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The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy 1st Edition

by Mario Liverani (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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The Ancient Near East reveals three millennia of history (c. 3500–500 bc) in a single work. Liverani draws upon over 25 years’ worth of experience and this personal odyssey has enabled him to retrace the history of the peoples of the Ancient Near East. The history of the Sumerians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians and more is meticulously detailed by one of the leading scholars of Assyriology.

Utilizing research derived from the most recent archaeological finds, the text has been fully revised for this English edition and explores Liverani’s current thinking on the history of the Ancient Near East. The rich and varied illustrations for each historical period, augmented by new images for this edition, provide insights into the material and textual sources for the Ancient Near East. Many highlight the ingenuity and technological prowess of the peoples in the Ancient East. Never before available in English, The Ancient Near Eastrepresents one of the greatest books ever written on the subject and is a must read for students who will not have had the chance to explore the depth of Liverani’s scholarship.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0415679060
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0415679060
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publication date
    November 15, 2013
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    7.44 x 1.46 x 9.69 inches
  7. Print length
    648 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

‘In the original Italian edition of this work, Liverani defined and applied, with the touch of a master, the criteria for proper historical writing as it relates to the ancient Near East. This English version will extend the reach of a classic to the much wider audience it deserves.’ - Giorgio Buccellati, Professor Emeritus, University of California, USA

‘Mario Liverani’s classic text is as unusual in its ambitious chronological scope as in its clarity of vision: from the Neolithic to the emergence of the Persian Empire, his analysis of the history of the Middle East is firmly focused on the interplay between society, economy and ideology. And yet, the vast learning is lightly worn and the volume offers a hugely enjoyable and eye-opening read for novice and expert alike. A must have for anyone with an interest in world history.’ - Karen Radner, University College London, UK

‘The English translation of Mario Liverani’s Antico Oriente: Storia, Società, Economia is a welcomed addition to the publishing world and Routledge has truly done us a great service in making this project possible. Since its appearance in 1988, Antico Oriente has become the introduction to the ancient Near East … The author breezes through an astonishing amount of data and material with ease, and he makes it accessible to the scholarly and general public alike. This is a wonderful book, which will make readers fall in love with the wonders of the ancient Near East, and at the same time provide them with a firm grasp on the methodological problems one faces when dealing with such a complex but fascinating world.’ - Alhena Gadotti, Towson University, USA

"Masterfully integrating textual and archaeological sources, the author weaves a fascinating, enlightening historical narrative, focusing throughout on the interplay among politics, society, economy, ideology, and the environment. Accessible not only to scholars but also to students and general readers, this volume will undoubtedly be highly valued both as a work to read cover to cover and as a reference to consult on specific topics. Summing Up: Essential." -W Kotter, Weber State University, USA in CHOICE

"Liverani, the translator Soraia Tabatabai, and Routledge have gifted us with an excellent tool for the continued reconstruction and education of the ancient Near East in English…The Ancient Near East provides an exemplary treatment of historiographic erudition.." -C. Jay Crisostomo, University of California, Berkeley, USA

About the Author

Mario Liverani is Professor of Ancient Near East History at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (November 15, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 648 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0415679060
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415679060
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.23 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.44 x 1.46 x 9.69 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
24 global ratings
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5 Stars
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Incredible book but I wish I would’ve bought it somewhere that didn’t put an impossible to remove sticker on the back cover. What a shame.
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Top reviews from the United States

robert englehardt
5.0 out of 5 stars 100 pages in and really enjoying it
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
After 30 years of being a dentist, I am still drawn back to a college course of “Ancient Cities” which has always captured my imagination. I read history of all time periods and love it all but I always seem to end up back at the beginning. I still recall my archaeology professor in 1983 showing slides (real slides then) at showing lamassu telling us all that these “clearly border on the fantastic.” I don’t recall any quotes from chemistry.
I seem to get stuck between texts that are too simple and research papers that are very esoteric and super specialized.
I am 100 pages into this book and it fits a happy medium thus far. As the author suggests in the intro- this book is too long to be ideally suited for a semester college course and not appropriate for research scholar really either- which leaves something beautiful for most of the rest of us-searching to escape the noise of today- to discover something greater. It is still difficult to read about trends of civilization over centuries and millennium to understand the hardships our ancestors withstood. I am finding the book is good at discussing trends over time and changes in terms I can largely understand. This book is very good at elucidating what is known, what is conjecture and what are questions to consider. This book should be a hardback as it is a seminal work and will remain on most bookshelves until it is dug up at some point in the distant future. Best wishes.
One person found this helpful
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Doricini
5.0 out of 5 stars Pricey, but still worth it.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
Yes, this tome cost forty plus dollars but I never considered that an issue. I spent nearly 5 months reading this book; normally by that time I would have become bored with the subject and moved on to something else. And yes this book provides a general overview of the Middle East but it also provides just enough detailed information that if you find something interesting you won't go wondering off looking for another source to fill your need.
8 people found this helpful
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Mark D. Hornbogen
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written account of ANE history.
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a very well written account of the ancient near east through time. Full of details and easy to read. I am still reading it.
4 people found this helpful
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nobody
5.0 out of 5 stars Annoying Sticker
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023
Incredible book but I wish I would’ve bought it somewhere that didn’t put an impossible to remove sticker on the back cover. What a shame.
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nobody
5.0 out of 5 stars Annoying Sticker
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023
Incredible book but I wish I would’ve bought it somewhere that didn’t put an impossible to remove sticker on the back cover. What a shame.
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One person found this helpful
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Veli Voipio
5.0 out of 5 stars Good overview
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very detailed and objective general text about that area and time period.
7 people found this helpful
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Noj Nagotsch
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, valuable, and must-read
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2015
There are many textbooks written pertaining to the study of Ancient Near East (ANE), and mostly in the area of culture, archaeological discovery, and anthropology. The history of ANE has been gently squeezed out of the field by these counterparts, and with the difficulty in establishing a comprehensive history of the ancient past, the study of the history of ANE has been further removed from the scholarly platform. Mario Liverani’s The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy is a timely attempt to overcome this indifference of the history of ANE, which is laudable. Below are some comments on this excellent work.

(1) This is a good presentation of Ancient Near Eastern history, as it covers the historical periods from Neolithic and Chalcolithic to Persian Empire in a comprehensive manner.

(2) This should help to revive the study of ANE history, which is losing its ground to archaeology, anthropology, and ancient culture. History is essential to interconnecting the developments in the ancient pasts, and it provides a platform for archaeological discovery, anthropological study, and ancient cultural study, to shape the ancient world, which is often too distant from 21st century moderns. Liverani’s focus on the history, society, and economy enhances the formulation of the ANE world.

(3) The historical contexts provided in Liverani’s ANE have much to contribute to Old Testament studies. The background information helps to paint the OT in the light of the historical developments behind the biblical texts. For example, Liverani’s ANE has shown a vivid picture of Israel in the contexts of the historic Near East, and that comparatively, it is a much smaller state than her counterparts in the ANE.

(4) Particularly, the chapter on Israel, which is aligned with most critical scholarship, especially the minimalists, that the Bible is not the main source for ancient knowledge. Liverani does not seem to support the ideology that the Bible as the source for reconstructing of Israel’s history, but the history of the Near East should be consulted in order to accomplish that. Livernai does provide the historical contexts for the study of Israel’s biblical history.

Overall, it is a good textbook for the study of Near Eastern history. I highly recommend this book, and shall give it 5 stars.
13 people found this helpful
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MARINO ABASOLO Ricardo
2.0 out of 5 stars Great writing, poor editing
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2020
While Prof. Liverani masterfully describes the Near East in this book, the final product is less than ideal due to the edition and the translation. There is a severe lack of maps and references to places, especially when Dr. Liverani lists ten different cities and regions that no longer exist to make a point about a particular socio-economic interplay. There are not enough timelines, maps and the caption and legend to many figures is just insufficient to even comprehend the point the image is trying to make.

The paper used in this edition is extremely thick and the font size is way too small. Put that in a large book, you have the impression of reading clay tablets yourself. It is very hard to comfortably read this book, as the paper thickness makes it heavy and the font size makes it unreadable in most positions.

The translation from Italian could use some improvement. There is probably a grammatical construction in Italian to naturally connect two sentences when the second makes reference to the first. The translation solves this with repeated uses of "The latter", sometimes multiple per paragraph, these small speed bumps are very tiresome in the long run (it is a long book!). I am sure there is a more natural way to translate this work that does not yield a shopping list of cities and kings, but sometimes this is what the translation gives you.

Overall I do not recommend this book in its current edition. Prof. Liverani would do well to shift editors and get feedback from people that do now know exactly where is Gobekle Tepe, I am sure they would ask for more maps, timelines and more useful figures than just a black-and-white low resolution photo of a farmer in modern Iraq.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Hans-Jörg Begrich
5.0 out of 5 stars The Ancient NEAR EAST
Reviewed in Germany on May 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
An absolutely abundant and invaluable information about the ancient Near East.
An important corner stone to the solution of the overall world puzzle of power.
One person found this helpful
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