Joan Aruz

These are the texts of a symposium accompanying an exhibition 'Beyond Babylon' held at the MET, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in NY, in 2008 and 2009. The book covers various aspects of regional contacts in the ancient Near East, in the 2nd millennium BCE , a period that – apart from the Egyptian Nile Valley – was much less homogeneous than the preceding or following millennia (and for which we actually have far fewer sources). Notably absent: the Hebrews; the introduction itself points this out as remarkable, but at the same time also justified, because in this period (the 2nd millennium) this people (if we can speak of a real people) was still really on the margins of history. I explore some other aspects in my review in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5999182753.… (más)

This may be the catalog for an exhibition at the MET, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2003), but it is also a pretty good introduction to some of the earliest civilizations. The entire area of Mesopotamia in particular is extensively depicted, even literally. Curiously enough, the attention for the Nile Valley is limited to just 1 contribution (this was not really an urban society, certainly not in the 3rd millennium BCE). What was new to me was the attention given to the Intercultural style, which was recognizable between 2600 and 2200 BCE – especially in pottery – in the wide region of the Near East. At first glance, the article about the Central Asian routes seemed very innovative to me; the authors point out the importance of the settlements in this area “like stepping-stones they connected the Near East with the heartland of Asia”, but they clearly seem to have gone wrong by presenting the urbanization in that area as being as extensive as in Mesopotamia; as yet there is no archaeological evidence for this. By the way: this book is completely downloadable, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Art_of_the_First_Cities_The_Third_....
More in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5074675556.… (más)

Rather specialized survey of the relations between different regions in the Middle East, in the 2nd millennium BCE. Of course, Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley are the main focus, but the book also goes very deeply into the neighboring and more periphal areas. And the focus is mainly on trade, but also the exchange of art and craft, and of diplomatic relations are discussed. Extensively illustrated, as this actually is a book companying an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, in 2008. A little more in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/ 5036749710… (más)