Book about the Ancient Near East?

[drspouse]

Bit niche but we're doing Lent readings from Genesis with church and I've got really interested in the customs/society as apparently there were so many things in all the different societies that were similar (though of course we're always told about the Bible as if it was the only one worth remembering.
I have zero history/humanities/theology knowledge so nothing too academic please!
Thanks!

These are fiction, obviously, but I think very well-researched. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is Dinah, Jacob's only daughter, telling her story. Dinah is only mentioned very briefly in Genesis. The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman, also told from women's perspectives, is set around the fall of Masada in around 70CE.

Another good historical fiction fiction is The Tell by James Michener. It tells the story of Israel via an archaeological dig uncovering layers of history.

Thanks!
I think 70CE is too late but The Red Tent sounds ideal.

Dil I feel like I read than when I was younger. I'm not an enormous fan of James Michener I'm afraid! No idea why.

Hi OP, I’m actually an assyriologist so I have about a million recommendations. I would recommend Jean Bottéro's Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia - he focusses on the later period (more around Book of Daniel than Genesis) but it's a good light read by a "proper" ANE scholar.

Other good intros: the British Museum guide called Mesopotamia by Julian Reade (if it's still available). It's slim and glossy with lovely lovely pictures!

More intense is A History of the Ancient Near East by Marc van de Mieroop. Dense text but not too heavily academic, and a really good introduction.

Also Babylon by Joan Oates and Sumer and the Sumerians by Harriet Crawford are brilliant (Babylon has loads of gorgeous photos!) but both are more academic. Still accessible though imo but possibly for later study.

If you want to get super deep into the entire ancient near east and its ancient interlinking, Amelie Kuhrt has written a fantastically detailed history of the ancient near east in two volumes. It is ridiculously expensive but genuinely the most used volume on my shelves now that I’m combining my ANE studies with bible studies. This is probably outside the parameters you set in your OP though!

Final tip: avoid anything by Samuel Kramer (he went a bit bonkers in some of his theories, plus vvv out of date) and by Gwendoline Lieck (can be inaccurate).

Also the linkage between Genesis and ancient Mesopotamia is one of my favourite topics so do just ask away if you want me to witter on about it for hours. It'll give DH a break 😂

Personally, I have found learning about the art (particularly the sculpture as that is mosly what survives) the best way to gain an overview of the different civilisations. So for example this short video on the law code stele of King Hammurabi which is Babylonian and thought to be the precursor to the ten commandments might be of interest to you:

If that approach appeals then I would recommend this website which provides short articles and videos on the various civilisations of the ancient near east, often with recommendations for further reading at the end for particular books.

smarthistory.org/ancient-mediterranean/ancient-near-east/

Lovely thanks all!
I'm going to see what I can request at the library.