History Of Egypt, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Vol. 3

Gaston Maspero was one of the founding fathers of modern Egyptology, and this twelve-volume work represents his monumental attempt to synthesize everything known about the ancient civilizations of the Near East at the turn of the twentieth century. Volume III continues his comprehensive survey of Egypt alongside her neighbors, Chaldea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, tracing the rise and fall of empires, the development of writing systems, and the complex diplomatic and military relationships between these ancient powers. Maspero wrote for readers hungry to understand where civilization itself had come from, and his work was groundbreaking in its scope, drawing together archaeological evidence with textual interpretation at a moment when the decipherment of hieroglyphs and cuneiform was still freshly revolutionary. This volume offers readers a window into the state of knowledge a century ago, capturing both the discoveries that had been made and the vast mysteries that still awaited excavation.