Археология

In 1906, Breasted, America's first noted Egyptologist, published this series in which he presents a history of the golden age of Egypt gleaned from its records, many of which he was the first scholar to be allowed to study. This edition, the first in paperback, offers a new introduction by historian Peter A. Piccione, who places Breasted's work in a modern context. A solid series for academic libraries and priced so that public libraries also can afford them.

What we understand about ancient cultures of Mesopotamia we know mostly from the Babylonians and Assyrians. These ancient peoples had developed a manner of writing, known as cuneiform, that were well preserved onto clay tablets, and survive to this day. As a result of the combined efforts of explorers, decipherers, archaeologists, and many others, the fantastic histories of these lost civilizations have been raised from beneath the mounds, which hid their secrets for countless centuries. These early city-states are credited with developing some of civilization's firsts, from the first experiments in agriculture, the domestication of animals, and the establishment of a marketplace, to the origin of mathematics, our concept of time reckoning and a fundamental understanding of our code of laws . The Babylonians and Assyrians, along with their predecessors, the Sumerians, provided subsequent civilizations, including our own, the basis for civilized living. This work attempts to...

The Sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the Semites in the land first known as Sumer and later as Babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums B.C. This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them. Professor Kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the Sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Finally, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world.

Language Notes Text: English (translation) Original Language: French

Rev Sub edition

2nd edition

In the 14th century BC the Hittites became the supreme political and military power in the Near East. How did they achieve their supremacy? How successful were they in maintaining it? What brought about their collapse and disappearance? This comprehensive history of the Hittite kingdom seeks to answer these questions. It takes account of important recent advances in Hittite scholarship, including some major archaeological discoveries made in the last few years. It also features numerous translations from the original texts, so that on many issues the ancient Hittites are given the opportunity to speak to the modern reader for themselves. The revised edition contains a substantial amount of new material, as well as numerous other revisions to the first edition.

The Bible Unearthed is a balanced, thoughtful, bold reconsideration of the historical period that produced the Hebrew Bible. The headline news in this book is easy to pick out: there is no evidence for the existence of Abraham, or any of the Patriachs; ditto for Moses and the Exodus; and the same goes for the whole period of Judges and the united monarchy of David and Solomon. In fact, the authors argue that it is impossible to say much of anything about ancient Israel until the seventh century B.C, around the time of the reign of King Josiah. In that period, "the narrative of the Bible was uniquely suited to further the religious reform and territorial ambitions of Judah." Yet the authors deny that their arguments should be construed as compromisig the Bible's power. Only in the 18th century--"when the Hebrew Bible began to be dissected and studied in isolation from its powerful function in community life"--did readers begin to view the Bible as a source of empirically...

Dever, professor of Near Eastern archaeology and anthropology at the University of Arizona, has excavated in the Near East for the past 35 years. In this book, he gives readers a cross-section of the world of Syro-Palestinian archaeology. As in an archaeological dig, there are some items here that nonexperts will find fascinating, but much of little interest. The book's title and subtitle are misleading: while the text does contain a helpful survey of the ways in which archaeology can (and cannot) illuminate the historicity of the Bible, this amounts to less than half of the total content. Most of the book is a lengthy argument with a group of scholars Dever calls "the Revisionists," who dismiss the idea that archaeological investigation of the Near East can provide any objectively useful data for reconstructing a history of the region. Dever is understandably opposed to such a view. This book therefore contains two different works: one is a helpful introduction to the world of...

The city of Rome is the largest archeological site in the world. If your idea of a good Roman holiday is uncovering the archeological mysteries of the Roman Empire, then Oxford Archeological Guides: Rome is your ideal guidebook.

David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, September 25, 1999 Copiously-at times beautifully- illustrated and detailed with more than a score of descriptive maps, "The Oxford History of the Biblical World" rewards careful study and casual browsing. For those willing to open their minds to evidence and nuanced argument about the origins of faiths that have shaped our world, it is a worthy investment of time in the study of the timeless.