Ancient Empires: From Mesopotamia to the Rise of Islam

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Cline & Graham trace social as well as the military basis for development and maintenance of "empires." They distinguish between territorial empires and the current hegemonic type. They cite Ideology, Economics, Military, and Politics (IEMP) in their analysis. It's a good method of organizing information and relating one empire to another. They start with Narmer in Egypt about 3000BC and Lullugalazi and Sargon in Sumer about 2300BC, but cite the age of empire from about 800BC to 800AD, when superseded by what historians call the "medieval' era signaled by the rise of Islam. That era starts with the Assyrian empire followed by the Babylonian, Persian and the Hellenic successors to the short lived Macedonian empire. The centerpiece is the Roman empire, the only one originating in the West. There's an excellent short history starting under the Republic and continued after Augustus. They place due emphasis on each of the I E M and P throughout the long development and decline. Information on art and literature of each period is provided. Thought provoking discussion questions precede each chapter. Besides the empires themselves the book involves interesting history of what C&G call "resistors' like Israel, Britain and India as well as buffer states like Armenia.This is an excellent well integrated short history of each empire. It contains insight into much more than the familiar military histories.

Very good!

Basic overview. Broad

A simple, clear read that is focused on exploring themes in the ancient world. Text contains original, hand-drawn drawings (done by students), in many cases from archaeological sites where no photos of reasonable quality exist. Highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding change and continuity as influenced by long- and short-term themes in the age of empires.