In this overview of life in the ancient Near East, Daniel Snell surveys the history of the region from the invention of writing 5000 years ago to Alexander the Great"s conquest in 332 BCE. The book is a comprehensive history of the social and economic conditions affecting ordinary people and of the relations between governments and peoples in ancient Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. To set Near East developments in a broader context, the author also provides brief contrasting views of India, China, Greece and Etruscan Italy. Snell organizes his book chronologically in time spans of about 500 years and considers broad continuities. Drawing on scholarship in many fields and in many languages, he sets forth a detailed picture of what is known about the demography, social groups, family, women, labour, land and animal management, crafts, trade, money, and government of the ancient Near East. For general readers with an interest in historical events that have influenced the development of Europe and the Middle East, for specialists seeking a broader understanding of early periods of middle eastern history, and for anyone with an interest in the Bible, this book offers a tour of life in ancient western Asia.