Myths And Legends Of The Ancient Near East

For centuries, the epics, legends and myths of Mesopotamia's ancient civilization lay buried under the desert sands, along with great cities like Babylon, Nineveh, Ur, and Ashur, waiting for the day when archaeologists would reveal them to the modern world. These myths represent some of the earliest literature ever found. Peopled with characters like the goddess Ishtar and the warrior-king Gilgamesh, they are filled with universal themes that resonate even today.

Discusses the religion and mythology of Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Israel.

From Herodotus to The Mummy, Western civilization has long been fascinated with the exotic myths and legends of Ancient Egypt but they have often been misunderstood. Here acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley guides us through 3000 years of changing stories and, in retelling them, shows us what they mean. Gathered from pyramid friezes, archaological finds and contemporary documents, these vivid and strange stories explain everything from why the Nile flooded every year to their beliefs about what exactly happened after death and shed fascinating light on what life was like for both rich and poor. Lavishly illustrated with colour pictures, maps and family trees, helpful glossaries explaining all the major gods and timelines of the Pharoahs and most importantly packed with unforgettable stories, this book offers the perfect introduction to Egyptian history and civilization.

This important new publication is an instantly accessible encyclopedia that is fully cross-referenced, detailing the pantheon of Asian gods through authoritative text and 500 color illustrations of sacred people and holy places drawn from original sources. Readers will travel through exotic realms of high adventure, thrill at the exploits of warrior-gods, and become immersed in the legend and folklore that bring both ancient stories to life and an understanding of contemporary Asian cultures.

"Myths of Babylonia and Assyria" by Donald A. Mackenzie. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

The Ancient Near East is considered the cradle of civilization. Mesopotamia is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system. Babylonia was an Amorite state in lower Mesopotamia where an empire was created out of the territories of the former kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad. Assyria was a region on the Upper Tigris whose kings controlled a large kingdom at three different times in history, covering most of the Middle East. Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River. Around the 8th century BC the torch of civilization was taken from the Near East to ancient Greece and Rome. Both Greek and Roman societies flourished and wielded great influence throughout much of Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. The rise of civilization corresponded with the institutional sponsorship of belief in gods, supernatural forces and the afterlife. Many civilizations adopted their own form of Polytheism and each of these nations developed their own mythologies which influenced the culture, arts, and literature of both Eastern and Western civilization. Myths and Legends of Babylonia & Assyria Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt Mythology Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome