Brotherhood of kings : how international relations shaped the ancient Near East / Amanda H. Podany.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The first evidence for diplomacy ("I am your brother and you are my brother") -- Traders and ships from distant lands ("At the wharf of Akkad he made moor ships") -- War and allegiance ("I have always done good things for him and his heart knows the good deeds that I have done for him") -- Long journeys away from home ("Who is there who would sell lapis lazuli?") -- Attack on Babylon by a distant enemy ("I sent to a far-off land") -- A clash between expanding empires ("Prepare yourselves! Make your weapons ready! For one will engage in combat with that wretched foe in the morning") -- Diplomatic overtures between the great powers ("A notable event! The like of this occurrence had not been heard of since the time of the demigods") -- Brother kings united and at peace ("My brother, whom I love and who loves me") -- Diplomatic marriages ("We, between us, are one, the Hurrian land and the land of Egypt") -- Luxury goods from everywhere ("The gold is much. Among the kings there are brotherhood, amity, peace, and good relations") -- A crisis in the brotherhood ("My father became hostile") -- The end of an empire and the restoration of peace ("My ancestors and your ancestors made a mutual declaration of friendship").

"Amanda Podany here takes readers on a vivid tour through a thousand years of ancient Near Eastern history, from 2300 to 1300 BCE, paying particular attention to the lively interactions that took place between the great kings of the day. Allowing them to speak in their own words, Podany reveals how these Near Eastern leaders and their ambassadors devised a remarkably sophisticated system of diplomacy and of trade that extended from the Aegean Sea to Afghanistan, and from the Baltic to central Africa. The allied kings referred to one another as "brothers," kings with equal power and influence who were tied to one another through peace treaties and powerful obligations. They were also often bound together as in-laws, as a result of marrying one another's daughters. These rulers had almost never met one another in person, but they felt a strong connection--a real brotherhood--which gradually made wars between them less common. A remarkable account of a pivotal moment in world history--the establishment of international diplomacy thousands of years before the United Nations--Brotherhood of kings offers a vibrantly written history of the region often known as the cradle of civilization"--Provided by publisher.