(The Ancient Jews from Alexander to Muhammad (Key Themes in Ancient History)) [By: Schwartz, Seth] [Apr, 2014]

Key Themes in Ancient History

by Seth Schwartz, Unknown Author

This is an accessible and up-to-date account of the Jews during the millennium following Alexander the Great's conquest of the East. Unusually, it acknowledges the problems involved in constructing a narrative from fragmentary yet complex evidence and is, implicitly, an exploration of how this might be accomplished. Moreover, unlike most other introductions to the subject, it concentrates primarily on the people rather than issues of theology and adopts a resolutely unsentimental approach to the subject. Professor Schwartz particularly demonstrates the importance of studying Jewish history, texts and artefacts to the broader community of ancient historians because of what they can contribute to wider themes such as Roman imperialism. The book serves as an excellent introduction for students and scholars of Jewish history and of ancient history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Religion, Israel

Paperback

First published April 10, 2014

Reviews

[Dariusz Płochocki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Przekrój najnowszych badań i teorii na temat starożytnej Palestyny, co rzadkie donry opis czasów rabinicznych w konepcji minimalistycznej, szkoda, że nie ma w wersji polskiej...

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for my class in ancient Israeli identity. Not a page turner, but lots of interesting information.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a good survey of ancient jews from the Hellenistic period through the end of the Roman Empire (this book doesn’t really talk much about the Muslim Conquest). I think overall there is a good amount here in spite of its short length that provides a backdrop which deeper analysis of one period can use as a springboard