BOOK REVIEWS
ISBN: 978-0190059040 Oxford University Press (2023) - £26.99
Books that cover large swathes of history tend to favour narratives examining the political and cultural developments of whatever period is under study, such as military conflicts, regime changes, and cultural innovations, as well as the people seemingly responsible for significant events or changes, such as kings, generals, and other leading members of societies. Indeed, “ever since the Early Dynastic period, kings had used the first-person, Amanda Podany has instead chosen to primarily study the lives of the “hordes of officials and workers” who lived in the ancient Near East ca. 3500–350 BC, as far as the surviving documents allow. This does not mean, though, that Podany does not discuss kings, or generals, or military and political matters; quite the opposite, in fact. Chapter 17, for example, is dedicated to recounting the military conquests that brought about the rise of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Hammurabi, “the most familiar name in all of Mesopotamian history” (p. 267), is discussed. Many of the snapshots are of intricate palace intrigues. is concerned with people from all walks of life, such as merchants and musicians, weavers and warriorkings, orphans and overseers.
