3. The First Urban Society and the Use of Writing (Ca. 4000–3200 BCE)

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface vii
4. 1. Landscape, Climate, Population 1
5. 2. The Beginnings of Sedentary Life (Ca. 10,000–4000 BCE) 7
6. 3. The First Urban Society and the Use of Writing (Ca. 4000–3200 BCE) 21
7. 4. City-States and the Way toward the Central State (Ca. 3200–2350 BCE) 42
8. 5. The First Central States (Ca. 2350–1595 BCE) 59
9. 6. Babylonia as Part of the Near Eastern Community of States (1595–1200 BCE) 77
10. 7. The Empires of the Assyrians and the Babylonians (1200–539 BCE) 90
11. 8. The Achaemenid Empire (539–331 BCE) 107
12. 9. Alexander and the Seleucids in Babylonia (331–141 BCE) 114
13. 10. The Empires of the Parthians and the Sasanians (141 BCE to 642 CE) 120
14. 11. The Islamic Conquest (622–1258) 134
15. 12. Iraq as Part of the Ottoman Empire (1258–1918) 144
16. 13. Iraq under the Monarchy (1921–1958) 151
17. 14. The Republic of Iraq (1958–2008) 155
18. Chronology, 1600 BCE to 1900 CE 165
19. Selected Biblography 171
20. Illustration Credits 175
21. Index 177