Table of Contents

The Tale to be ToldPart I: The Bronze Ages1: The First Kingdoms2: The International Intruders3: The Amorite Warrior-Chiefs4: The Empires Collide5: The End of an EraPart II: From the Iron Age to the Macedonian Conquest6: The Age of Iron7: The Wolf upon the Fold: The Neo-Assyrian Invasions8: From Nebuchadnezzar to AlexanderPart III: Syria under Seleucid Rule9: The Rise of the Seleucid Empire10: The Seleucid Empire in its Prime11: The Maccabean Rebellion12: The Decline and Fall of the SeleucidsPart IV: Syria under Roman Rule13: The Coming of the Romans14: Nabataean Excursus15: The Syrian Emperors16: The Crisis YearsPart V: The Rise and Fall of Palmyra17: From Desert Oasis to Royal Capital: The Story of Palmyra18: Syria's 'King of Kings': The Life and Death of Odenathus19: Zenobia, Queen of the EastThe Last FarewellAppendix I: ChronologyAppendix II: King-ListsAppendix III: Literary SourcesNotesBibliographyIndex

About the Author

Trevor Bryce is an Honorary Research Consultant in the University of Queensland, and an Emeritus Professor of the University of New England, Australia, where he was Professor of Classics and Ancient History. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and has been awarded an Australian Centenary medal for services to History. Although trained as a Classicist, primarily in Latin language and literature, most of his research has been conducted in the field of Near Eastern history and civilization, with some emphasis also on the links between the Classical and Near Eastern worlds. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Near Eastern history, including The World of the Neo-Hittite Kingdoms (2012) and Babylonia: A Very Short Introduction (2016), also published by Oxford University Press.

Reviews

"This book can be thoroughly recommended for anyone wishing to gain a broad overview of the history of ancient Syria." - Adam John Fraser, Palestine Exploration Quaterly"Bryce has outdone himself; a marvellous achievement. Reads as smoothly as a novel, but packed as full of facts as an encyclopedia. Bryce weaves together the threads of disparate cultures and centuries of civilization, creating the very fabric of history itself..." - Eric H. Cline, The George Washington University, and author of Biblical Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction"sketches the history of Syria in a lively and fluid style." - Bibliotheca Orientalis"The author is an engaging writer and one quickly gets the impression that he has enjoyed researching and writing this book ... Professor Trevor Bryce's publication provides a lucid account that assists our understanding of Syria's historical importance and continuing strategic location." - Andrew Jamieson, Ancient Near Eastern Studies