Suggested Reading

Brosius, Maria. The Persians: An Introduction. 2006. Covers all of Persian history.

Bryce, Trevor. The Kingdom of the Hittites, new ed. 2005. The definitive study of the Hittites.

Edwards, David N. The Nubian Past. 2004. Examines the history of Nubia and the Sudan, using archaeological and written sources.

Gates, Charles. Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece, and Rome. 2003. Provides a survey of ancient life, including society and culture, that relies primarily on archaeological evidence.

Goldenberg, Robert. The Origins of Judaism: From Canaan to the Rise of Islam. 2007. Examines the development of Jewish ideas and traditions.

Leick, Gwendolyn. The Babylonians. 2002. Introduces all aspects of Babylonian life and culture.

Markoe, Glenn E. The Phoenicians. 2000. Presents these seafarers at home and abroad in the Mediterranean.

Meyers, Carol. Rediscovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context. 2012. A brief study designed for general readers that draws on archaeology and ethnography along with biblical texts.

Niditch, Susan. Ancient Israelite Religion. 1997. A brief but broad interpretation of Jewish religious developments.

Podany, Amanda. Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East. 2010. Examines a thousand years of diplomacy among rulers.

Robinson, Andrew. The Story of Writing: Alphabets, Hieroglyphs, and Pictograms. 2007. A brief account of the scripts used in the major civilizations of the ancient world and of the major scripts we use today, with many illustrations.

Van de Mieroop, Marc. A History of the Ancient Near East, 3000–332 B.C.E. 2010. A concise history from Sumerian cities to Alexander the Great.

Visicato, Giuseppe. The Power and the Writing: The Early Scribes of Mesopotamia. 2000. Studies the practical importance of early Mesopotamian scribes.

Vivante, Bella. Daughters of Gaia: Women of the Ancient World. 2008. Explores the political, religious, and economic activities of actual women, and also examines ideas about gender.