Weavers, Scribes, and Kings

A New History of the Ancient Near East

De: Amanda H. Podany

Narrado por: Amanda H. Podany

In this sweeping history of the ancient Near East, Amanda Podany takes listeners on a gripping journey from the creation of the world's first cities to the conquests of Alexander the Great. The book is built around the life stories of many ancient men and women, from kings, priestesses, and merchants to brickmakers, musicians, and weavers. Their habits of daily life, beliefs, triumphs, and crises, and the changes that people faced over time are explored through their own written words and the buildings, cities, and empires in which they lived.

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings creates a tapestry of life stories through which listeners will come to know individuals from many walks of life, and to understand their places within the broad history of events and institutions in the ancient Near East. These stories are preserved on ancient clay tablets, which allow us to trace, for example, the career of a weaver as she advanced to become a supervisor of a workshop, listen to a king trying to persuade his generals to prepare for a siege, and feel the pain of a starving couple and their four young children as they suffered through a time of famine. What might seem at first glance to be a remote and inaccessible ancient culture proves to be a comprehensible world, one that bequeathed to the modern world many of our institutions and beliefs, a fascinating place to visit.

©2022 Oxford University Press (P)2023 Tantor

Awesome and informative!

The narration was clear and easy to understand. A different approach to a subject, which is usually presented in a stiff academic fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed listening!

An excellent overview

A great introduction to the culture and society of the ancient near east. Not perfect for being able to get a sense of the macro historical timeline, but nonetheless insightful and detailed as a means of understanding the microhistory of individual lives.

Fun histories of individuals that lived 3500 years ago.

Perfect book. True fun well read. The author’s love of her subjects is contagious. Nice to see that someone made a good use of her time in quarantine.

Outstanding Work

I loved the work so much I listened to it twice, then of course bought a hard copy for my library.

INTERESTING

I highly recommend listening to this book.
If you are interested in history, this book is highly detailed about the lives and customs of the people during that time span and that part of the world.
Archeology is so interesting and there is much more to be discovered throughout the world.
The narration by the author is superb.
My thanks to all involved, JK.