Ancient Middle East History

The sheer importance of Sumerian culture in regards to world culture as a whole is impossible to overstate. This civilization is single-handedly responsible for some of the most major innovations in nearly every field relevant to maintaining a civilized society - this includes religion, lawmaking, architecture, schooling, art, literature, and even entertainment. Naturally, most of what we see as negative aspects of society were established in ancient Sumer as well. There wasn’t an aspect of Sumerian life that wasn’t plagued with corruption or devastation of one form or another.

Emerging from the desert flats of southern Iraq can be seen the remains of a large mound, approximately 1750 feet x 1750 feet in size, surrounded by several smaller mounds. Known today as Tell Abu Shahrain, or in the ancient world as Eridu, this site contains some of best examples of the Ubaid culture, and it was one of the first urban centers of civilization in southern Mesopotamia, if not the first itself.

St. Paul is known throughout the world as the first Christian writer, authoring fourteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. But as Karen Armstrong demonstrates in St. Paul: The Apostle We Love to Hate, he also exerted a more significant influence on the spread of Christianity throughout the world than any other figure in history.

In 1925, James Henry Breasted sent a team of archaeologists to the Holy Land to excavate the ancient site of Megiddo - Armageddon in the New Testament. Their excavations made headlines around the world and shed light on one of the most legendary cities of biblical times. Digging Up Armageddon brings to life one of the most important archaeological expeditions ever undertaken, describing the site and what was found there, and providing an up-close look at the internal workings of a dig in the early years of biblical archaeology.

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Sarmatians and Scythians, then pay attention.... Masters of the horse, the Scythians and Sarmatians opened the Eurasian Steppe to nomadic civilizations like it had never seen before. For the first time, a group of tribes sharing a common culture called the Steppe their home, adapting themselves to its harshness.

Pierre Tallet's discovery of the Red Sea Scrolls—the world's oldest surviving written documents—in 2013 was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of Egyptology. These papyri, written some 4,600 years ago, and combined with Mark Lehner's research, changed what we thought we knew about the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza. Here, for the first time, the world-renowned Egyptologists Tallet and Lehner give us the definitive account of this discovery and explore how the building of the pyramids helped create a unified state, propelling Egyptian civilization forward.

Unlike many other ancient peoples, the culture and beliefs of the Israelites exist in modern society. They managed to survive through wars, persecution, and numerous revisions and adaptations caused by new invaders or internal rebellions. Because of their significance in contemporary society, it’s important to learn more about the Israelites in order to fully understand how they developed and managed to contribute so heavily to the current culture of the Western world.

Ancient Turkey was a land of myth and mystery, but its secrets are slowly being uncovered. Find out about the legendary cultures that left their mark on this unique region, and discover which stories are fact and which are fiction. The history of ancient Turkey is important since it gives insight into what Anatolia was like before the Roman and Byzantine Empires, but much of the information has been buried by time.

Under Cyrus the Great, ancient Persia exploded into the world’s first mega-empire, spanning three continents and over 40 percent of the global population at its zenith. The Achaemenid Empire stretched from India to Greece and from Russia’s southern border to Egypt and the Sahara. It left an indelible mark on the history of Asia, Europe, and Africa.

There were talented and dexterous people living in what is now Southern Iraq during the time of Sumer. Humankind's first known civilization arose in the fertile plain irrigated by the Euphrates and Tigris rivers some 6,000 years ago "suddenly", "unexpectedly", and "with stunning abruptness", according to researchers. It was a society to which we owe virtually every "first" of what we consider essential to an advanced society.

An investigation of how Moses was deceived and murdered by his father-in-law, Reuel: this audiobook shows how the magician Reuel staged the Burning Bush that spoke to Moses and assumed Moses’ identity after his murder; explains how early scribes edited the Exodus story to cover Moses’ assassination and replacement and fabricated Moses’ origin story; and builds upon the Moses research of Goethe, Christopher Marlowe, and Sigmund Freud - who spent the last 40 years of his life obsessed with solving Moses’ murder....

Ancient Persia conjures images of extravagant palaces, beautiful gardens, mighty armies, and all-powerful kings, queens, and princes. The beginnings of Iranian antiquity are enigmatic, but from the cradle of the western Zagros Mountains came the greatest empires the world has ever known. The Elamites, Medians, Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids all sprang from interlinked cultural origins that could trace their roots back through each successive empire.

Was there an empire older and more important than mighty Egypt? There were a few, but the Akkadian Empire, born out of the cradle of civilization, is thought to be the first. And it was a game-changer. Its creation inspired conquerors and other empire-builders throughout history and spawned two world powers. Its epics, legends, and beliefs influence religions and cultures even today—and make for some darn good listening.

Egypt's geographical isolation and the unique geography of the Nile Valley are thought to have been responsible for its long existence. Because of military control, astronomical concepts in Egypt became so ingrained and inseparable from everyday concerns that they became an integral part of life. As your gaze rises to the horizons of Egypt, you can see the movement of the stars and planets: the climatic conditions never change. Besides this, Egypt also enjoys a cloudless sky almost all the time and a latitude that allows the most densely populated regions of the heavens to be viewed.

In the eighth century BCE, one of the most important provinces within the Assyrian Empire was Samaria. Also known as Israel, Samaria repeatedly rebelled against their Assyrian overlords, but in 722, the Assyrians overran Samaria once and for all, killing countless numbers and sending most of the rest of its inhabitants into forced exile.

In this historical bundle of titles, you will be able to listen about topics that relate to the area of Mesopotamia. This region is one of the most ancient ones that we have a written history about. Other artifacts and objects that have been found, support beliefs and conclusions about the culture, the art, the roles of men and women, the military strategies, and much, much more. We will learn about the Babylonians, Persians, Etruscans, Assyrians, and other peoples who inhabited this area a long time ago.

Michael Klein details the careers of these fascinating women and explores how many important events they were instrumental in. With thorough research, Cleopatra and Nefertiti: Beyond Their Beauty and Seduction will open your eyes to the strength and audacity of these two queens.

Die schiere Bedeutung der sumerischen Kultur für die gesamte heutige Weltkultur kann gar nicht genug betont werden. Einige der wichtigsten Innovationen und Entwicklungen in fast allen Bereichen des Lebens, die für die Aufrechterhaltung einer zivilisierten Gesellschaft relevant sind, gehen auf die sumerische Zivilisation zurück. Dazu gehören unter anderem die Religion, die Gesetzgebung, die Architektur, die Schule, die Kunst, die Literatur und sogar die Unterhaltung. Kaufen Sie sich jetzt das Buch, um mehr über die Sumerer zu erfahren!

Aleppo is one of the longest-surviving cities of the ancient and Islamic Middle East. Until recently it enjoyed a thriving urban life—in particular an active traditional suq, whose origins can be traced across many centuries. Its tangle of streets still follow the Hellenistic grid and above it looms the great Citadel, which contains recently-uncovered remains of a Bronze/Iron Age temple complex, suggesting an even earlier role as a ‘high place’ in the Canaanite tradition.

Today, Persia is known as the country of Iran, but long ago, Persia was once home to various nomadic tribes. It saw the rise of many empires and dynasties. The Assyrians fell to the Medians, who paved the way for the emergence of the Achaemenid Empire, one of the greatest empires in ancient history.