First Civilizations

Robert Chadwick is Adjunct Professor at McGill University. He has, since 1972, taught the history and culture of the ancient Near East at John Abbott College, Concordia University, McGill University, l'Universite de Montreal and Bishop's University. He has excavated in England, the American south-west, Syria and Jordan. He is currently the assistant director of the Wadi Ath-Thamad Excavation Project.

• Table of ContentsPreface viiiAcknowledgments ivList of Illustrations x-xviiiPart I: Introduction1 History and archaeology as tools for understanding the past 1-192 Agriculture and the origins of civilization 20-35Part II: Mesopotamia3 The Early Dynastic period and the formation of the first city-states 37-494 The Akkadians and the Ur III Dynasty 50-585 Mesopotamia in the second millennium BC: the Babylonians and the Kassites (2000–1600 BC) 60-726 The Assyrians 74-887 The Last Babylonian Dynasty 90-98Part III: Religion, science, and medicine8 Mythology and religion in Mesopotamia: the story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu 99-1069 Science and technology: astronomy and medicine in Mesopotamia and Egypt 108-125Part IV: Egypt10 Egypt: the Black Land 204-21511 The Old Kingdom or the Pyramid Age (2575–2134 BC) 128-13712 Funerary practices, rituals, and mummification 138-15413 The Hyksos period and the New Kingdom 156-16714 Akhenaten and the Amarna period 168-17815 The 19th Dynasty and the Ramesside kings 180-19216 Egypt in the late second and first millenniums BC 194-202Part V: Mesopotamia and Egypt under Persian rule17 The Persians 217-226Epilogue: The twilight of the first civilizations 228-231End MatterNotes 232-248Bibliography 250-261Index 262-268