The Oxford handbook of the state in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean / edited by Peter Fibiger Bang and Walter Scheidel.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Studying the state / Walter Scheidel -- Egypt / Joseph G. Manning -- Ancient Near Eastern city-states / Steven J. Garfinkle -- Mesopotamian empires / Gojko Barjamovic -- Anatolian states / Trevor Bryce -- Jewish states / Seth Schwartz -- Iranian empires / Josef Wiesehöfer -- Bronze age Greece / John Bennet -- Greek city-states / Mogens Herman Hansen -- Greek multicity states / Ian Morris -- The Greek koinon / Emily Mackil -- Hellenistic empires / John Ma -- Carthage / Walter Ameling -- The Roman Empire I: the republic / Henrik Mouritsen -- The Roman Empire ii: the monarchy / Peter Fibiger Bang -- The Byzantine successor state / John F. Haldon -- The Germanic successor states / Ian Wood -- The first Islamic empire / Chase Robinson.

The Oxford Handbook of the State in the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean offers a comprehensive survey of ancient state formation in western Eurasia and North Africa. Eighteen experts introduce readers to a wide variety of systems spanning 4,000 years, from the earliest known states in world history to the Roman Empire and its immediate successors. They seek to understand the inner workings of these states by focusing on key issues: political and military power, the impact of ideologies, the rise and fall of individual polities, and the mechanisms of cooperation, coercion, and exploitation. This shared emphasis on critical institutions and dynamics invites comparative and cross-cultural perspectives. A detailed introductory review of contemporary approaches to the study of the state puts the rich historical case studies in context. Transcending conventional boundaries between ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean history and between ancient and early medieval history, this volume will be of interest not only to historians but also anthropologists, archaeologists, sociologists, and political scientists. Its accessible style and up-to-date references will make it an invaluable resource for both students and scholars.