Why am I passionate about this?

My interest in the ancient Near East began when I was about 8 years old. One day, when couldn’t find anything to do, I started paging through a book on Assyrian art that I found in one of my parents’ bookcases. I was hooked. I wanted to know what made those mysterious ancients tick. How did they understand the world they inhabited? How did they live? What made them fight so hard and so often? I became an Assyriologist in order to answer those questions, and I’ve been working toward that goal ever since.


I wrote

The Campaigns of Sargon II, King of Assyria, 721–705 B.C.

By Sarah C. Melville,

Book cover of The Campaigns of Sargon II, King of Assyria, 721–705 B.C.

What is my book about?

During the first millennium BC, the Assyrians conquered most of the Near East and established the largest empire the world…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC

Sarah C. Melville Why did I love this book?

Van de Mieroop’s history of the ancient Near East is concise, engaging, and up to date. For anyone new to the subject this book is a great place to start. Find out about the first cities and social institutions, ideologies and religious beliefs, long-distance trade, state formation, and the wars of imperial expansion. Van De Mieroop augments his narrative with passages from ancient sources, plenty of maps and illustrations, and information about important research questions and controversies. 

By Marc Van De Mieroop,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Incorporating the latest scholarly research, the third edition of A History of the Ancient Near East ca. 3000 323 BC presents a comprehensive overview of the multicultural civilizations of the ancient Near East. * Integrates the most up-to-date research, and includes a richer selection of supplementary materials * Addresses the wide variety of political, social, and cultural developments in the ancient Near East * Updated features include new Key Debate boxes at the end of each chapter to engage students with various perspectives on a range of critical issues; a comprehensive timeline of events; and 46 new illustrations, including 12…


Book cover of Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature

Sarah C. Melville Why did I love this book?

This comprehensive volume (over 1000 pages!) presents three millennia of Akkadian literary texts in translation including myths, epics, wisdom literature, humor, hymns, and incantations. Read a husband’s lament for his wife who died in childbirth, an appeal to a god for help against enemies or the triumphant epic of an Assyrian king. Foster’s introductory comments and explanatory notes help readers appreciate the themes and literary techniques associated with each genre, and his translations are moving and eloquent.  I love this book and return to it whenever I need a dose of beautiful ancient poetry. 

By Benjamin R. Foster,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Before the Muses as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Comprehensive collection of ancient Akkadian literature spanning three millennia. This larger, completely new, 3rd edition contains many compositions not in the previous editions; new translations of previously included compositions; incorporation of new text fragments identified or excavated since the last publication; all new footnotes; references and commentary brought up to date to reflect scholarly work of the last 10 years; and 100 more pages than the old two-volume edition.


Book cover of Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East

Sarah C. Melville Why did I love this book?

Outside of specialists, few people know about the complex international relations that developed in the Near East in the 2nd millennium BC, during the Middle and Late Bronze Age when Egyptian, Hittite, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Mitannian kings competed to gain power, prestige, and territory. Leaders created an intricate system of treaty agreements, diplomatic protocols, trade relations, and dynastic marriages to further their aims and keep peace. (Wars played a big role as well.) Diplomatic correspondence from these periods reveals the personalities of the kings involved: some complain, some wheedle, and others command, but all are anxious to retain power and earn the support of their gods. Well-chosen quotes from ancient sources and Podany’s lively writing style make this a rewarding and entertaining read. 

By Amanda H. Podany,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Brotherhood of Kings as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Amanda Podany here takes readers on a vivid tour through a thousand years of ancient Near Eastern history, from 2300 to 1300 BCE, paying particular attention to the lively interactions that took place between the great kings of the day.

Allowing them to speak in their own words, Podany reveals how these leaders and their ambassadors devised a remarkably sophisticated system of diplomacy and trade. What the kings forged, as they saw it, was a relationship of friends-brothers-across hundreds of miles. Over centuries they worked out ways for their ambassadors to travel safely to one another's capitals, they created formal…


Book cover of I am Ashurbanipal: King of the World, King of Assyria

Sarah C. Melville Why did I love this book?

Beyond its initial purpose to support an exhibition at the British Museum, this book offers an excellent introduction to the Assyrian Empire at the height of its power and to Ashurbanipal, the empire’s last great king. Bereton’s cogent narrative and the volume’s beautiful photographs make for an extraordinarily appealing book. It is also full of accurate, detailed information about the Assyrians, their culture, and the various people they fought and conquered.  

By Gareth Brereton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I am Ashurbanipal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 669 BC Ashurbanipal inherited the world's largest empire, which stretched from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the mountains of western Iran. He ruled from his massive capital at Nineveh, in present-day Iraq, where temples and palaces adorned with brilliantly carved sculptures dominated the citadel mound, and an elaborate system of aqueducts and canals brought water to the king's pleasure gardens. Ashurbanipal, proud of his scholarship, assembled the greatest library in existence during his reign. Guided by this knowledge, he defined the course of the Assyrian empire and asserted his claim to be `king of the world'.

Beautifully…


Book cover of The Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East

Sarah C. Melville Why did I love this book?

The atlas introduces the reader to Near Eastern geography, history, and culture, and it complements the other books included here. Roaf maps (literally and figuratively) the various cultures of the Near East during ancient times. His commentary is interesting and the maps beautifully produced, easy to interpret, and accurate. They cover a wide range of data including climate and environment, natural resources, linguistic and cultural information, trade routes, and the territories of different polities. Take some time to explore the atlas; you will not regret it.

By Michael Roaf,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An exploration into the geography, history, archaeology and anthropology of the Near East from pre-history to 330 BC. Coverage includes early farming, the move towards civilization, the urban explosion, warring states, trade, international empires and conquerors from East and West.


Explore my book 😀

The Campaigns of Sargon II, King of Assyria, 721–705 B.C.

By Sarah C. Melville,

Book cover of The Campaigns of Sargon II, King of Assyria, 721–705 B.C.

What is my book about?

During the first millennium BC, the Assyrians conquered most of the Near East and established the largest empire the world had yet seen. Sargon II was one of the chief architects of that empire. The king used his army not only to conquer but also to ensure regional security, manage his empire’s resources, and support his political agenda. Starting in 720, the army campaigned every year until 705, when Sargon was killed in battle in Anatolia. Far from using force indiscriminately, the king took a deliberate, prudent approach to conflict, conserving his resources and using political pressure and diplomacy. Given the many enemies he faced and the expense involved in war, anything less would have proven disastrous. Sargon’s constant campaigning and political versatility won Assyria supremacy across the Near East.

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By Elizabeth Randall, William Randall,

Book cover of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Elizabeth Randall Author Of Fire is the Test of Gold

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Why am I passionate about this?

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Elizabeth's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Tourists and local residents of St. Augustine will enjoy reading about the secret wonders of their ancient city that are right under their noses. Of course, that includes a few stray corpses and ghosts!

Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

By Elizabeth Randall, William Randall,

What is this book about?

It is no wonder the ancient city of St. Augustine is steeped in secrets. St. Johns, the oldest continuously occupied county in America celebrated its 450th birthday on September 4, 2015. More like a European enclave than an urban landscape, it is a place of cannon fire, street parties, historical reenactments, concerts, and more. From admiring replicas of fine art at Ripley’s Believe or Not, to hunting haunts in restaurants and museums, to eating ice cream from a recipe originated by World War II bombardiers, St. Augustine has it all from beaches, gourmet dining, festivals, and attractions. A young and…


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