Antico Oriente: Storia, societa, economia.

• Author: Gadotti, Alhena
• Position: Book review

Antico Oriente: Storia, societa, economia. By MARIO LIVERANI. Biblioteca Storica Laterza. New ed. Rome: EDITOR' LATERZA, 2011. Pp. 899, illus. (paper).

More than twenty years after its original publication, Mario Liverani's Antico Oriente: Storia, Societa, Econonzia remains one of the best discussions on the political, economic, and social history of the ancient Near East. In its new edition, here under review, this work benefits from much of the intellectual discourse of the past two decades. Unfortunately, the book is still in Italian, and thus inaccessible to many. And while several thorough studies on the subject have been published in English (for instance, Kuhrt 1995 and Van De Mieroop 2006), the scholarly and student communities would in this reviewer's opinion certainly benefit from an English translation of this work, since Liverani offers an unique perspective to the study of history.

The book is organized in thirty-two chapters, divided into six main sections: an introduction (chapters the Early Bronze Age (chapters IV--IX), the Middle Bronze Age (chapters X--XV), the Late Bronze Age (chapters XVI--XXI), the Early Iron Age (chapters XXII--XXVII), and Empires and Unification (chapters XXVIII--XXXII). An epilogue concludes the book, followed by bibliography and indexes. The narrative is supplemented by illustrations, maps, and primary sources in translation meant to offer an in-depth examination of the periods discussed.

The first chapter is an excellent introduction not only to the topic at hand but to the methodological issues historians and students of the ancient Near East face when dealing with archaeological, epigraphic, and artistic evidence. Liverani also contextualizes the field of Assyriology in its historical development by providing background about the origins of the discipline and where it can and should go. The discussion of chronological issues is informative and easily accessible.

Similarly useful is the second chapter, which addresses the main phases of ancient Near Eastern history. Here Liverani also discusses the methodologies employed during the past several decades and illustrates their benefits and shortcomings. Fundamental is the observation concerning the importance of including archaeological evidence. Liverani rightly notes that for periods from which we have written documents, scholars sadly tend to dismiss the contribution of archaeology as if it were no longer relevant.

Also welcome is the detailed...