Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian hometown is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises.

Despite the turmoil of Arab nationalism and fundamentalism, Middle Eastern wars, and oil crises, the history of the Arab world has been little known and poorly understood in the West. One reason may be that, for more than half a century, there has been no up-to-date single-volume work that chronicles the story of Arab civilization—until now. Albert Hourani, distinguished historian and interpreter, has written a masterwork, a panoramic view encompassing...

In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I-- the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni--Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world. Chava is a golem, a woman made of clay, who can hear the thoughts and longings of those around her and...

The early 1st millennium BCE was a time of great change and turmoil in the Near East and Eastern Europe. Many of the Bronze Age empires had collapsed, but in their place came new ones in Assyria, Persia, and Babylon, as well as a rejuvenated Egypt. Other peoples also began to enter the historical record and assert themselves. In the wake of the Sea Peoples destruction in Anatolia, the Lydians and Phrygians established powerful kingdoms, and by the...

Animal and plant domestication first began during the Neolithic Period around 12000 BCE in the swath of land known as the Fertile Crescent, which included all of Mesopotamia and then arched in northern Mesopotamia/Assyria, before covering most of the Levant, which is roughly equivalent with the modern nation-states of Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. The process from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to sedentary, agriculture-based societies...

Although the ancient world was for the most part a patriarchal place, more than a few women rose to prominence and were able to exert political power. Hatshepsut (ruled 1479-1458 BCE) was ruler of Egypt's mighty New Kingdom, and nearly 1,500 years later the more famous Cleopatra VII (reigned 51-30 BCE) was the regent of the Nile Valley. Many other women in Babylon, Assyria, Greece, and Rome played significant roles as regents for their young sons...

Con una riqueza inimaginable, intrigas palaciegas, fiestas de cumpleaños con vino fino y postres interminables, arquitectura y jardines fastuosos, un sistema de aguas subterráneas y un camino real de 1.500 millas, el antiguo Imperio persa cautiva la imaginación. Con Ciro el Grande, la antigua Persia se convirtió en el primer megaimperio del mundo, abarcando tres continentes y más del 40% de la población mundial en su apogeo. El Imperio aqueménida...

When American archaeologists discovered a collection of cuneiform tablets in Iraq in the late 19th century, they were confronted with a language and a people who were at the time only scarcely known to even the most knowledgeable scholars of ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians. The exploits and achievements of other Mesopotamian peoples, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians, were already known to a large segment of the population through the Old Testament...

Regarded by many as the first major historian, Herodotus was a Greek scholar and traveler who set down his impressions of foreign countries and his analysis of wars and other significant events in a relatively straightforward, journalistic manner. This volume contains Herodotus' views on Egypt. For centuries, some of the the author's claims about Egypt were regarded as far-fetched, but evidence has recently come to light that supports some of his...

Discover the mysteries of ancient Egypt with 500 fascinating facts! Are you ready to explore and uncover the secrets of one of the most fascinating civilizations in history? With 500 Interesting Facts About Ancient Egypt, you'll get a comprehensive overview of this ancient land, its culture, and some incredible stories. From Predynastic times to Alexander the Great's arrival, discover all that made up life in ancient Egypt. Learn about the people's...