Brotherhood of Kings

Amanda H. Podany is Professor of History at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is the author of The Ancient Near Eastern World (OUP).

• A Word about Chronology and TranslationCast of CharactersTime LineAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I: The Early Dynastic Period and Akkadian Empire, 1500-2000 BCECh 1: The First Evidence for Diplomacy ("I am your brother and you are my brother")Ch 2: Traders and Ships from Different Lands ("At the wharf of Akkad he made moor ships")Part II: The Old Babylonian Period, 2000-1595 BCECh 3: War and Allegiance ("I have always done good things for him and his heart knows the good deeds that I have done for him")Ch 4: Long Journeys away from Home ("Who is there who would sell lapis-lazuli?")Part III: A Time of Crisis and Change, 1595-1400 BCECh 5: Attack on Babylon by a Distant Enemy ("I sent to a far-off land")Ch 6: A Clash between Expanding Empires ("Prepare yourselves! Make your weapons ready! For one will engage in combat with that wretched foe in the morning")Ch 7: Diplomatic Overtures between the Great Powers ("A notable event! The like of this occurrence had not been heard of since the time of the demigods" Part IV: The Amarna Age, 1400-1300 BCECh 8: Brother Kings United and at Peace ("My brother, whom I love and who loves me")Ch 9: Diplomatic Marriages ("We, between us, are one, the Hurrian land and the land of Egypt ")Ch 10: Luxury Goods from Eveyrwhere ("The gold is much. Among the kings there are brotherhood, amity, peace, and good relations")Ch 11: A Crisis in the Brotherhood ("My father became hostile")Ch 12: The End of an Empire and the Restoration of Peace ("My ancestors and your ancestors made a mutual declaration of friendship")EpilogueAbbreviationsNotesFurther ReadingBibliographyIndex

This is a lively, enjoyable book, effectively hiding the fact that it is based on an enormous amount of painstaking research.