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Books 112, Non-fiction 5.
5. Marc Van De Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000-323 BC, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford 2004.
Van De Mieroop is Professor of Assyriology at Wolfson College, Oxford. In History of the ANE, he's written a book that does exactly what it says on the cover: it's a comprehensive history of the ancient Mesopotamian world from the earliest times to Alexander. Although he does seem to skimp a bit on the Persians.
It's well and cleanly written, without the unfortunate verbosity from which some historians suffer, and as it's organised both by region and by date, as seems most sensible to the author at the time, succeeds in being very clear.
I covered some of this stuff in my courses last year, and I must say that I wish this had been one of the textbooks assigned. It's clear. And simple. And well-laid-out, always a plus in a history book (cramped fonts can really wreck your reading style).
All in all, I'd call it a pretty solid introduction and a really good overview.
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And next, on the non-fiction reading list...
I don't know, really. I'm torn between Susan Pollock's Ancient Mesopotamia, P.J. Rhodes' A History of the Classical Greek World, Liza Picard's Elizabeth's London, and an autobiography of Polish countess and Resistance worker, Karolina Lanckoronska, Those Who Trepass Against Us.
Or there's always Sallust.
Anyone want to give me a hand deciding? :)
5. Marc Van De Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000-323 BC, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford 2004.
Van De Mieroop is Professor of Assyriology at Wolfson College, Oxford. In History of the ANE, he's written a book that does exactly what it says on the cover: it's a comprehensive history of the ancient Mesopotamian world from the earliest times to Alexander. Although he does seem to skimp a bit on the Persians.
It's well and cleanly written, without the unfortunate verbosity from which some historians suffer, and as it's organised both by region and by date, as seems most sensible to the author at the time, succeeds in being very clear.
I covered some of this stuff in my courses last year, and I must say that I wish this had been one of the textbooks assigned. It's clear. And simple. And well-laid-out, always a plus in a history book (cramped fonts can really wreck your reading style).
All in all, I'd call it a pretty solid introduction and a really good overview.
#
And next, on the non-fiction reading list...
I don't know, really. I'm torn between Susan Pollock's Ancient Mesopotamia, P.J. Rhodes' A History of the Classical Greek World, Liza Picard's Elizabeth's London, and an autobiography of Polish countess and Resistance worker, Karolina Lanckoronska, Those Who Trepass Against Us.
Or there's always Sallust.
Anyone want to give me a hand deciding? :)
