The Ancient Near East

Routledge History of the Ancient World

by Amélie Kuhrt

The ancient Near East embraces a vast geographical area, from the borders of Iran and Afghanistan in the east to the Levant and Anatolia, and from the Black Sea in the north to Egypt in the south. In this authoritative study, Amelie Kuhrt examines its history from the earliest written documents to the conquest of Alexander the Great, c. 3000-330 B. C. It provides a lucid, up-to-date narrative which takes into account the latest archaeological and textual discoveries and deals with the complex problems of interpretation and methodology.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Nonfiction, Middle East, World History, Classics, Archaeology

2 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Born 1944, she is a historian specialist in the history of the ancient Near East.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apologies for the somewhat messy and scattered review (it's been a long week and I finished this 2 volume set a while ago, just never got to marking it as finished):

While this book can be considered to be a bit "outdated", it is hands down the best academic source for delving into the broad and underrated topic of the Ancient Near East. I really wish there was an updated edition of sorts, since so many of Kuhrt's points revolve around archaeological digs/finds from the early 1990s and prior: and it can be assumed that there have been at least a couple major finds that add and/or change the prevailing opinions throughout the fields related to the study of the Ancient Near East. It's basically impossible to find a text that strives to cover everything under the large term of Ancient Near East. There's one, slightly more recent text...but it cannot even begin to compare to the detail provided in Kuhrt's work. The copious amounts of references, dates, names, etc. can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but I think that you adjust as you go through the 2 volumes and you recognize every detail, no matter how small, essential to the overall picture that the author is trying to metaphorically paint. You definitely don't find this kind of detail in the sparse modern works on the Ancient Near East...even if the authors try to narrow down on a single time period or empire, etc. Another aspect of Kuhrt's work that is rarely found anywhere else and is essential to the understanding of the topics is the author's willingness to delve into the problems of evidence, history, past archaeological digs, etc.
I would insist this be required reading for anyone interested in Classical Studies. No, it isn't your typical Greco-Roman topics that Classics seems to solely focus on nowadays...but the ANE is so crucial to ancient Greek (mainly) and ancient Roman civilizations/histories/etc. that it needs to be properly examined, understood, and most importantly: treated with the respect it deserves.
Sorry, not sorry: just extremely passionate about the beginnings of human civilization and so frustrated that they are basically dismissed by scholars of various related fields nowadays...Ugh!

[Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've studied these civilizations in school or at university, or are just really interested in this period of history, then I highly reccommend these volumes. You travel through time from Ancient Egypt all the way to the Persian Empire.

It was an absolute blast, travelling through time (and space).

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting study, but impossible to understand without a knowledge of the subject. Only for aspiring pros.

[Kim Matheson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kuhrt is thorough, well-researched, and very accessible. The best work of its kind I've yet come across. Very useful, as well, for its references.

[Jim Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great basic source for a study of the history of the region

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent survey of the Bronze Age Near East. Appreciated how the level of detail kept things moving while still having time to give thorough coverage of the political, cultural, and archaeological aspects of each nation and period.

Volume 2 is even better than the first, with the more generous availability of sources allowing for more excellent coverage of Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia. The author's expertise and interest in Achaemenid Persia particularly shines through and makes for a great ending.

Only two criticisms:
1. There aren't nearly enough maps, and those that are there are subpar. Plan on having your phone nearby to pull some up as needed.
2. Would have loved if the book could have covered Greece and the Aegean as well, but understand it had to draw the line somewhere.

(Volume 2 doesn't seem to have its own Goodreads entry, so logging it here.)

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply brilliant, a credit to publisher and author alike. Beautifully produced, it proves that scholarship of a high order on a subject of considerable complexity, with massive accompanying bibliography and footnotes, is yet compatible with solid readability. These are two magisterial volumes, unmatched by anything available today in coverage, scholarship and judgement.
Literary Review

These beautifully written and lavishly produced volumes contain a comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the history of the ancient Near East from the earliest documentary evidence to the conquest of Alexander the Great.
Orientalia

A magnificent handbook to a vast sweep of history, from 3000BC to Alexander the Great.
Mary Beard

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough graduate treatment of an immense subject. It cares about sources, definitions and problems, and a ton of references, not about construction of narratives. Which means that the patience of a lay reader will be exhausted after a couple of pages. I will not pretend I read the whole damn thing, just pieces relevant to my current topic (basically the second volume), but I am sure I will come back to it every once in a while.

I found no real direct competitor to this book.

[İlter · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlk cildi daha yüzeysel gibiydi. İkinci cildi ise daha ayrıntılıydı.

[Turker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biliminsanı kafasıyla yazılmış, kanıtlara dayanan , kalıplaşmış fikirleri sorgulayan, tüm ciddi yayınları dahil etmiş, yüklü (750 sayfa) bir kitap

[Sharon Coles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read for ancient history enthusiasts. Kuhrt provides a highly readable, detailed synthesis of primary sources. On the downside, the sheer breadth of the two volumes feels cluttered and cumbersome. The reproduced sources are also fragmented and poor in quality. Structural issues aside, the stellar prose and academic depth make this an essential addition to your bookshelf.

[André Luizz]

Just read for my research.