Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Dedication x
4. Donor Acknowledgments xi
5. Director's Preface xiii
6. Acknowledgments xv
7. Map of the Ancient Middle East xvi
8. Timeline of Key Periods and Developments xviii
9. 1. The New Middle East Galleries at the Penn Museum 1
10. 2. The Geography and Agriculture of the Middle East 17
11. 3. The First Cities 45
12. 4. Religion and the Gods 75
13. 5. A View from the Highlands 101
14. 6. Nomads 127
15. 7. The Ancient Near Eastern City: 2100–500 BCE 155
16. 8. The Royal Cemetery of Ur 195
17. 9. Hasanlu 235
18. 10. The City under Empire: Nippur from 1000 BCE to 800 CE 261
19. 11. The Medieval and Early Modern Islamic and Persianate City 309
20. 12. The Modern City 353
21. 13. Epilogue: The Middle East and Globalization 367
22. Appendix: Timeline of Penn Museum Excavations in Iraq and Iran 373
23. References 395
24. Author Biographies 401
25. Figure Credits 405