Maalim Tarikh al-Sharq al-Adna al-Qadim
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Maalim Tarikh al-Sharq al-Adna al-Qadim (Landmarks of the Ancient Near East History) is a historical study by Egyptian historian and archaeologist Muhammad Abu al-Mahasin Asfur that provides a comprehensive survey of the political history of the ancient Near East from prehistoric times through antiquity.
Background and Purpose
The work developed as an expanded and updated revision of an earlier textbook Asfur prepared for university students titled Mujaz Tarikh al-Sharq al-Adna (A Summary of Ancient Near East History), which was published in Basra in 1966. In the preface, Asfur states that his primary goal was to provide Arabic-speaking readers and university students with an accessible, overarching guide to the ancient history of their region without burdening them with intricate scholarly debates or specialized disputes.
Methodology and Scope
Asfur adopted a method focused primarily on political history, deliberately setting aside comprehensive coverage of cultural, artistic, and social manifestations for a separate complementary study, with the exception of prehistoric periods where archaeological material culture serves as the sole evidence for reconstructing early human history. He later published that companion work under the title Maalim Hadarat al-Sharq al-Adna al-Qadim (Landmarks of Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations), mirroring the regional arrangement of this historical survey.
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into eight chapters alongside illustrative tables, figures, maps, and an index of references:
- Chapter 1 (Historiographical Methodology): Discusses approaches and principles of historical inquiry and documentation.
- Chapter 2 (The Emergence and Development of Civilization): Covers the Lower and Middle Paleolithic periods, the onset of cultural differentiation, and early civilizational developments across the Near East.
- Chapter 3 (Egypt): Divided into prehistoric periods (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Predynastic) and historical eras, spanning the Old Kingdom, First Intermediate Period, Middle Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, New Kingdom, Third Intermediate Period, the Late Period renaissance, and the final period of turmoil.
- Chapter 4 (The Arabian Peninsula): Details prehistoric eras and historical periods in southern and eastern Arabia.
- Chapter 5 (The Syrian Region): Examines prehistoric stages followed by historical periods, detailing Semitic groups (Amorites, Canaanites and Phoenicians, Arameans, and Hebrews) as well as non-Semitic peoples such as the Hurrians and Mitannians.
- Chapter 6 (Asia Minor): Covers prehistoric epochs and historical dynasties in Anatolia, focusing on the Old Hittite Kingdom, the Hittite Empire, Neo-Hittite states, western and southern Anatolian populations (Achaeans and Trojans), and the Hittites in Palestine.
- Chapter 7 (Iraq): Traces Mesopotamian history across the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic ages, moving into historical periods covering the Sumerians, Semitic dynasties, the Sumerian renaissance, Amorite-Elamite rivalries, the Kingdom of Eshnunna, the Babylonians, the Old, Middle, and Neo-Assyrian empires, and the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) Kingdom.
- Chapter 8 (Iran): Covers Iranian prehistory, the Proto-Elamite transitional period, and historical eras from Elam through the Medes and the Achaemenid Empire.
The text concludes with a selected bibliography of Arabic and foreign sources, chronological tables, and an analytical index.
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