100 MUST-READ BOOKS ABOUT

ANCIENT HISTORY
ERIKA HARLITZ-KERN
07-31-17

Rome. Athens. Memphis and Thebes. Ramses II. Nefertiti. Julius Caesar.
Cleopatra. Aristotle. Sappho. Cyrus the Great. Democracy. Oligarchy. Republic
and Empire.

Societies and people long gone and still they tickle our imagination.

Ancient history as a scholarly endeavor came into existence during the time of
the European empires. The imperialists of Great Britain, France, Italy, and
Germany looked to the distant past for validation and wrote their history
accordingly, resulting in a research field dominated by white men focusing on
Rome and Greece.

But things are beginning to change. Books about ancient history and Classical
studies are becoming more inclusive. The ancient histories of Persia, India,
present-day Iraq and Sudan and their influences on Rome and Greece are being
acknowledged. The white dominance among Classicists is being challenged.
Inter-disciplinary research projects bring together the disciplines of history and
archaeology.

This list of 100 must-read books about Ancient History reflects these changes.
Prepare for your TBR list to explode.
The blurbs for books about ancient history are taken, whole or in part, from
amazon.com.

1. Richard Alston, Soldier and Society in Roman Egypt. A Social

History. Soldier and Society in Roman Egyptprovides a complete reassessment
of the impact of the Roman army on local societies, and convincingly challenges
the orthodox picture. The soldiers are seen not as an isolated elite living in fear
of the local populations, but as relatively well-integrated into local
communities. The unsuspected scale of the army’s involvement in these
communities offers a new insight into both Roman rule in Egypt and Roman
imperialism more generally.

2. Jan Assman, The Mind of Egypt. History and Meaning in the Time of the
Pharaohs. The Mind of Egypt presents an unprecedented account of the
mainsprings of Egyptian civilization-the ideals, values, mentalities, belief
systems, and aspirations. Drawing on a range of literary, iconographic, and
archaeological sources, renowned historian Jan Assmann reconstructs a world
of unparalleled complexity, a culture that, long before others, possessed an
extraordinary degree of awareness and self-reflection. Widely acclaimed for his
cross-disciplinary approach, Assmann has produced a tantalizing study of an
ancient civilization, even as he has opened new directions in historical
investigation.

3. Zainab Bahrani, Mesopotamia. Ancient Art and

Architecture. This book is the first in ten years to
present a comprehensive survey of art and
architecture in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq,
northeast Syria and southeast Turkey), from 8000
B.C.E. to the arrival of Islam in 636 C.E. The book
is richly illustrated with c. 400 full-color
photographs, maps, and time charts that guide
readers through the chronology and geography of
this part of the ancient Near East.
4. Anthony A. Barrett, Agrippina. Sex, Power, and Politics in the Early
Empire. Agrippina the Younger attained a level of power in first-century Rome
unprecedented for a woman. According to ancient sources, she achieved her
success by plotting against her brother, the emperor Caligula, murdering her
husband, the emperor Claudius, and controlling her son, the emperor Nero, by
sleeping with him. Modern scholars tend to accept this verdict. But in his
dynamic biography―the first on Agrippina in English―Anthony Barrett paints
a startling new picture of this influential woman.

5. Elizabeth Bartman, Portraits of Livia. Imaging the Imperial Woman in

Augustan Rome. Driven by the novelty of her role as empress, Livia Drusilla,
wife of Augustus, invented a visual language of female rank and status that was
to have a profound impact on Roman art. Richly illustrated and including
descriptive catalogue entries of more than 110 surviving portraits, as well as the
epigraphic testimony for scores of images now lost, Bartman’s study presents
unparalleled documentation of Livia’s image during more than sixty years of
her public life in Rome.

6. Mary Beard, SPQR. A History of Ancient Rome. In SPQR, an instant classic,

Mary Beard examines not just how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the
comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries. With its
nuanced attention to class, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups
of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, SPQR will shape
our view of Roman history for decades to come.

7. Martin Bernal, Black Athena. The Afro-Asiatic Roots of Classical

Civilization, vol. 1. In Black Athena, Martin Bernal challenges Eurocentric
attitudes by proposing a Revised Ancient Model, which suggests that classical
civilization in fact had deep roots in Afroasiatic cultures.

8. Martin Bernal, Black Athena. The Afro-Asiatic Roots of Classical Civilization

vol. 2. Volume 2 is concerned with the archaeological and documentary
evidence for contacts between Egypt and the Levant on the one hand and the
Aegean on the other, during the Bronze Age from c. 3400 B.C. to c. 1100 B.C.
These approaches are supplemented by information from later Greek myths,
legends, religious cults, and language.
9. Martin Bernal, Black Athena. The Afro-Asiatic Roots of Classical Civilization
vol. 3. In the third and final volume of the series, Bernal shows how nearly 40
percent of the Greek vocabulary has been plausibly derived from two Afroasiatic
languages—Ancient Egyptian and West Semitic. This evidence, according to
Bernal, greatly strengthens the hypothesis that in Greece an Indo-European–
speaking population was culturally dominated by Ancient Egyptian and West
Semitic speakers.

10. David Bindman & Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Image of the Black in Western
Art, Vol. 1. From the Pharaohs to the Fall of the Roman Empire. This volume
offers a comprehensive look at the fascinating and controversial subject of the
representation of black people in the ancient world. Classic essays by
distinguished scholars guide the reader through enormous changes in the field
in the wake of the “Black Athena” story.

11. Susan Blundell, Women in Ancient Greece. To read the history of ancient
Greece as it has been written for centuries is to enter a thoroughly male world.
This book, a comprehensive history of women in the Archaic and Classical Ages,
completes our picture of ancient Greek society.

12. Keith Bradley & Paul Cartledge (eds.), The

Cambridge World History of Slavery. Vol. 1. The
Ancient Mediterranean World. Volume 1 in the new
Cambridge World History of Slavery series surveys the
history of slavery in the ancient Mediterranean world.
In twenty-two chapters, leading scholars explore the
centrality of slavery in ancient Mediterranean life using
a wide range of textual and material evidence. Non-
specialist readers in particular will find the volume an
accessible account of the early history of this crucial
phenomenon.

13. Pierre Briant (Jane Marie Todd, transl.), Darius in the Shadow of
Alexander. The first book ever devoted to the historical memory of Darius III,
ruler of the Persian Empire and archenemy of Alexander the Great, who,
despite ruling over an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to India,
remains an obscure figure.
C

14. Andrea Carandini (eds.), The Atlas of Ancient Rome.The Atlas of Ancient
Rome provides a comprehensive archaeological survey of the city of Rome from
prehistory to the early medieval period. Lavishly illustrated throughout with
full-color maps, drawings, photos, and 3D reconstructions, this magnificent
two-volume slip-cased edition features the latest discoveries and scholarship,
with new descriptions of more than 500 monuments.

15. Jennifer Y. Chi & Sebastian Heath (eds.), Edge of Empires. Pagans, Jews,
and Christians at Roman Dura-Europos. Strategically located high above the
Euphrates River between Syria and Mesopotamia, the city of Dura-Europos was
founded around 300 B.C.E. Edge of Empiresvividly illustrates the international
and pluralistic character of Dura-Europos, highlighting objects that
demonstrate the coexistence of multiple religions such as polytheistic cults,
Judaism, and Christianity; the great variety of languages spoken by its
population; and its role as an international military garrison. The book also
includes a map of the region and a detailed site plan of Dura-Europos.

16. Eric H. Cline, 1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed. In 1177 B.C.,
marauding groups known only as the “Sea Peoples” invaded Egypt. The
pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened
Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations.
Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, Eric
Cline draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the
Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened
their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries.

17. Paul Collins, Mountains and Lowlands. Ancient Iran and

Mesopotamia. Mountains and Lowlands is an engaging exploration of the
history of ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and Iran from 6000 B.C. to A.D.
650. Ancient Mesopotamia and Iran are usually treated separately or as part of
a much broader ‘Ancient Near East’. However, the developments that lie at the
root of our own world—farming, cities, writing, organized religion, warfare—
were forged in the tensions and relations between the inhabitants of lowland
Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) and the highlands of Iran.
18. Harriet Crawford, Ur. The City of the Moon God. This account of Ur’s past
looks at both the ancient city and its evolution over centuries, as well as its
archaeological interpretation in more recent times. The volume also describes
the part played by Ur in the Gulf War and discusses the problems raised for
archaeologists in the war’s aftermath.

19. Miguel Angel Corzo & Mahasti Afshar (eds.), Art

and Eternity. The Nefertari Wall Paintings
Conservation Project 1986–1992. This is the final
report on the conservation of the wall paintings in
the tomb of Queen Nefertari, consort ruler of
Ramses II, in the Valley of Queens, Egypt. This
highly successful collaborative venture brought
together scientists and conservators from all over
the world to address the problems facing one of the
most beautiful monuments of Ancient Egypt. The
painstaking process that saved this cultural treasure
in situ is documented here by those most intimately
involved in its rescue. Other articles deal with the archaeology of the Valley, the
iconography of the tomb, the original techniques and materials used by the
artists, photographic documentation of the wall paintings, and literary sources
for their study.

20. John Curtis & Nigel Tallis (eds.), Forgotten Empire. The World of Ancient
Persia. Encompassing a rich diversity of different peoples and cultures, Persia’s
Achaeminid Empire flourished between 550 and 331 B.C. The empire originated
with Cyrus the Great (559-530 B.C.) and expanded under his successors, who
ruled from the royal capitals of Susa and Persepolis, until at its peak it stretched
from the Indus Valley to Greece and from the Caspian Sea to Egypt. Forgotten
Empire opens a window onto the wealth and splendor of Persian society—its
rich palaces, exquisite craftsmanship, and sophisticated learning.

21. Catherine Chin & Moulie Vidas (eds.), Late Ancient Knowing. Explorations
in Intellectual History. In this collection of essays, scholars from a range of
disciplines explore the activity of knowing in late antiquity by focusing on
thirteen major concepts from the intellectual, social, political, and cultural
history of the period. The result is a richly imagined description of how people
of this time understood and navigated their world, from travel through the
countryside and encounters with demons to philosophical medicine and the
etiquette of imperial courts.

22. Vesta Sarkosh Curtis & E. Errington, From Persepolis to the Punjab.
Exploring Ancient Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The phrase ‘from
Persepolis to the Punjab’ refers to the vast Iranian empires of the Achaemenids
(550-331 B.C.), Parthians (238 B.C.-A.D. 224) and the Sasanians (A.D. 224-
651), which extended eastwards through Afghanistan to the north-western
borderlands of the Indian subcontinent. The interest of 19th-century European
powers in this region has been called ‘the Great Game’ and its effects are
explored in this book.

23. V.S. Curtis & S. Stewart (eds.), The Sasanian Era.Seizing power from the
previous dynasty—the Parthians—the Sasanians ruled Iran and most of the
ancient Near East from 224 until 642 C.E. They are particularly fascinating
because of their adherence to Zoroastrianism, an ancient dualistic Iranian
religion named after the prophet Zarathustra (or, in Greek, Zoroaster). The
volume in question arguably comprises the most complete and comprehensive
treatment of the Sasanian civilization yet to be published in English.

24. V.S. Curtis & S. Stewart (eds.), The Age of the Parthians. The Parthians are
a fascinating but little-known ancient civilization. This imperial eastern
superpower, which lasted for 400 years and stretched from the Hindu Kush to
Mesopotamia, withstood the might of Rome for centuries. The Parthians were
nomadic horse-warriors who left few written records, concentrating rather on a
rich oral and storytelling tradition. In this book, distinguished scholars examine
—from a variety of perspectives—the origins of the Parthians, their history,
religion and culture, as well as perceptions of their empire through the lens of
both imperial Rome and China.

25. V.S. Curtis & S. Stewart (eds.), Birth of the Persian Empire. This book
explores the formation of the first Persian Empire under the Achaemenid
Persians in the period beginning just before the middle of the 6th century up to
the collapse of the Persian Empire following the conquest by Alexander the
Great in the late 4th century B.C. Eminent scholars offer a critical approach to
some of the traditional interpretations and guide the reader towards a better
understanding of the formation of the Persian Empire.
D

26. James Davidson, The Greeks and Greek Love. For nearly two thousand
years, historians have treated the subject of homosexuality in ancient Greece
with apology, embarrassment, or outright denial. Now classics scholar James
Davidson offers a brilliant, unblushing exploration of the passion that
permeated Greek civilization. Using homosexuality as a lens, Davidson sheds
new light on every aspect of Greek culture, from politics and religion to art and
war. With stunning erudition and irresistible wit–and without moral
judgment–Davidson has written the first major examination of homosexuality
in ancient Greece since the dawn of the modern gay rights movement.

27. Touraj Darayee, Sasanian Persia. The Rise and Fall of an Empire. Of
profound importance in late antiquity, the Sasanian Empire is almost
completely unknown today, except as a counterpoint to the Roman Empire. In
this brilliant and highly readable new history Touraj Daryaee fills a huge gap in
our knowledge of world history. He examines the Sasanians’ complex and
colorful narrative and demonstrates their unique significance, not only for the
development of Iranian civilization but also for Roman and Islamic history.

28. Beate Dignas, Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity. Neighbours and
Rivals. The foundation of the Sasanian Empire in Persia in A.D. 224 established
a formidable new power on the Roman Empire’s eastern frontier, and relations
over the next four centuries proved turbulent. This book provides a
chronological narrative of their relationship, supported by a substantial
collection of translated sources illustrating structural patterns. Special attention
is given to the situation of Arabia and Armenia, to economic aspects, the
protection of the frontiers, the religious life in both empires, and the channels of
communication between East and West.

29. Nathalie Dohrmann & Annette Yoshiko Reed (eds.), Jews, Christians, and
the Roman Empire. The Poetics of Power in Late Antiquity. In histories of
ancient Jews and Judaism, the Roman Empire looms large. For all the attention
to the Jewish Revolt and other conflicts, however, there has been less concern
for situating Jews within Roman imperial contexts; just as Jews are frequently
dismissed as atypical by scholars of Roman history, so Rome remains invisible
in many studies of rabbinic and other Jewish sources written under Roman
rule. Jews, Christians, and the Roman Empire brings Jewish perspectives to
 bear on long-standing debates concerning
Romanization, Christianization, and late antiquity,
focusing on the third to sixth centuries C.E.

30. David N. Edwards, The Nubian Past. An

Archaeology of the Sudan. This cutting-edge synthesis
of the archaeology of Nubia and Sudan from prehistory
to the nineteenth century A.D. is the first major work on
this area for over three decades. Drawing on results of
the latest research and developing new interpretive
frameworks, the area which has produced the most spectacular archaeology in
sub-Saharan Africa is examined here by an author with extensive experience in
this field.

31. Catharine Edwards, Death in Ancient Rome. For the Romans, the manner of
a person’s death was the most telling indication of their true character. Death in
the Roman world was largely understood and often literally viewed as a
spectacle. Death revealed the true patriot, the genuine philosopher, even the
great artist—and certainly the faithful Christian. Catharine Edwards draws on
the many and richly varied accounts of death in the writings of Roman
historians, poets and philosophers, including Cicero, Lucretius, Virgil, Seneca,
Petronius, Tacitus, Tertullian, and Augustine, to investigate the complex
significance of dying in the Roman world.

32. Neil Faulkner, Rome. Empire of the Eagles. The Roman Empire is widely
admired as a model of civilization. In this compelling new study Neil Faulkner
argues that in fact, it was nothing more than a ruthless system of robbery and
violence. War was used to enrich the state, the imperial ruling classes, and
favored client groups. In the process millions of people were killed or enslaved.
Within the empire the landowning elite creamed off the wealth of the
countryside to pay taxes to the state and fund the towns and villas where they
lived. The masses of people—slaves, serfs and poor peasants—were victims of a
grand exploitation that made the empire possible. This system, riddled with
tension and latent conflict, contained the seeds of its own eventual collapse.
33. Irving Finkel (ed.), The Cyrus Cylinder. The King of Persia’s Proclamation
from Ancient Babylon. Some historical artifacts are destined forever to alter
how the ancient world is perceived. The unearthing in today’s Iraq (in 1879) of a
clay cylinder-shaped decree from Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid
dynasty of Persia, stands in the same tradition of game-changing discoveries
from antiquity as Hammurabi’s famous law code or the intact tomb of the boy-
king Tutankhamun. This important volume is the first to discuss the Cylinder
and its remarkable history.

34. N.R.E. Fisher, Slavery in Classical Greece. This is an authoritative and

clearly written account of the main issues involved in the study of Greek slavery
from Homeric times to the fourth century B.C. It provides valuable insights into
the fundamental place of slavery in the economies and social life of classical
Greece, and includes penetrating analyses of the widely-held ancient ideological
justifications of slavery. Throughout, the author shows how political and
economic systems, ideas of national identity, work and gender, and indeed the
fundamental nature of Greek civilization itself, were all profoundly affected by
the fact that many of the Greek city-states were slave societies.

35. Marjorie Fisher, Peter Lacovara, Sue D’Auria,

Salima Ikram, Chester Higgins, Jr. (eds.), Zahi
Hawass (foreword), Ancient Nubia. African
Kingdoms on the Nile.For most of the modern
world, ancient Nubia seems an unknown and
enigmatic land. Only a handful of archaeologists
have studied its history or unearthed the Nubian
cities, temples, and cemeteries that once dotted the
landscape of southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
This book attempts to document some of what has
recently been discovered about ancient Nubia, with
its remarkable history, architecture, and culture,
and thereby to give us a picture of this rich, but unfamiliar, African legacy.

36. Benjamin R. Foster & Karen Foster, Civilizations of Ancient

Iraq. In Civilizations of Ancient Iraq, Benjamin and Karen Foster tell the
fascinating story of ancient Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements ten
thousand years ago to the Arab conquest in the seventh century. Ancient Iraq
was home to remarkable achievements—the world’s earliest cities and empires,
writing and literature, science and mathematics, monumental art, and
innumerable other innovations. Civilizations of Ancient Iraq is an essential
guide to understanding Mesopotamia’s central role in the development of
human culture.

37. Adrian Goldsworthy, The Fall of Carthage. The Punic Wars 265–146
B.C. The Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome were among the greatest
conflicts of the ancient world, ending in Carthage’s destruction at the hands of
Rome in 146 B.C.E. Thanks to one of the finest historians of our time, this
sweeping saga comes to life anew for modern audiences. The cast of endlessly
fascinating characters includes the generals Hannibal and Scipio, as well as
treacherous chieftains, beautiful princesses, scheming politicians, and tough
professional warriors.

38. Adrian Goldsworthy, Antony and Cleopatra. A masterfully told—and deeply

human—story of love, politics, and ambition, Adrian Goldsworthy’s Antony and
Cleopatra delivers a compelling reassessment of a major episode in ancient
history. In this remarkable dual biography of the two great lovers of the ancient
world, Goldsworthy goes beyond myth and romance to create a nuanced and
historically acute portrayal of his subjects, set against the political backdrop of
their time. A history of lives lived intensely at a time when the world was
changing profoundly, the book takes readers on a journey that crosses cultures
and boundaries from ancient Greece and ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire.

39. Martin Goodman, Rome and Jerusalem. The Clash of Ancient

Civilizations. A magisterial history of the titanic struggle between the Roman
and Jewish worlds that led to the destruction of Jerusalem.

40. Lester L. Grabbe, Ancient Israel. What Do We Know and How Do We

Know It? In Ancient Israel Lester L. Grabbe sets out to summarize what we
know through a survey of sources and how we know it by a discussion of
methodology and by evaluating the evidence. Grabbe focuses on original
sources, including inscriptions, papyri, and archaeology. He examines the
problems involved in historical methodology and deals with the major issues
surrounding the use of the biblical text when writing a history of this period.
Grabbe’s clarity of style makes this book eminently accessible not only to
students of biblical studies and ancient history but also to the interested lay
reader.

41. Peter Green, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age. The book begins
with the personality and achievements of Alexander the Great, and continues
with the military and political violence of the successor-kingdoms that fought
over his inheritance. This era saw many important developments—a shift from
the oral to the written; a move from the public to the private and a new
individualist ethos; a huge growth in slavery; a growing gap between rich and
poor; a growing taste for luxury.

42. Ogden Goelet & Raymond Faulkner, The Egyptian Book of the
Dead. Written and illustrated some 3,300 years ago, The Egyptian Book of the
Dead is an artistic rendering of the mysteries of life and death. For the first time
since its creation, this ancient papyrus is now available in full color with an
integrated English translation directly below each image.

43. Judith P. Hallet & Marilyn B. Skinner (eds.), Roman

Sexualities. This collection of essays seeks to establish
Roman constructions of sexuality and gender difference
as a distinct area of research, complementing work
already done on Greece to give a fuller picture of ancient
sexuality. By applying feminist critical tools to forms of
public discourse, including literature, history, law,
medicine, and political oratory, the essays explore the
hierarchy of power reflected so strongly in most Roman
sexual relations.

44. Judith Harris, Pompeii Awakened. A Story of

Rediscovery. On that fateful day in A.D. 79 the city of Pompeii was lost, and in
time its location, its inhabitants, and even its name were buried and forgotten.
Not until 1755 did it emerge from its layer of volcanic rock, and the impact of
that discovery was immediate and far-reaching. Judith Harris has delved into
ancient diaries and descended deep underground to assess the latest
excavations. As the sleeping city re-awakens in her hands, Pompeii casts its
spell once more, bewitching those who seek to unearth its buried secrets.
45. Zahi Hawass, Mountains of the Pharaohs. The Untold Story of the Pyramid
Builders. The great pyramids of Giza have intrigued humanity for thousands of
years. Recent cutting-edge research has uncovered information about how and
why they were built. In Mountains of the Pharaohs, Zahi Hawass, a world-
renowned archaeologist, weaves the latest archaeological data and an
enthralling family history into a spellbinding narrative.

46. Zahi Hawass, Silent Images. Women in Pharaonic Egypt. Our endless
fascination with ancient Egypt owes much to the beauty of the tomb paintings,
statuary, temple reliefs, and other magnificent artworks that are the legacy of
this remarkable culture. But despite the multitude of objects and texts that have
survived, questions abound, particularly about the true role of women in
Egyptian society. This wonderfully illustrated, brilliantly researched book draws
on unpublished material from author Zahi Hawass’ own excavations as well as
new analyzes of older evidence to penetrate the silent images and paint an
astonishing picture of women’s lives.

47. Richard Hingley & Christina Unwin, Boudica. Iron Age Warrior
Queen. Boudica, or Boadicea, queen of the Iceni, led a famous revolt against
Roman rule in Britain in 60 C.E., throwing the province into chaos and sending
a shock wave across the empire. Boudica. Iron Age Warrior Queen is an
account of what we know about the real woman, from classical literature,
written for the consumption of readers in Rome, and from the archaeological
evidence. It also traces her extraordinary posthumous career as the earliest
famous woman in British history.

48. Tom Holland, Rubicon. In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the
founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon
and plunged Rome into cataclysmic civil war. Tom Holland’s enthralling
account tells the story of Caesar’s generation, witness to the twilight of the
Republic and its bloody transformation into an empire. Combining verve and
freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing
history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization
in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe,
intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition.

49. Keith Hopkins & Mary Beard, The Colosseum. In The Colosseum we learn
the details of how the arena was built and at what cost; we are introduced to the
emperors who sometimes fought in gladiatorial games staged there; and we
take measure of the audience who reveled in, or opposed, these games. The
authors also trace the strange afterlife of the monument—as fortress, shrine of
martyrs, church, and glue factory. Why are we so fascinated with this arena of
death?

50. Janos Harmatta, B.N. Puri & G.F. Etemadi, History of Civilizations of
Central Asia. Vol. II. The Development of Sedentary and Nomadic
Civilizations, 700 B.C. to A.D. 250. Volume 2 of a series that chronicles the
ancient history of Central Asia.

51. Salima Ikram, Ancient Egypt. An

Introduction.Beginning with a geographical overview
that explains the development of Egyptian belief
systems as well as its subsequent political
development, this book examines methodology, the
history of the discipline of Egyptology, religion, social
organization, urban and rural life, and death. It also
includes a section on how people of all ranks lived.
Lavishly illustrated with many unusual photographs of
rarely seen sites that are seldom illustrated.

52. Salima Ikram, Death and Burial in Ancient

Egypt.Death, burial, and the afterlife were as important to the ancient
Egyptians as how they lived. This well-illustrated book explores all aspects of
death in ancient Egypt, including beliefs of the afterlife, mummification, the
protection of the body, tombs and their construction and decoration, funerary
goods, and the funeral itself. It also addresses the relationship between the
living and the dead, and the magico-religious interaction of these two in ancient
Egyptian culture.

53. Sandra R. Joshel, Slavery in the Roman World. Rome was a slave society.
Slavery fundamentally shaped Roman society and culture. In this book, Sandra
Joshel offers a comprehensive overview of Roman slavery. Using a variety of
sources, including literature, law, and material culture, she examines the legal
condition of Roman slaves, traces the stages of the sale of slaves, analyzes the
relations between slaves and slaveholders, and details the social and family lives
of slaves. Richly illustrated with images of slaves, captives, and the material
conditions of slaves, this book also considers food, clothing, and housing of
slaves, thereby locating slaves in their physical surroundings—the cook in the
kitchen, the maid in her owner’s bedroom, the smith in a workshop, and the
farm laborer in a vineyard.

54. Homa Katouzian, The Persians. Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Iran. This
authoritative and comprehensive history of Iran covers the entire history of the
area from the ancient Persian Empire to today’s Iranian state. Writing from an
Iranian rather than a European perspective, Katouzian integrates the significant
cultural and literary history of Iran with its political and social history. A
magisterial history, this book also serves as an excellent background to the role
of Iran in the contemporary world.

55. David Kessler, The Falashas. A Short History of the Ethiopian

Jews. Drawing on tradition and legend to reinforce his argument, Kessler traces
the source of the Ethiopian Jewish community to the Jewish settlements which
existed in ancient Egypt (particularly at Elephantine on the Nile) and in the
ancient Meroitic Kingdom, in present day Sudan known in the Bible as Cush.
The story told in this book is remarkable, heroic and stimulating and makes a
valuable contribution to our understanding of the history of the horn of Africa.

56. Paul Kriwaczek, Babylon. Mesopotamia and the Birth of

Civilization. In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from
the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in
the sixth century B.C.E. At the heart of this book is the story of Babylon, which
rose to prominence under the Amorite king Hammuramibi from about 1800
B.C.E. Even as Babylon’s fortunes waxed and waned, it never lost its allure as
the ancient world’s greatest city.

57. Paul Kriwaczek, In Search of Zarathustra. Across Iran and Central Asia to
Find the World’s First Prophet. Long before the first Hebrew temple, before the
birth of Christ or the mission of Muhammad, there lived in Persia a prophet to
whom we owe the ideas of a single god, the cosmic struggle between good and
evil, and the Apocalypse. His name was Zarathustra, and his teachings
eventually held sway from the Indus to the Nile and spread as far as Britain.
Following Zarathustra’s elusive trail back through time and across the Islamic,
Christian, and Jewish worlds, Paul Kriwaczek uncovers his legacy at a wedding
ceremony in present-day Central Asia, in the Cathar heresy of medieval France,
and among the mystery cults of the Roman empire. He explores pre-Muslim
Iran and Central Asia, ultimately bringing us face to face with the prophet
himself, a teacher whose radical humility shocked and challenged his age, and
whose teachings have had an enduring effect on Western thought. The result is
a tour de force of travel and historical inquiry by an adventurer in the classic
tradition.

58. Gwendolyn Leick, Mesopotamia. The Invention of the City. Situated in an

area roughly corresponding to present-day Iraq, Mesopotamia is one of the
great, ancient civilizations, though it is still relatively unknown. Yet, over 7,000
years ago in Mesopotamia, the very first cities were created. This is the first
book to reveal how life was lived in ten Mesopotamian cities: from Eridu, the
Mesopotamian Eden, to that potent symbol of decadence, Babylon, the first true
metropolis—multicultural, multi-ethnic, the last center of a dying civilization.

59. Leonard H. Lesko & Barbara S. Lesko, Pharaoh’s Workers. The Village of
Deir el Medina. Pharaoh’s Workers focuses on the archaeological site at Deir el
Medina on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor. The workers who prepared the
royal tombs lived there in what has been called “the earliest known artists’
colony” and left a rich store of artifacts and documents through which we can
glimpse not only their working conditions and domestic activities, but also their
religious beliefs and private thoughts.

60. Adrienne Mayor, The Amazons. Lives and Legends of Warrior Women
across the Ancient World.Amazons―fierce warrior women dwelling on the
fringes of the known world―were the mythic archenemies of the ancient
Greeks. In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book,
National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they
 have never been seen before. This is the first
comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and
history across the ancient world, from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Great Wall of China. Driven
by a detective’s curiosity, Mayor unearths long-buried
evidence and sifts fact from fiction to show how flesh-
and-blood women of the Eurasian steppes were
mythologized as Amazons, the equals of men.

61. Amihai Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible

vol 1. 10,000–586 B.C.E. Every year thousands of
enthusiasts, amateur and professional, spend the
summer months digging in the sands of Israel hoping to find items that in some
way relate to the places and events depicted in the Bible. This work looks at the
history and archaeology of the Bible lands.

62. Eric Meyers & Mark A. Chancey, Alexander to Constantine. Archaeology of

the Land of the Bible vol. 3.Drawing on the most recent, groundbreaking
archaeological research, Eric M. Meyers and Mark A. Chancey re-narrate the
history of ancient Palestine in this richly illustrated and expertly integrated
book. Spanning from the conquest of Alexander the Great in the fourth century
B.C.E until the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine in the fourth century
C.E., they synthesize archaeological evidence with ancient literary sources
(including the Bible) to offer a sustained overview of the tumultuous intellectual
and religious changes that impacted world history during the Greco-Roman
period.

63. Marvin W. Meyer & Richard Smith (eds.), Ancient Christian Magic. Coptic
Texts of Ritual Power. This thought-provoking collection of magical texts from
ancient Egypt shows the exotic rituals, esoteric healing practices, and
incantatory and supernatural dimensions that flowered in early Christianity. By
placing these rarely seen texts in their historical context and discussing their
significance, the authors explore the place of healing, prayer, miracles, and
magic in the early Christian experience, and expand our understanding of
Christianity and Gnosticism as a vital folk religion.

64. Marc Van De Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East, c. 3000–323
BC. Incorporating the latest scholarly research, the third edition of A History of
the Ancient Near East ca. 3000–323 BC presents a comprehensive overview of
the multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East.

65. V.M. Masson, A.H. Dani & Janos Harmatta (eds.), History of Civilizations
in Central Asia, Vol. 1. First volume in a two-volume attempt to present a
comprehensive picture of the history of civilizations in central Asia.

66. William Naphy, Born to Be Gay. The History of Homosexuality. There has
long been an assumption in the West that views on sex and sexuality are
basically similar worldwide. This has never been the case. Many ancient
cultures actively promoted same-sex relationships as an integral part of
adolescence or even worship. Born to be Gay takes a radical look at the history
of homosexuality, from Bacchanalian orgies to Gay Pride.

67. Amos Nur, Apocalypse. Earthquakes, Archaeology, and the Wrath of

God. Apocalypse brings the latest scientific evidence to bear on biblical
accounts, mythology, and the archaeological record to explore how ancient and
modern earthquakes have shaped history—and, for some civilizations,
seemingly heralded the end of the world. As Nur shows, recognizing earthquake
damage in the shifted foundations and toppled arches of historic ruins is vital
today because the scientific record of world earthquake risks is still
incomplete. Apocalypse explains where and why ancient earthquakes struck—
and could strike again.

68. David Orrells, Gurminder K. Bhambra, & Tessa Roynon (ed.), African
Athena. New Agendas. The appearance of Martin Bernal’s Black Athena. The
Afro-Asian Roots of Classical Civilization in 1987 sparked intense debate and
controversy in Africa, Europe, and North America. African Athena examines
the history of intellectuals and literary writers who contested the white,
dominant Euro-American constructions of the classical past and its influence on
the present.

69. Ida Östenberg, Staging the World. Spoils, Captives, and Representations in
the Roman Triumphal Procession. Staging the World is an illustrated study of
 the Roman triumphal procession in its capacity as
spectacle and performance. Ida Östenberg analyzes
how Rome presented and perceived the defeated on
parade, aiming to show what stories the Roman
triumph told about the defeated and what ideas it
transmitted about Rome itself.

70. Sarah Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and

Slaves. Women in Classical Antiquity. “The first
general treatment of women in the ancient world to reflect the critical insights
of modern feminism. Though much debated, its position as the basic textbook
on women’s history in Greece and Rome has hardly been challenged.”–Mary
Beard, Times Literary Supplement.

71. Bezalel Porten, Archives from Elephantine. The Life of an Ancient Jewish
Military Colony. By translating and interpreting 175 papyri written mainly in
Aramaic, Bezalel Porten provides an insight into the everyday life of the Jewish
military garrison on the island of Elephantine, located on the border of Egypt
and Nubia in the fifth century B.C.E.

72. Parvaneh Pourshariati, Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire. The
Sasanian-Parthian Confederacy and the Arab Conquest of Iran. Decline and
Fall of the Sasanians proposes a convincing contemporary answer to an ages-
old mystery and conundrum—why, in the seventh century C.E., did the
seemingly powerful and secure Sasanian empire of Persia succumb so quickly
and disastrously to the all-conquering Arab armies of Islam? Professor
Pourshariati explains the fall in terms of an earlier deep-seated corrosion and
decline, and as a result of the empire’s own internal weaknesses.

73. Karen Radner, Ancient Assyria. A Very Short Introduction. Assyria was one
of the most influential kingdoms of the Ancient Near East. In this Very Short
Introduction, Karen Radner sketches the history of Assyria from city state to
empire, from the early 2nd millennium B.C. to the end of the 7th century B.C.
Since the archaeological rediscovery of Assyria in the mid-19th century, its cities
have been excavated extensively in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Israel, with further
sites in Iran, Lebanon, and Jordan providing important information. The
Assyrian Empire was one of the most geographically vast, socially diverse,
multicultural, and multi-ethnic states of the early first millennium B.C. Using
archaeological records, Radner provides insights into the lives of the
inhabitants of the kingdom, highlighting the diversity of human experiences in
the Assyrian Empire.

74. John Ray, The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt. This book
tells the story of the Rosetta Stone, from its discovery by Napoleon’s expedition
to Egypt to its current—and controversial—status as the single most visited
object on display in the British Museum. Concluding with a chapter on the
political and cultural controversy surrounding the Stone, the book also includes
an appendix with a full translation of the Stone’s text.

75. Donald B. Redford, City of the Ram-Man. The

Story of Ancient Mendes. In this richly illustrated
book, renowned archaeologist Donald Redford
draws on the latest discoveries—including many of
his own—to tell the story of the ancient Egyptian
city of Mendes, home of the mysterious cult of the
“fornicating ram who mounts the beauties.”
Excavation by Redford and his colleagues over the
past two decades has cast a flood of light on this
strange center of worship and political power
located in the Nile Delta. A sweeping chronological
account filled with photographs, drawings, and
informative sidebars, City of the Ram-Man is a unique account of a long-lost
monument of Egyptian history, religion, and culture.

76. John Romer, Ancient Lives. The Story of the Pharaoh’s Tomb-Makers. John
Romer, one of the best-known historians working today, and a world-renowned
expert on the ancient world, presents a brilliant account of the lives of the
stonemasons, scribes, and painters who created some of Egypt’s finest
treasures.
77. Annette Yoshiko Reed & Ra’anan S. Boustan (eds.), Heavenly Realms and
Earthly Realities in Late Antique Religions. The concept of heaven occupied a
special place in the Late Antique imagination, not only in Judaism and
Christianity, but also in the Greco-Roman religious, philosophical, scientific,
and “magical” traditions. Drawing upon the expertise of scholars of Classics,
Ancient History, Jewish Studies, and Patristics, this volume explores the
different functions of heavenly imagery in different texts and traditions in order
to map the patterns of unity and diversity within the religious landscape of Late
Antiquity.

78. Annette Yoshiko Reed, Fallen Angels and the History of Judaism and
Christianity. In the Book of the Watchers, an Enochic apocalypse from the third
century B.C.E., the “sons of God” of Gen 6:1-4 are accused of corrupting
humankind through their teachings of metalworking, cosmetology, magic, and
divination. By tracing the transformations of this motif in Second Temple,
Rabbinic, and early medieval Judaism as well as early, late antique, and
Byzantine Christianity, this book sheds light on the history of interpretation of
Genesis, the changing status of Enochic literature, and the place of parabiblical
texts and traditions in the interchange between Jews and Christians in Late
Antiquity and the early Middle Ages.

79. Annette Yoshiko Reed & Adam H. Becker (eds.), The Ways that Never
Parted. Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle
Ages. Traditional scholarship on the history of Jewish/Christian relations has
been largely based on the assumption that Judaism and Christianity were
shaped by a definitive ‘Parting of the Ways’. According to this model, the two
religions institutionalized their differences by the second century and,
thereafter, developed in relative isolation from one another, interacting mainly
through polemical conflict and mutual misperception. By moving beyond
traditional assumptions about the essential differences between Judaism and
Christianity, this volume attempts to open the way for a more nuanced
understanding of the history of these two religions and the constantly changing
yet always meaningful relationship between them.

80. Ivan van Sertima (ed.), Black Women in Antiquity.Anthology that discusses
the role and impact of black African women as rulers and wielders of great
power in North Africa and the Mediterranean during Antiquity.

81. Matthew Simonton, Classical Greek Oligarchy. A Political

History. Classical Greek Oligarchy thoroughly reassesses an important but
neglected form of ancient Greek government, the “rule of the few.” Matthew
Simonton challenges scholarly orthodoxy by showing that oligarchy was not the
default mode of politics from time immemorial, but instead emerged alongside,
and in reaction to, democracy. Classical Greek Oligarchyrepresents a major
new development in the study of ancient politics. It fills a longstanding gap in
our knowledge of nondemocratic government while greatly improving our
understanding of forms of power that continue to affect us today.

82. William Kelley Simpson (author), Robert K. Ritner & Vincent A. Tobin
(translators), The Literature of Ancient Egypt: An Anthology of Stories,
Instructions, Stelae, Autobiographies and Poetry. The latest edition of this
highly praised anthology of ancient Egyptian literature offers fresh translations
of all the texts as well as some twenty-five new entries, including writings from
the late literature of the Demotic period at the end of classical Egyptian history.
The book also includes an extensive bibliography.

83. Giulia Sissa (George Staunton, transl.), Sex and Sensuality in the Ancient
World. In this fascinating book Giulia Sissa looks at sensuality and sexual desire
in the Greek, Roman, and early Christian worlds, demonstrating how modern
concepts of sexuality have emerged from the practices and theories of ancient
times. Countering the assumptions of many other scholars, Sissa emphasizes
the centrality of heterosexual desire and passion in the classical period, arguing
that the importance of homosexuality has been overemphasized. Incisive and
often provocative, this is a striking new analysis of sexual attitudes in the
classical and post-classical world.

84. Frank Snowden, Before Color Prejudice. The Ancient View of Blacks. In this
richly illustrated account of black-white contacts from the Pharaohs to the
Caesars, Frank Snowden demonstrates that the ancients did not discriminate
against blacks because of their color. This book sheds light on the reasons for
the absence in Antiquity of virulent color prejudice and for the difference in
attitudes of whites toward blacks in ancient and modern societies.
 85. Frank Snowden, Blacks in Antiquity. Ethiopians in
the Greco-Roman Experience. The Africans who came
to ancient Greece and Italy participated in an important
chapter of classical history. Although evidence indicated
that the alien dark- and black-skinned people were of
varied tribal and geographic origins, the Greeks and
Romans classified many of them as Ethiopians.
Presenting an exceptionally comprehensive historical
description of the first major encounter of Europeans
with dark and black Africans, Mr. Snowden found that
the black man in a predominantly white society was
neither romanticized nor scorned–that the Ethiopian in
classical antiquity was considered by pagan and Christian without prejudice.

86. Ephraim Stern, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible vol. 2: The Assyrian,
Babylonian and Persian Periods (732–332 B.C.E.). Ephraim Stern offers a
dramatic look at how archaeological research contributes to our understanding
of the connections between history and the stories recounted in the Bible. Stern
writes about various artifacts unearthed in recent years and relates them to the
Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian periods in the Bible. Accompanied by
photographs and illustrations of rare ancient relics ranging from household
pottery to beautifully crafted jewelry and sculpture.

87. Richard Stoneman, Xerxes. A Persian Life. Xerxes, Great King of the
Persian Empire from 486–465 B.C., has gone down in history as an angry
tyrant full of insane ambition. The stand of Leonidas and the 300 against his
army at Thermopylae is a byword for courage, while the failure of Xerxes’
expedition has overshadowed all the other achievements of his twenty-two-year
reign. Stoneman draws on the latest research in Achaemenid studies and
archaeology to present the ruler from the Persian perspective. This illuminating
volume does not whitewash Xerxes’ failings but sets against them such
triumphs as the architectural splendor of Persepolis and a consideration of
Xerxes’ religious commitments. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of a man
who ruled a vast and multicultural empire which the Greek communities of the
West saw as the antithesis of their own values.

88. William Sanders Scarborough (Michele Ronnick, ed.), The Works of

William Sanders Scarborough. Black Classicist and Race Leader. The first
professional classicist of African American descent, William Sanders
Scarborough rose from slavery to become president of Wilberforce University in
Ohio. Excelling at Latin and Greek, he crossed the color line both socially and
intellectually with his entry into a field of study commonly seen as elitist and
dominated by white men. Although unknown to classicists today, Scarborough
had a distinguished career in the field and held membership in many learned
societies and had an active publication record. His life as an engaged
intellectual, public citizen, and concerned educator was admired and emulated
by W. E. B. Du Bois.

89. Jacqueline Fabre-Serris & Alison Keith (eds.), Women and War in
Antiquity. The martial virtues―courage, loyalty, cunning, and strength―were
central to male identity in the ancient world, and antique literature is replete
with depictions of men cultivating and exercising these virtues on the
battlefield. In Women and War in Antiquity, sixteen scholars reexamine
classical sources to uncover the complex but hitherto unexplored relationship
between women and war in ancient Greece and Rome. They reveal that women
played a much more active role in battle than previously assumed, embodying
martial virtues in both real and mythological combat.

90. Romila Thapor, The Penguin History of Early India. From the Origins to
AD 1300. The Penguin History Of Early India From The Origins to AD
1300 gives its readers an exhaustive idea about the history of India, from the
time of its formation, through its gradual coalition, to its structure in A.D. 1300.
The account is not a chronological narration of the events that took place to
form India, but the narration of the story of India. Romila Thapar’s version of
the history of India is composed of many stories of the different parts of India
which gradually came together to form one great country. Diverse subjects such
as religion, art, erotica, language, society are analyzed in conjunction with each
other.

91. Dominique Valbelle & Charles Bonnet, The Nubian Pharaohs. Black Kings
on the Nile. Beautifully illustrated with over 170 color photographs, The Nubian
Pharaohsilluminates the epic history of this little-known historical era, when
 the pharaohs of Egypt came from Sudan.

92. Moulie Vidas, Tradition and the Formation of

the Talmud. Tradition and the Formation of the
Talmudoffers a new perspective on perhaps the most
important religious text of the Jewish tradition. It is
widely recognized that the creators of the Talmud
innovatively interpreted and changed the older
traditions on which they drew. Focusing on the
Babylonian Talmud, produced in the rabbinic
academies of late ancient Mesopotamia, Vidas
analyzes key passages to show how the Talmud’s
creators contrasted their own voice with that of their predecessors. He also
examines Zoroastrian, Christian, and mystical Jewish sources to reconstruct the
debates and wide-ranging conversations that shaped the Talmud’s literary and
intellectual character.

93. Phiroze Vasunia, The Gift of the Nile. Hellenizing Egypt from Aeschylus to
Alexander. The Egyptians mesmerized the ancient Greeks for scores of years.
The Greek literature and art of the classical period are especially thick with
representations of Egypt and Egyptians. Yet despite numerous firsthand
contacts with Egypt, Greek writers constructed their own Egypt, one that
differed in significant ways from actual Egyptian history, society, and culture.
Informed by recent work on orientalism and colonialism, this book unravels the
significance of these misrepresentations of Egypt in the Greek cultural
imagination in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. In addition, this provocative
and original work shows how Greek writers made possible literary Europe’s
most persistent and adaptable obsession: the barbarian.

94. Phiroze Vasunia, G. Boys-Stones & B. Graziosi (eds.), The Oxford Handbook
of Hellenic Studies. The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies is a unique
collection of some seventy articles, which together explore the ways in which
ancient Greece has been, is, and might be studied. It is intended to inform its
readers, but also, importantly, to inspire them, and to enable them to pursue
their own research by introducing the primary resources and exploring the
latest agenda for their study. The emphasis is on the breadth and potential of
Hellenic Studies as a flourishing and exciting intellectual arena, and also upon
its relevance to the way we think about ourselves today.
W

95. Matt Waters, Ancient Persia. A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire,
550 to 330 BCE. The Achaemenid Persian Empire, at its greatest territorial
extent under Darius I (r. 522-486 B.C.E.), held sway over territory stretching
from the Indus River Valley to southeastern Europe and from the western
Himalayas to northeast Africa. In this book, Matt Waters gives a detailed
historical overview of the Achaemenid period while considering the manifold
interpretive problems historians face in constructing and understanding its
history. This book offers a Persian perspective even when relying on Greek
textual sources and archaeological evidence.

96. John Williams & Shaun Hill, Food in the Ancient World. In Food in the
Ancient World, a respected classicist and a practicing world-class chef explore a
millennium of eating and drinking. The book focuses on ancient Greece and
Rome, but also looks at Persian, Egyptian, Celtic and other cultures. It
embraces people from all walks of life, from impoverished citizens subsisting on
cereals, chickpeas and even locusts, to the meat-eating elites whose demands
drove advances in gastronomy. Extending from Syria to Spain, and from the
steppes of Russia to the deserts of North Africa, this evocative account gives
readers a taste of the ancient world.

97. Peter Wiseman, The Myths of Rome. This major re-evaluation of Roman
history and its afterlife in western culture through the mediums of myth and art
triumphantly redresses the popular perception of classical myth as a
predominantly Greek invention; and builds a cohesive narrative from the mass
of mythical and historical tales that cluster around the nexus of Rome.

98. Ian Worthington, Alexander the Great. Man and God.Alexander the
Great conquered territories on a superhuman scale and established an empire
that stretched from Greece to India. He spread Greek culture and education
throughout his empire, and was worshiped as a living god by many of his
subjects. But how great is a leader responsible for the deaths of tens of
thousands of people? A ruler who prefers constant warring to administering the
peace? A man who believed he was a god, who murdered his friends, and
recklessly put his soldiers’ lives at risk? Ian Worthington delves into Alexander’s
successes and failures, his paranoia, the murders he engineered, his
megalomania, and his constant drinking. It presents a king corrupted by power