What do the wheel, the law, and belief in a single god have in common? All of these ideas first came to people who lived in the ancient Near East. As if these revolutionary developments weren't enough to make a mark on world history, these ancient innovators also came up with the most fantastic invention of all-writing. The Ancient Near Eastern World is filled with the scribes, potters, sculptors, architects, school children, lawmakers, kings, queens, farmers, and priests who designed and created that world.

"This heavily illustrated volume focuses on artifacts uncovered by archaeologists and the human interest stories found in early writing."--School Library Journal, Curriculum Connections