Ancient Middle East and North Africa
A gap in the curriculum
Ancient Middle East and North Africa
ScopeBroad enough for its own sub-branch
AfterWho We Are and How We Got Here
Leads toDestiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes
Lineage11 books back to the Big Bang
The ancient Middle East and North Africa represent a significant gap in my understanding. This includes the Persians and some civilizations from before and during the Bronze Age, but also the broader world outside the Persian and Alexandrian empires. I do not have a clear picture of the region between Alexander’s conquests and the rise of the caliphates.
Claude’s take
This is where written history begins; Against the Grain gestures at it, but the ancient Near East proper is missing.
Candidate reading
- Babylon — Paul Kriwaczek
- The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt — Toby Wilkinson