The Early History of the Ancient Near East is an overview of the history of the Near East from the beginnings to the Third Dynasty of Ur. Its focus is on settlement systems and changes in the organisation of society. Nissen doesn't give explicit details of archaeological excavations, but avoids the pitfalls of excessive generalisation. The result is a readable and entertaining introduction to an important period of history. A rough knowledge of the chronology of near-eastern ancient history would be useful to the reader, but no specialised knowledge is assumed.

May 1992

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- books about the Middle East + Middle Eastern history
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