After The Ubaid

The time period between the end of the Ubaid and the beginning of the Uruk expansion is one of the least known, yet most important eras in the ancient history of the Middle East. This era, which is often referred to as the "Post-Ubaid" period, is marked by major structural changes such as the rise of social hierarchies, technological innovations and economic reorganisation, which eventually led to the emergence of proto-states and cities. The recent finding of "Post-Ubaid-related" sites in regions deemed to be located far beyond the Ubaid purview, such as Cilicia, Cappadocia or the south Caucasus, has added another dimension to this picture: these sites suggest that the organic relationships more or less implicitly established between the "Post-Ubaid horizon" and the Ubaid world may in fact be much weaker than once thought.

Upon this Foundation. - The 'Ubaid Reconsidered

Every night for three years the vengeful King Shahriyar sleeps with a different virgin, executing her next morning. To end this brutal pattern and to save her own life, the vizier's daughter, Shahrazad, begins to tell the king tales of adventure, love, riches and wonder - tales of mystical lands peopled with princes and hunchbacks, the Angel of Death and magical spirits, tales of the voyages of Sindbad, of Ali Baba's outwitting a band of forty thieves and of jinnis trapped in rings and in lamps. The sequence of stories will last 1,001 nights.

Conference proceedings presenting the first opportunity for leading figures in the burgeoning area of archaeological research in the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq to gather and present all the key new projects which are revolutionising our understanding of the region.

Provides an account of what is known about the remotest geological ages, comprising chapters on the different kinds of evidence concerning man and his physical environment.

A scholarly account of the archaeology of the Arabian Gulf from c.4500-1500 BC.

Religion is a phenomenon that is inseparable from human society. It brings about a set of emotional, ideological and practical elements that are pervasive in the social fabric of any society and characterizable by a number of features. These include the establishment of intermediaries in the relationship between humans and the divine; the construction of ceremonial places for worshipping the gods and practicing ritual performances; and the creation ritual paraphernalia. Investigating the religious dimensions of ancient societies encounters problems in defining such elements, especially with regard to societies that lack textual evidences and has tended to lead towards the identification of differentiation between the mental dimension, related to religious beliefs, and the material one associated with religious practices, resulting in a separation between scholars able to investigate, and possibly reconstruct, ritual practices (i.e., archaeologists), and those interested in defining the realm of ancient beliefs (i.e., philologists and religious historians). The aim of this collection of papers is to attempt to bridge these two dimensions by breaking down existing boundaries in order to form a more comprehensive vision of religion among ancient Near Eastern societies. This approach requires that a higher consideration be given to those elements (either artificial -- buildings, objects, texts, etc. -- or natural -- landscapes, animals, trees, etc.) that are created through a materialization of religious beliefs and practices enacted by members of communities. These issues are addressed in a series of specific case-studies covering a broad chronological framework that from the Pre-pottery Neolithic to the Iron Age. (Cover illustration © German Archaeological Institute, photo N. Becker)

“Part One: About the history of humanity, religions and Arabs before Islam, then a nice summary of the prophetic biography, followed by a demonstration of the most important parts of the Rashidun (the rightfully guided) caliphs period. Part Two: About the history of the Umayyad State and the Abbasid State, also the several statelets that got independent away from both states. Part Three: About the history of the Ottoman State and the several statelets that existed at the same period, followed by a summary of the modern history and the contemporary countries, after the fall of the caliphate. I was keen on making this book include significant additions, that would give it several advantages and make it a reference for the youth of the nation in all Islamic history related issues.”