An Introduction to the Ancient World

An Introduction to the Ancient World offers a thorough survey of the history of the ancient Near East, Greece and Rome. Covering the social, political, economic and cultural processes that have influenced later western and Near Eastern civilisations, this volume considers subjects such as the administrative structures, economies and religions of the ancient Near East, Athenian democracy, the development of classical Greek literature, the interaction of cultures in the Hellenistic world, the political and administrative system of the Roman Republic and empire, and the coming of Christianity, all within the broad outline of political history. This third edition is thoroughly updated and some chapters are completely rewritten to cover recent historical research. Changes include: more attention to economic structures and developments, and to the history of the later Roman Empire (third to sixth centuries AD); incorporation of the results of recent archaeological and historical research, and recently published studies of ancient literature; ‘boxes’ that support the main text, on topics including economic and political systems, religion and terminology; redrawn maps and new, higher-quality images; the inclusion of useful websites in the bibliography. An Introduction to the Ancient World provides an easily readable, user-friendly, integrated overview for students of ancient history, classics and archaeology. Lavishly illustrated, clearly and concisely written, and well organised, this fully updated and revised edition will remain a key resource for students beginning to investigate the civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean.

Table of Contents:
List of maps; List of figures; List of boxes; Preface to the Third Edition; Chronology; Introduction; PART I: THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST; 1 THE ORIGINS OF THE CIVILISATIONS OF EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA; 2 THE THIRD MILLENNIUM; 3 THE SECOND MILLENNIUM; 4 THE FIRST MILLENNIUM; 5 RELIGION; 6 ECONOMY AND SOCIETY; 7 GOVERNMENT; PART II: THE GREEK WORLD; 8 THE EARLY IRON AGE (c. 1200 – c. 750 BC): ‘THE DARK AGES’; 9 THE ARCHAIC PERIOD, c. 750 – c. 500 BC; 10 THE CLASSICAL PERIOD, c. 500 – c. 330 BC; 11 THE HELLENISTIC WORLD, c. 330 – c. 30 BC; PART III: ROME; 12 EARLY ROMAN HISTORY (753–265 BC); 13 FURTHER EXPANSION AND NEW SOCIAL TENSIONS, 264–133 BC; 14 THE CENTURY OF THE CIVIL WARS, 133–30 BC; 15 THE EARLY IMPERIAL AGE, 27 BC–AD 193; 16 THE CRISIS OF THE THIRD CENTURY AD AND LATE ANTIQUITY; 17 EPILOGUE; PART IV: APPENDICES; Select bibliography; Index

About the Author :
Lukas de Blois is Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He published books and articles on the history of the Roman Empire in the third century AD, the history of the Late Roman Republic, ancient historiography (Sallust, Tacitus, Cassius Dio), Plutarch’s biographies and Greek Sicily in the fourth century BC. His most recent contribution is Image and Reality of Roman Imperial Power in the Third Century AD (Routledge, 2018). R.J. van der Spek is Emeritus Professor of Ancient Mediterranean and West Asian History at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He specialises in the history of the ancient Near East in the context of Mediterranean history. He has published on Hellenistic Babylonia and economic history. He edited two volumes in the Routledge Explorations in Economic History on market performance (no. 68) and the history of monetary policy (no. 80) from ancient Mesopotamia to the modern world.

Review :
‘An Introduction to the Ancient World is an engaging and useful introductory text for students who are encountering the ancient Mediterranean and Near East for the first time. It is an excellent mix of erudition, concision and clarity that even advanced students and professionals will find valuable and suitable to their needs. Few introductory ancient history texts compare with An Introduction to the Ancient World, and none surpass it. Having used it as a textbook in both my Western Civilization and World Civilizations courses, it gives students a coherent overview that committee-produced, expensive textbooks lack.’ Edward Dandrow, University of Central Florida, USA ‘An Introduction to the Ancient World is an engaging and useful introductory text for students who are encountering the ancient Mediterranean and Near East for the first time. It is an excellent mix of erudition, concision and clarity that even advanced students and professionals will find valuable and suitable to their needs. Few introductory ancient history texts compare with An Introduction to the Ancient World, and none surpass it. Having used it as a textbook in both my Western Civilization and World Civilizations courses, it gives students a coherent overview that committee-produced, expensive textbooks lack.’ Edward Dandrow, University of Central Florida, USA