The Ancient Near East

<p><b>Two classic illustrated anthologies now combined in one convenient volume</b><br><br>James Pritchard's classic anthologies of the ancient Near East have introduced generations of readers to texts essential for understanding the peoples and cultures of this important region. Now these two enduring works have been combined and integrated into one convenient and richly illustrated volume with a new foreword that puts the translations in context.<br><br>With more than 130 reading selections and 300 photographs of ancient art architecture and artifacts this volume provides a stimulating introduction to some of the most significant and widely studied texts of the ancient Near East including the Epic of Gilgamesh the Creation Epic (Enuma elish) the Code of Hammurabi and the Baal Cycle. For students of history religion the Bible archaeology and anthropology this anthology provides a wealth of material for understanding the ancient Near East.</p><ul><li>Represents the diverse cultures and languages of the ancient Near East&#151;Sumerian Akkadian Egyptian Hittite Ugaritic Canaanite and Aramaic&#151;in a wide range of genres:</ul><p><li>Historical texts</li><li>Legal texts and treaties</li><li>Inscriptions</li><li>Hymns</li><li>Didactic and wisdom literature</li><li>Oracles and prophecies</li><li>Love poetry and other literary texts</li><li>Letters</li></p><ul></li><li>New foreword puts the classic translations in context</li><li>More than 300 photographs document ancient art architecture and artifacts related to the texts</li><li>Fully indexed</li></ul>