A short history of the ancient world

349 Pages·2018·23.91 MB·English

by  Kraus, Heidi E.;Rauh, Nicholas K

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
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A SHORT
HISTORY
OF THE
ANCIENT
WORLD
NICHOLAS K. RAUH
WITH HEIDI E. KRAUS
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Rauh, Nicholas K., author
A short history of the ancient world/ Nicholas K. Rauh with Heidi Kraus.
Includes bibliographical references and index. Issued in print and electronic formats.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-4426-0829-0 (hardcover).—ISBN 978-1-4426-0385-1 (softcover).—I SBN 978-1-4426-0386-8 (PDF). —
ISBN 978-1-4426-0387-5 (HTML)

1. History, Ancient. I. Kraus, Heidi, author II. Title.

D59.R38 2017 930 C2017-900663-0
C2017-900664-9
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Cartography: Lawrence Theller, Purdue University
Artwork: John Hill and Herb Rauh
Contributors: Peter Aicher, Matthew Dillon, Elizabeth Rauh
The University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its publishing activities of the Government of
Canada through the Canada Book Fund.
Printed in Canada
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To Henry C. Boren
who taught me how to write one of these
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CONTENTS
List of Figures • viii
List of Sidebars • x
List of Maps • xi
List of Chronologies • xii
List of Tables • xii
Preface: The Approach to Classical World Civilizations • xiii
IntroductIon: From Human Prehistory to the Ancient World • 1
Part I. Emerging Civilizations: The Bronze Age
chaPter 1: The Near East in the Early and Middle Bronze Age
(3300–1600 BC) • 9
chaPter 2: Ancient Egypt (ca. 3100–1069 BC) • 35
chaPter 3: Aegean Civilizations and Wider Societal Collapse
(2200–1100 BC) • 63
Part II. Civilizations in Flux: The Classical/Early Iron Age
chaPter 4: Iron Age Near Eastern Civilizations (1000–300 BC) • 85
chaPter 5: Ancient Israel (the United and Divided Kingdoms)
(1850–539 BC) • 103
chaPter 6: Ancient Civilizations in the Indian Subcontinent (South Asia)
(2600 BC–500 AD) • 123
chaPter 7: Classical Greek Civilization (1000–27 BC) • 147
chaPter 8: Ancient Chinese Civilization (2000 BC–200 AD) • 189
Part III. The Roman Era and Wider Societal Collapse
chaPter 9: State Formation in Ancient Rome (753–275 BC) • 217
chaPter 10: Roman Imperialism and the Formation of Empire
(275–27 BC) • 239
chaPter 11: The Pax Romana and the Sustained Trajectory of the Roman Empire
(27 BC–565 AD) • 257
conclusIon: The Ancient World System, Natural Adaptive Cycles, and Patterns
of Societal Collapse • 273
Glossary • 287
Credits • 307
Index • 309
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FIGURES
1.1 Head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 2250–
2200 BC • 14
1.2 Stele with law code of Hammurabi, from Susa, Iran, ca. 1780 BC • 24
1.3 Votive disk of Enheduanna, from Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca.
2300–2275 BC • 31
2.1 The Rosetta Stone • 39
2.2 Detail of the Rosetta Stone • 39
2.3 Léon Cogniet, Portrait of Jean-François Champollion, 1831 • 39
2.4 Palette of King Narmer (back and front), from Hierakonpolis, Egypt,
Pre-dynastic, ca. 3000–2920 BC • 42
2.5 View of sphinxes, the first pylon, and central east-west aisle of the Temple of
Amon-Re, Karnak in Luxor, Egypt, ca. 1290–1224 BC • 50
2.6 The Weighing of the Heart and Judgment by Osiris, from The Book of the Dead of
Hunefer, 1285 BC • 51
2.7 Akhenaten and His Family, ca. 1355 BC • 58
3.1 The Toreador Fresco, from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece,
ca. 1450–1400 BC • 68
3.2 Octopus Vase, stirrup jar from Palaikastro, Crete, ca. 1500 BC • 70
3.3 Relief depicting Sea Peoples at Medinet Habu, from the Mortuary Temple of
Ramses III, Luxor, Egypt, 1178 BC • 77
4.1 Ivory plaque depicting a winged sphinx. Phoenician, ca. eighth century BC.
Found at Fort Shalmaneser, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq • 89
4.2 Assyrian warriors impaling Jewish prisoners after conquering the Jewish fortress
of Lachish (battle 701 BC) • 92
4.3 The Palace of Darius, ca. 500 BC • 97
4.4 Bull capital, from Persepolis, ca. 500 BC • 97
4.5 Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thais, 1781 • 98
5.1 The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III. Neo-Assyrian, 858–824 BC • 106
5.2 Detail of King Jehu of Israel bowing before the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III,
from the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III • 106
5.3 Rembrandt van Rijn and/or Studio of, Saul and David, ca. 1655 • 110
5.4 Depiction of the City of David with the palace complex in the
background • 112
5.5 Moses Receiving the Ten Commandments from Reuben Machsor mechol haschana (Jewish
Holy Day Prayer Book for the Whole Year). Germany, ca. 1290 AD • 118
6.1 Robed male figure, from Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan, ca. 2000–1900 BC • 128
6.2 Nude male torso, from Harappa, Pakistan, ca. 2000–1900 BC • 128
6.3 Battle between Ghatotkacha and Karna from a manuscript of the Mahabharata,
ca. 1670 BC. Mysore or Tanjore, Southern India • 132
viii FIGURES
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6.4 Lion capital of the column erected by Ashoka at Sarnath, India,
ca. 250 BC • 140
6.5 View from the south of the Great Stupa, Sanchi, India, third century BC to first
century AD • 141
7.1 Geometric krater, from the Diplyon cemetery, Athens, Greece,
ca. 740 BC • 151
7.2 Kouros, ca. 600 BC • 154
7.3 Kroisos, from Anavysos, Greece, ca. 530 BC • 154
7.4 Iktinos and Kallikrates, Parthenon (Temple of Athena Parthenos, looking
southeast), Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 447–438 BC • 163
7.5 Three Goddesses, from the east pediment of the Parthenon,
ca. 438–432 BC • 163
7.6 Athena Battling Alkyoneos, detail of the gigantomachy frieze, from the Altar of
Zeus, Pergamum, Turkey, ca. 175 BC • 171
7.7 Raphael, (Philosophy) School of Athens, Stanza della Segnatura, Vatican Palace,
Rome, 1509–1511 AD • 175
7.8 Jacques-Louis David, The Death of Socrates, 1787 AD • 180
8.1 You ritual vessel. Late Shang period • 193
8.2 Tortoise shell bearing inscribed oracular response • 195
8.3 Army of the First Emperor of Qin in pits next to his burial mound, Lintong,
China. Qin Dynasty, ca. 210 BC • 206
8.4 Kneeling archer. Life-size pottery figure from Pit no. 1, east of the tomb of Qin
Shih Huangdi at Lintong, China • 206
8.5 Funeral banner from tomb 1 (tomb of the Marquise of Dai), Mawangdui, China.
Han dynasty, ca. 168 BC • 209
8.6 Burial suit of Prince Liu Sheng (d. 113 BC). From tomb at Mancheng, Hebei,
Western Han Dynasty • 209
9.1 Capitoline Wolf, thirteenth and late fifteenth centuries AD • 222
9.2 Portrait of an anonymous Roman politician. Second century BC • 224
9.3 Togate male portrait with busts. Late first century BC • 224
9.4 View of the atrium of the House of the Menander • 232
9.5 Fourth Style wall painting, Ixion Room, House of the Vettii, Pompeii.
63–79 AD • 232
10.1 After Giulio Romano, The Battle of Zama. Tapestry.
Late seventeenth century AD • 243
10.2 Augustus of Prima Porta. Possibly Roman copy of a statue ca. 20 AD • 254
11.1 View of the Claudian Aqueduct on the outskirts of Rome • 260
11.2 The Colosseum, Rome, ca. 72–80 AD • 263
FIGURES ix
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