A.H. Podany, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings. A New History of the Ancient Near East, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2022, pp. 662, £ 26.99, ISBN 978-0-19-005904-0.

Amanda H. Podany’s Weavers, Scribes, and Kings is a seminal work in historical, archaeological, and epigraphic research on central-western Eurasia, conventionally defined as Mesopotamia, the ontological center of Eurasia. This 661 page volume is structured in seven parts, spanning from the birth of writing to the death of Alexander the Great. Podany reinterprets the history of the ancient Near East by giving voice to its past inhabitants, transforming epigraphic, figurative, and archaeological evidences into vivid narratives. Her meticulous se- mantic analysis uncovers latent aspects of civil society, contrasting them with modern war-torn landscapes. The titular figures – Weavers, Scribes, and Kings – serve as paradigms of professions intricately woven into a broader historical tapestry.