Amanda H. Podany

Amanda H. Podany is an American historian and Professor Emerita of History at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She specialises in the ancient Near East and has spent decades teaching and writing about the civilisations of Mesopotamia, making one of the oldest chapters of human history accessible and fascinating for modern readers. The Ancient Near East is her comprehensive introduction to the civilisations that flourished in Mesopotamia, Egypt and surrounding regions, covering thousands of years of human history from the earliest settlements to the fall of the great empires. Podany writes with clarity and enthusiasm, bringing ancient rulers, diplomats, scribes and ordinary people to vivid life. Available as both a book and an audiobook, The Ancient Near East offers illuminating listening and reading for history enthusiasts and anyone curious about the origins of civilisation, writing, law and the earliest experiments in human governance and culture.