The Ancient Near East

A Very Short Introduction

De: Amanda H. Podany

Narrado por: Fajer Al-Kaisi

The ancient Near East is known as the "cradle of civilization" - and for good reason. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature.

This Very Short Introduction audiobook offers a fascinating account of this momentous time in human history. The 3,000 years covered here - from around 3500 BCE, with the founding of the first Mesopotamian cities, to the conquest of the Near East by the Persian King Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE - represent a period of incredible innovation. As historian Amanda Podany explores this era, she overturns the popular image of the ancient world as a primitive, violent place. We discover that women had many freedoms: They could own property, run businesses, and represent themselves in court. Diplomats traveled between the capital cities of major powers ensuring peace between the kings. Scribes and scholars studied the stars and could predict eclipses and the movements of the planets.

Every chapter introduces the listener to a particular moment in ancient Near Eastern history, illuminating such aspects as trade, religion, diplomacy, law, warfare, kingship, and agriculture.

©2014 Oxford University Press (P)2021 Tantor

This Great Work Reveals Amanda Podany at her Best

Since I discovered Amanda H. Podany as an Ancient Mesopotamian scholar among various works published by "The Great Courses Plus" (a.k.a. Wondrium), I became enamored with the great civilizations of deep antiquity that flourished between the land of the "two rivers" - The Tigres and the Euphrates - namely, Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria. Most importantly, Professor Podany introduced me to the Hurrian kingdom of Mitanny, and the amazing Neo-Assyrian Empire (934/911 - 612/609 BCE). Consequently, thanks to this brilliant British scholar - currently Professor Emeritus of History at California State Polytechnic University - I intellectually enhanced my historical repertoire becoming an avid lover of the Ancient Mesopotamian kingdoms and empires. BRAVA!
I wish this audiobook could be retained in my growing Audible library if it were not turned unavailable as of October 30, 2024.

a delicious bite-sized narration of early empire

i appreciated the concise yet well-rounded nature of this book, and the deliberate storytelling that flows through several thousand years of history detailed here. without presumption or pretention this history is beautifully presented in a way that audiences can easily understand and appreciate.
thank you to the author and the exceptional narration of this book, i am blessed to have been reccomended this resource