Jealous gods and chosen people : the mythology of the Middle East / David Leeming.

Part 1: Historical background: Prehistory -- Bronze Age -- Iron Age -- Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- Part 2: Mythologies: Mythology of Prehistory -- Mythology of Mesopotamia -- Mythology of Egypt -- Mythology of Anatolia -- Mythology of the Western Semites -- Mythology of Arabia and the Muslims -- Epilogue -- Bibliography -- Index.

Estemed scholar David Leeming, who has authored more than twelve books on mythology, here offers the first comprehensive narrative study of the mythology of the Middle East, that tumultuous region that was the cradle of civilization. Leeming begins with a brief, engaging history of the Middle East, spanning Neolithic cultures, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, the invention of writing and the rise of Egypt and Babylonia, Israel and Roman rule, and the early history of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This is followed by an in-depth discussion ofthe mythology of the region, covering individual pantheons, cosmic myths, mythic heroes, and much more. Leeming ranges from prehistoric figures such as the mother goddess of Catal Huyuk to Mesopotamian gods such as Marduk and mythic heroessuch as Gilgamesh, to the pantheon of Egyptian mythology, including the falcon-headed sky-sun god Horus and jackal-headed Anubis. The author also offers an illuminating exploration of the mythology of the three great monotheistic r