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(More customer reviews)In the epilogue of her engaging study, Dr. Podany observes that the ancient Near East lacks a storyteller like Herodotus for ancient Greece or Livy for Roman history. Although she is obviously no "ancient", she certainly is a storyteller par excellence. She draws her readers into the Near Eastern world of 2500-1300 BCE. One encounters the familiar in places like Babylonia and Egypt, but, more important, unfamiliar realms like Ebla, Mittani, and Hatti. The same is true in terms of historical persons: the familiar Sargon, Amenhotep, and Nefertiti and the unfamiliar Irkab-damu, Suppiluliuma, and Tushratta. Besides elucidating the diplomatic relationships between these ancient kings, Dr. Podany provides us with an amazing view into the daily lives of ordinary people who lived in the ancient Near East. To keep track of persons and gods, she provides a "Cast of Main Characters" and a "Time Line", so her readers will know who lived where and when. Although she does not pursue the issue to any great degree, certain parallels are perceptible in present diplomatic relationships. The general reader will find this a fascinating and worthwhile adventure and will benefit from suggestions for further reading. The scholarly reader will appreciate the footnotes at the end of the text, as well as the ample bibliography.
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