Persian Conquerors, Babylonian Captivators

This chapter examines the impact of the relation between the Persian conquerors and the local Babylonians on the cultural continuity in Babylonia during the mid-first millennium BCE. It suggests that the evidence of Persian adoption of Babylonian traditions is manifest not only in administrative and social systems, but also in the visual arts and iconography. The analysis of corpora of seal impressions from Babylonian and Achaemenid archives reveal a complex and slowly evolving relationship between the two traditions, reflecting, but not temporally correlative with, political developments.

The Transition of Babylonia from the Neo-Babylonian Empire to Achaemenid Rule

This chapter examines the aftermath of the Persian conquest of Babylonia in the sixth century BCE. It explores the relationship of the Iranian rulers and the indigenous Babylonian urban upper class and analyses the effects of administrative change introduced by the Achaemenid rulers and their officials, especially in the realm of taxation. It suggests that Cyrus the Great and his administration had achieved continuity by securing the cooperation of the traditional Babylonian elite, specifically by honouring the long-standing claims of these families on important offices both in temple and state administration.

Dynastic Change and Institutional Administration in Southern Mesopotamia in the Later Third Millennium BCE: Evidence from Seals and Sealing Practices

This chapter examines the evolution of seal imagery and sealing practices in southern Mesopotamia during the latter half of the third millennium BCE or the late Early Dynastic period and succeeding Dynasty of Agade and Third Dynasty of Ur. It describes changes in glyptic imagery as well as sealing practices and elucidates the timing of those changes. It concludes that seal imagery and sealing practices were not static, but evolved over the course of the late third millennium and that the introduction of new imagery and changing administrative practices were gradual and seemingly lagged decades behind dynastic change.

Egypt in the Graeco–Roman World: from Ptolemaic Kingdom to Roman Province

This chapter examines the changes in Egypt in the Graeco-Roman world during the Hellenistic and Roman periods following the death of Alexander the Great. It explains that these periods highlight episodes of military aggression, conquest, and annexation during the struggles of the Successors of Alexander and the Roman takeover of the Hellenistic kingdoms. The analysis of the changes in the role of the elites, the exploitation of the material resources, and the character of the military presence reveal that they are all expressions of the ways in which the coming of Roman rule brought change to Egypt and their effect was cumulative and which had begun before Egypt was annexed and made into a Roman province.

Steady States

This chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about regime change in the ancient Near East and Egypt. It examines the dynastic change and institutional administration in southern Mesopotamia in the third millennium BCE, the social change and the transition from the Third Dynasty of Ur to the Old Babylonian kingdoms, and the role of Islamic art as a symbol of power. It explores regime change in Iraq from the Mongols to the present.

The Hyksos in Egypt 1600 bce: New Rulers without an Administration

This chapter examines the Hyksos' rule of ancient Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period. It explains that during this period, the strongest centre of population and power in the country appears to be Tell el-Daba and that its rulers entered the Egyptian hieroglyphic record as heqau-khasut which later came to be known as Hyksos. It describes the late middle kingdom administration, the administration of Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period, the institutions from middle kingdom into new kingdom.

New Rule over Old Structures: Egypt after the Muslim Conquest

This chapter examines the administrative changes in Egypt after the Muslim conquest. It explains that the conquest of Egypt by the Arab armies in 642 CE brought a new religious, linguistic, and administrative rule to this rich and important Byzantine province. However, this transformation was gradual and the arrival of the Arabs had little impact on the daily lives of the Egyptians. The Arab conquest did not result in mass confiscations of land in Egypt and there was no programme of land rewards for the conquering elite. This chapter suggests that both administrative continuity and change were part of the Muslim plan for Egypt after the conquest but it was not a formal plan but rather a pragmatic response to the challenges the conquerors encountered.

Tradition, Innovation, and Researching the Past in Libyan, Kushite, and Saïte Egypt

This chapter examines the series of dynastic changes and military invasions in Egypt from the end of the New Kingdom to the reunification of the country under the rule of the Saïte pharaohs. The main evidence available at present for the study of prosopography and administration throughout the Libyan and Kushite periods comes from the Theban region and this shows a remarkable continuity through the various upheavals during the Third Intermediate Period. In the changes of the Third Intermediate Period there are traditional and innovative depictions that reflect unusual political geography and these changes must also reflect the self-identity of Libyans and Kushites, and the reactions of the Egyptian elite to foreign rulers.

Regime Change in Iraq from the Mongols to the Present: an Essay in haute vulgarisation

This chapter examines continuity and change in Iraq from the mid-thirteenth century to the present, with special reference to royal ideology and administrative practices. It explains that during these six centuries, Iraq underwent a series of major upheavals but a degree of continuity was preserved through a succession of unrelentingly catastrophic events. It describes the incorporation of Iraq into the Mongol domains and then it came under the control of a semi-sedentary principality based first in eastern Anatolia and later in Tabriz.

The Royal Hunt in Islamic Art: a Symbol of Power or an Enduring Image?

This chapter examines the imagery of the royal hunt in the Middle East and particularly Iran from the seventh to the nineteenth century. It attempts to determine whether the strength of the association of hunting with kingship underlies the enduring symbolism of the king as the supreme hunter, or whether the power of the visual motifs was so compelling that they ensured the continuity of the royal hunter in the visual arts of the Islamic world. It concludes that the attitudes to the depiction of royal hunts in Islamic Iran depended to a great extent on who was in power and how they wished to be perceived.