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Book Review
The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome by Susan Wise Bauer is a sweeping and well-researched work that endeavours to present a coherent narrative of ancient history from its earliest beginnings to...
Book Review
Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Empire
Eckart Frahm's Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire is a remarkable scholarly work and a masterful exploration of one of the most intriguing and influential civilizations of the ancient world. Through meticulous research...
Book Review
Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States
A popular perception both in and out of academia is this: a few millennia ago, agriculture let hunter-gatherers settle down and form permanent societies and governments, which provided better living conditions compared to unsettled nomadic...
Book Review
Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the most well-known literature on account of its ancient pedigree and universal themes. Though an extensively analyzed epic, conversations by informed scholars are difficult for the general public to access...
Book Review
Ancient Mesopotamian Government and Geography (Spotlight on the Rise and Fall of Ancient Civilizations)
In Ancient Mesopotamian Government and Geography, Laura la Bella attempts to offer a broad overview of ancient Mesopotamian government. Though, it is more an overview of Mesopotamian culture and practices that is framed by a distinction between...
Book Review
Exploring the Life, Myth, and Art of the Ancient Near East
In Exploring the Life, Myth, and Art of the Ancient Near East, Michael Kerrigan attempts to present the cultural depth of the ancient Near East through its myths and art, writing primarily for grades 7-12. He does so by offering summaries...
Book Review
Uncovering the Culture of Ancient Mesopotamia (Archaeology and Ancient Cultures)
Uncovering the Culture of Ancient Mesopotamia by Alix Wood is a part of the Archaeology and Ancient Cultures series. It is designed for younger children aiming to pique their interest in and educate them about ancient cultures. The...
Book Review
A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC (Blackwell History of the Ancient World)
Marc Van De Mieroop's A History of the Ancient Near East is a superb book for students and general readers alike. Its crisp, clear narrative keeps the material lively while covering all of the important points. The third edition improves...
Book Review
Gods, Kings, and Merchants in Old Babylonian Mesopotamia
In Gods, Kings, and Merchants in Old Babylonian Mesopotamia, Dominique Charpin (Professor at Collège de France, Paris) examines the manners in which the religious, political, and economic spheres maintained fluid boundaries, often time intersecting...
Book Review
Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and History of the Iraqi Cuisine, Second Edition
Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and History of the Iraqi Cuisine, by Dr. Nawal Nasrallah — a former professor of English at the Universitiy of Baghdad and the University of Mosul — is a fine introduction to the history and diversity...
