Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany is a unique history of the ancient Near East that compellingly presents the life stories of kings, priestesses, merchants, bricklayers, and others. Rather than chronicling three thousand years of rulers and states, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings instead creates a tapestry of life stories through which readers will come to know specific individuals from many walks of life, and to understand their places within the broad history of events and institutions in the ancient Near East.

In this sweeping history of the ancient Near East, Amanda Podany takes readers on a gripping journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to brickmakers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that people faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived.

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Oxford University Press https://global.oup.com/academic/product/weavers-scribes-and-kings-9780190059040?utm_campaign=1430288586311315018&utm_source=third%20party&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=web+banner+link&utm_term=WHE-Excerpt

— MORE FROM AMANDA —

Amanda's Website https://amandapodany.academia.edu/

Amanda's Twitter https://twitter.com/ahpod

Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East https://global.oup.com/academic/product/brotherhood-of-kings-9780195313987?cc=us&lang=en&

The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-ancient-near-east-a-very-short-introduction-9780195377996?cc=us&lang=en&

Lecture series: Ancient Mesopotamia: Life in the Cradle of Civilization Wondrium: https://www.wondrium.com/ancient-mesopotamia-life-in-the-cradle-of-civilization

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— CHAPTERS —

0:00 Introduction

0:57 What is the book all about?

4:45 What kinds of sources did you use?

8:32 Why did you decide to write this book?

12:46 Did anything surprise you whilst researching or writing the book?

16:24 Was there much evidence for women?

18:28 What is one thing people should know about the topic?

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —

The Ancient Near East https://www.worldhistory.org/Near_East/

Mesopotamia https://www.worldhistory.org/Mesopotamia/

Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia https://www.worldhistory.org/article/680/daily-life-in-ancient-mesopotamia/

Women in Ancient Mesopotamia https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2081/women-in-ancient-mesopotamia/

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— ATTRIBUTIONS —

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

World History Encyclopedia