to retrace the history of the peoples of the Ancient Near East. The history of the Sumerians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians and more is meticulously detailed by one of the leading scholars of Assyriology.
Utilizing research derived from the most recent archaeological finds, the text has been fully revised for this English edition and explores Liverani’s current thinking on the history of the Ancient Near East. The rich and varied illustrations for each historical period, augmented by new images for this edition, provide insights into the material and textual sources for the Ancient Near East. Many highlight the ingenuity and technological prowess of the peoples in the Ancient East. Never before available in English, The Ancient Near Eastrepresents one of the greatest books ever written on the subject and is a must read for students who will not have had the chance to explore the depth of Liverani’s scholarship.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE:
AUGUST 04, 2020
PAGES:
804
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Genesis of Civilizations: A reference work for the study of the origins of Egypt and the emergence of the Akkadian Dynasty.
✔︎ Oxford Rigor: Complements our discussions on classical historiography with state-of-the-art archaeological data.
✔︎ Expanded Perspective: Essential for the module that analyzes the transition between the Old Kingdom and the first major political unifications.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
ANCIENT EGYPT
THE RISE AND FALL OF ANCIENT EGYPT
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: TOBY WILKINSON
In this landmark volume, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its absorption into the Roman Empire. Drawing upon forty years of archaeological research, award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson takes us inside a tribal society with a pre-monetary economy and decadent, divine kings who ruled with all-too-recognizable human emotions. Here are the legendary leaders: Akhenaten, the "heretic king," who with his wife Nefertiti brought about a revolution with a bold new religion; Tutankhamun, whose dazzling tomb would remain hidden for three millennia; and eleven pharaohs called Ramesses, the last of whom presided over the militarism, lawlessness, and corruption that caused a political and societal decline. Filled with new information and unique interpretations, The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt is a riveting and revelatory work of wild drama, bold spectacle, unforgettable characters, and sweeping history.
With a literary flair and a sense for a story well told, Mr. Wilkinson offers a highly readable, factually up-to-date account."--The Wall Street Journal
RANDOM HOUSE TRADE
PUBLICATION DATE:
JANUARY 08, 2013
PAGES:
656
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ The First Nation-State: Foundational work for understanding how Egypt unified and became the political structure we study in the course.
✔︎ Great Figures: Complements our classes on iconic figures such as Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and the Ramessids, bringing the human dimension behind the myth.
✔︎ Rise and Fall: Essential for the module that analyzes the cycles of prosperity and crises that shaped the three millennia of Egyptian history.
👉 Want to be notified of the release of our classes and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
THE OXFORD HISTORY OF ANCIENT EGYPT
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: IAN SHAW
The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt uniquely covers 700,000 years of ancient Egypt, from c. 700,000 BC to AD 311. Following the story from the Egyptians' prehistoric origins to their conquest by the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, this book resurrects a fascinating society replete with remarkable historical information. It investigates such subjects as the changing nature of life and death in the Nile valley to some of the earliest masterpieces of art, architecture, and literature in the ancient world. The authors--an international team of experts working at the cutting edge of their particular fields--outline the principal sequence of political events, including detailed examinations of the three so-called 'intermediate periods' which were previously regarded as 'dark ages' and are only now beginning to be better understood. They also examine cultural and social patterns, including stylistic developments in art and literature. Addressing the issues surrounding this distinctive culture, vividly relating the rise and fall of ruling dynasties, exploring colorful personalities, and uncovering surprising facts, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt is certain to enrich our understanding of this endlessly intriguing civilization.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE:
FEBRUARY 19, 2004
PAGES:
525
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Historical Continuity: A fundamental work for our course, covering everything from prehistoric origins to the Roman conquest.
✔︎ Intermediate Periods: Essential for understanding the phases of political fragmentation that we analyze as key to Egyptian resilience.
✔︎ Culture and Society: Complements our modules on life in the Nile Valley, addressing art, literature, and religion from a precise archaeological perspective.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
ANCIENT EGYPT: ANATOMY OF A CIVILIZATION
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: BARRY J. KEMP
This fully revised and updated third edition of the bestselling Ancient Egypt seeks to identify what gave ancient Egypt its distinctive and enduring characteristics, ranging across material culture, the mindset of its people, and social and economic factors.
In this volume, Barry J. Kemp identifies the ideas by which the Egyptians organized their experience of the world and explains how they maintained a uniform style in their art and architecture across three thousand years, whilst accommodating substantial changes in outlook. The underlying aim is to relate ancient Egypt to the broader mainstream of our understanding of how all human societies function.
Source material is taken from ancient written documents, while the book also highlights the contribution that archaeology makes to our understanding of Egyptian culture and society. It uses numerous case studies, illustrating them with artwork expressly prepared from specialist sources. Broad ranging yet impressively detailed, the book is an indispensable text for all students of ancient Egypt and for the general reader.
EDITORA
ROUTLEDGE
PUBLICATION DATE:
JUNE 08, 2018
PAGES:
398
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Mentality and Ideology: A foundational work for understanding how the Egyptians organized their world and maintained their cultural identity for millennia.
✔︎ Urbanism and Economy: Essential for the module that analyzes life in cities and how material culture reflects the thinking of the time.
✔︎ Social Anatomy: Complements our classes on power structures and how archaeology reveals the daily lives of all layers of society.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
THE COMPLETE GODS AND GODDESSES OF ANCIENT EGYPT
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: RICHARD H. WILKINSON
Worshipped for over three-fifths of recorded history, Egypt's gods and goddesses are among the most fascinating of human civilization. The lives of pharaohs and commoners alike were dominated by the need to honor, worship, and pacify the huge pantheon of deities, from the benevolent to the malevolent. The richness and complexity of their mythology is reflected in countless tributes throughout Egypt, from lavish tomb paintings and imposing temple reliefs to humble household shrines.
This book examines the evolution, worship, and eventual decline of the numerous gods and goddesses--from minor household figures such as Bes and Tawaret to the all-powerful deities Amun and Re--that made Egypt the most theocratic society of the ancient world, and made Egyptians, according to Herodotus, "more religious than any other people."
Now available in paperback, with hundreds of illustrations and specially commissioned drawings, this title remains the most comprehensive and authoritative guide to the deities that lay at the heart of Egyptian religion and society.
PUBLISHER:
THAMES & HUDSON
PUBLICATION DATE:
JANUARY 31, 2017
PAGES:
256
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Complete Pantheon: An essential work for identifying and understanding the functions of the hundreds of deities that shaped life and death in Egypt.
✔︎ Iconography and Cult: Complements our modules on how art in temples and tombs reflects the complex Egyptian theology.
✔︎ Religious Evolution: Fundamental for studying how the gods arose, merged, and declined over three millennia of history.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
CHRONICLE OF THE PHARAOHS
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: PETER A. CLAYTON
Who was the first king of ancient Egypt, and who was the last? Which Egyptian queens ruled in their own right? What in fact do we know about the 170 or more pharoahs whose names have down to us?
This book sets down in narrative form, using timelines, and other visual aids throughout, all the rulers and dynasties of Egypt in their chronological order, from Narmer, who first united the lands along the Nile, to Cleopatra 3000 years later. The biographical portraits of each pharoah build into a history of ancient Egypt.
This is at once a work of popular history, a reference tool, and a visual introduction to the extraordinary diversity and richness of an ancient civilization. Other work by the author includes "Rediscovery of Ancient Egypt".
EDITORA
THAMES & HUDSON
PUBLICATION DATE:
JANUARY 31, 2017
PAGES:
256
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Chronological Guide: An essential work to situate each pharaoh and dynasty within the vast timeline we cover in the course.
✔︎ Succession of Power: Complements our modules on political transitions, from the first king, Narmer, to the last queen, Cleopatra.
✔︎ Biographical Portraits: Offers quick visual and historical support to identify the main figures and monuments discussed in class.
👉 Want to be notified when our classes are released and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]
THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD
EDITION: ENGLISH | AUTHOR: JAMES WASSERMAN
Upon death, it was the practice for some Egyptians to produce a papyrus manuscript called the Book of Going Forth by Day or the Book of the Dead. A Book of the Dead included declarations and spells to help the deceased in the afterlife.
The Papyrus of Ani is the manuscript compiled for Ani, the royal scribe of Thebes. Written and illustrated almost 3,300 years ago, The Papyrus of Ani is a papyrus manuscript with cursive hieroglyphs and color illustrations. To most, it is the most beautiful, best preserved, and complete example of ancient Egyptian philosophical and religious thought known to exist. This twentieth anniversary edition of The Egyptian Book of the Dead has been revised and expanded to include:
-
Significant improvements to the display of the images of the Papyrus.
-
A survey of the continuing importance of ancient Egypt in modern culture.
-
A detailed history of Egyptian translation and scholarship since the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799.
-
A state-of-the-art Annotated Bibliography and Study Guide for Ancient Egyptian studies.
PUBLISHER:
CHRONICLE BOOKS
PUBLICATION DATE:
JANUARY 20, 2015
PAGES:
192
This is an affiliate link and your purchase helps support our project.
🎓 Connection to the classes:
✔︎ Egyptian Eschatology: Masterpiece for the module that details the judgment of the soul and the concept of life after death (Maat).
✔︎ Manuscript Analysis: Complements our studies on the Papyrus of Ani, the richest and best-preserved example of funerary texts.
✔︎ Symbolism and Magic: Essential for understanding the spells and declarations that guaranteed the deceased's passage to the field of reeds.
👉 Want to be notified of the release of our classes and have access to our Telegram channel? [Click here]