History and Culture of Ancient Western Asia and Egypt Book

Knapp's book is a concise, yet cogent, introduction to the culture of civilization from roughly the time of Çatal Höyük up until the time of the conquests of Alexander. It varies from the usual texts which deliver mostly only names and dates, and emphasizes, in addition to those, the literary and linguistic contexts present within that society.
Because of its tantalizing brevity, "The History and Culture of Ancient Western Asia and Egypt" would suit any reader interested in tracing the early cultural genealogy of civilization, the origin of writing, or even the universality of human thought throughout these dimmer annals of history.