THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST ‘In the original Italian edition of this work, Liverani defined and applied, with the touch of a master, the criteria for proper historical writing as it relates to the ancient Near East. This English version will extend the reach of a classic to the much wider audience it deserves.’ Giorgio Buccellati, Professor Emeritus, University of California, USA ‘Mario Liverani’s classic text is as unusual in its ambitious chronological scope as in its clarity of vision: from the Neolithic to the emergence of the Persian Empire, his analysis of the history of the Middle East is firmly focused on the interplay between society, economy and ideology. And yet, the vast learning is lightly worn and the volume offers a hugely enjoyable and eye-opening read for novice and expert alike. A must have for anyone with an interest in world history.’ Karen Radner, University College London, UK ‘The English translation of Mario Liverani’s Antico Oriente: Storia, Societa’, Economia is a welcomed addition to the publishing world and Routledge has truly done us a great service in making this project possible. Since its appearance in 1988, Antico Oriente has become the introduction to the ancient Near East … The author breezes through an astonishing amount of data and material with ease, and he makes it accessible to the scholarly and general public alike. This is a wonderful book, which will make readers fall in love with the wonders of the ancient Near East, and at the same time provide them with a firm grasp on the meth- odological problems one faces when dealing with such a complex but fascinating world.’ Alhena Gadotti, Towson University, USA The Ancient Near East reveals three millennia of history (c. 3500–500 bc) in a single work. Liverani draws upon over 45 years’ worth of experience and this personal odyssey has enabled him to retrace the history of the peoples of the Ancient Near East. The history of the Sumerians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians and more is meticulously detailed by one of the leading scholars of Assyriology. Utilizing research derived from the most recent archaeological finds, the text has been fully revised for this English edition and explores Liverani’s current thinking on the history of the Ancient Near East. The rich and varied illustrations for each historical period, augmented by new images for this edition, provide insights into the material and textual sources for the Ancient Near East. Many highlight the ingenuity and technological prowess of the peoples in the Ancient Near East. Never before available in English, The Ancient Near East represents one of the greatest books ever written on the subject and is a must read for students who will not have had the chance to explore the depth of Liverani’s scholarship. Mario Liverani is Emeritus Professor of Ancient Near East History at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. S Nineveh MatO WJ* 4 M # "VliJjM^ S * • • < h Persian & Gulf FFiigguurree 00..11. . SSaatteelllliittee iimmaaggee ooff MMeessooppoottaammiiaa ((NNAASSAA)).. THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST History, society and economy Mario Liverani Translated by Soraia Tabatabai First published in English 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business Originally published in Italian as Antico Oriente © 1988, 2011, Gius. Laterza and Figli, all rights reserved. English language edition published by agreement of Marco Vigevani Agenzia Letteraria, Milano. The right of Mario Liverani to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Liverani, Mario. [Antico Oriente. English] The Ancient Near East: history, society and ecnomy / Mario Liverani ; translated by Soraia Tabatabai pages cm “Originally published in Italian as Antico Oriente © 1988, 2011, Gius. Laterza & Figli.” Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Middle East–History–To 622. I. Title. DS62.23.L5813 2013 939.4–dc23 2013018121 ISBN: 978–0–415–67905–3 (hbk) ISBN: 978–0–415–67906–0 (hbk) ISBN: 978–1–315–87989–5 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo & Minion by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon CONTENTS List of figures ix List of tables xvii List of texts xviii Preface xxii PART I Introduction 1 1 The Ancient Near East as a historical problem 3 2 The geography of the Ancient Near East 17 3 The Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods 34 PART II The Early Bronze Age 59 4 The Urban Revolution 61 5 The rise and fall of the first urbanisation 81 6 Mesopotamia in the Early Dynastic period 93 7 The rise of Ebla 115 8 The Akkadian empire 133 9 The Third Dynasty of Ur 155 v Contents PART III The Middle Bronze Age 171 10 The crisis of the second urbanisation 173 11 The ‘Intermediate period’ of Isin and Larsa 186 12 The Old Assyrian period 207 13 The Mari Age 221 14 Hammurabi of Babylon 240 15 Anatolia in the Old Hittite period 256 PART IV The Late Bronze Age 269 16 The Late Bronze Age: technologies and ideologies 271 17 The rise of Mitanni 290 18 The Hittite empire 303 19 Syria and the Levant in the Late Bronze Age 325 20 The Middle Assyrian kingdom 347 21 Kassite Babylonia 364 PART V The Early Iron Age 379 22 Crisis and reorganisation 381 23 Israel 401 24 The Phoenicians 420 25 The Arameans in Syria and Mesopotamia 434 26 The Neo-Hittite states 448 27 Assyria, Babylonia and Elam in the twelfth to ninth centuries bc 458 vi Contents PART VI Empires and Unification 473 28 The rise of the Neo-Assyrian empire 475 29 The structure of the Neo-Assyrian empire 497 30 The periphery of the Neo-Assyrian empire 518 31 The fall of the empire and the rise of the Chaldeans 537 32 The Medes and the rise of the Persians 554 33 Conclusion 571 Annotated bibliography 580 Index 600 vii This page intentionally left blank FIGURES 0.1 Satellite image of Mesopotamia (NASA) ii 1.1 Radiocarbon dating approximations; from P. R. Giot-Langouet, La datation du passé, Rennes 1984, pp. 101–102. 10 1.2 Dendrochronology and radiocarbon calibration; a) from M. S. Tite, Methods of Physical Examination in Archaeology, London–New York 1972, fig. 24; b) from P. R. Giot-Langouet, op. cit., p. 84; c) from M. S. Tite, op. cit., fig. 30. 12 2.1 The environmental foundations; a) from W. van Zeist in P. Ucko and G. W. Dimbleby, The Domestication and Exploitation of Plants and Animals, London 1969, p. 42 (fig. 3); b) ibid., p. 37 (fig. 1). 18 2.2 Maps from the Ancient Near East; from R. North, A History of Biblical Map Making, Wiesbaden 1979, figs 1, 2, 6. 20 3.1 The origins of agriculture; a) and b) from J. Renfrew, Palaeothnobotany, New York 1973, figs 18–21 and 38–39; c) from J. Harlan and D. Zohary, Science 153 (1966), pp. 1074–1080 (simplified). 37 3.2 The beginnings of farming; a) from Ch. Burney, The Ancient Near East, New York 1977, fig. 25; b) from J. Clutton-Brock in W. C. Brice, The Environmental History of the Near and Middle East, London 1978, p. 37 (fig. 2). 39 3.3 Example of a site-catchment analysis in a Natufian site; from E. S. Higgs and C. Vita-Finzi, Papers in Economic History, Cambridge 1972, p. 35. 40 3.4 Çatal Hüyük; from J. Mellaart, Çatal Hüyük, London 1967. 42 3.5 A Neolithic household and a comparative ethnographic example; a) from K. Flannery in Man, Settlement and Urbanism, London 1972, p. 42; b) from C. Kramer, Ethnoarchaeology, New York 1979, p. 145. 43 3.6 The diffusion of ceramic cultures in the Late and Middle Halaf period; from various sources, particularly J. Mellaart, The Neolithic of the Near East, London 1975, figs 97 and 100. 49 3.7 Halaf pottery: types and decorative motifs; from A. L. Perkins, The Comparative Archaeology of Early Mesopotamia, Chicago 1949, figs 1–2. 50 3.8 The marshes of Lower Mesopotamia, with the typical reed buildings. 51 3.9 Above: The enclosure wall of Tell es-Sawwan, Samarra period; from S. Lloyd, The Archaeology of Mesopotamia, London 1978, fig. 35; Below, left: Temple 7, Eridu, Late Ubaid period; from ix