Analyzes the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East in social and cultural contextsAncient World, The: A Social and Cultural History, 8/e ,presents a comprehensive analysis of the cultures and societies of the ancient Mediterranean world from prehistoric times to the rise of Islam. It offers a multi-perspective and integrated chronicle of the history of the ancient world, from Sumer to the fall of Rome.This title challenges purely narrative accounts of the ancient past, offering in-depth analysis of such key events and institutions as: the origins of agriculture and the rise of urban civilization in the Middle East; household and gender roles in the Middle East, Greece, and Rome; slavery throughout the Mediterranean; and how the Romans built, maintained, and lost their empire.