Synopsis

For those who believe that globalization is a purely modern phenomenon, this book holds a startling and absorbing lesson. From Egypt to Babylon immerses readers in a world of exotic empires and states as they waxed and waned and interacted in a period of extraordinary internationalism—all before the rise of the Persian Empire.

The ancient Egyptians, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, Canaanites, Hurrians, Aramaeans, Israelites, Urartians, Mannaeans, Assyrians, Phrygians, Kassites, Chaldaeans, Elamites, Scythians, Medes, and Persians: these are the societies who for a millennia peopled the world from the Aegean and Egypt in the west to what we know now as Iraq and Iran in the east. In a concise introduction, illustrated with objects drawn largely from the collections of the British Museum, this book takes the reader through the vast and varied landscape of this period, where a far-flung world was linked by military expansion, diplomatic relations, and movement of goods and peoples that brought about profound cultural exchanges and technological and social revolutions. The story brings the reader from the foundations of the Egyptian empire through the turmoil at the end of the second millennium bce to the unprecedented political unification of the whole region by kings of Persia.

From Egypt to Babylon weaves together the political histories of the region’s diverse societies for the first time, tracing shifting fortunes and burgeoning colonies, trading connections and cultural pressures in what was truly the world’s first international age.

Clay Williams - Library Journal

The publisher is marketing this book to emphasize the theme of globalization, which is clever yet ingenuous. Ancient trade routes, naturally enough, played a large role in the regions surrounding Egypt and Babylon, and Collins (curator of Later Mesopotamian Collections, British Museum) explicates them impressively. While his date range narrows the political parameters substantially, the trade routes are the operative factors here as Collins outlines the political contexts and then coherently relates them to the economics of a host of flourishing societies, from the Egyptians and Aramaeans to the Hittites, Minoans, and Persians. The illustrations-largely of objects from the British Museum-are magnificent, although one would love to know more about each object's provenance. Nevertheless, this work will enhance not only Ancient Near East but classical and religious studies collections as well. The amount of data is formidable, and students of these periods will benefit greatly from Collins's interconnecting of the political and economic with the archaeological record. Although the book is directed at a popular readership, some prior familiarity with the rulers, the major events, and the politics of the period will be valuable given the book's coverage from the end of the Egyptian Empire until the Persian conquests. Additional maps would have aided general readers further, particularly as Collins ties his discussions to archaeological evidence at particular sites. Recommended for academic and public libraries.

Biography

Paul Collins is Curator of later Mesopotamian collections, Department of the Middle East, The British Museum. He is the author of The Uruk Phenomenon.