The Arabian Gulf in Antiquity

by D.T. Potts

Book Overview

The Arabian Gulf has, since the early 1970's, been one of the most promising areas of research in ancient near-eastern archaeology. Until now, however, there has been no attempt to synthesize the archaeology and history of this region from the beginnings of human settlement to the rise of Islam. Drawing on a wide array of archaeological, epigraphic, and literary sources, Dr. Potts presents here for the first time a comprehensive study of the area...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198143915
• ISBN13: 9780198143918
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Clarendon Press
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 1.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

What's in a name?

This was an old undergraduate textbook of mine, and on a slow day in my PhD I thought I'd google it. I was surprised (and chuckled) to learn that other reviewers have taken exception to the title, and seem to not look beyond this. Couldn't resist to come to the books defense. Not sure why Dan Potts decided to call it the Arabian Gulf rather than the Persian Gulf, but this is really missing the point. As an academic text this book is superb. It is very detailed, the two volumes cover an enormous range of history, and perhaps more than anything, this book fills some massive gaps in modern textbooks on the history and archaeology of the gulf. To criticise? Well, the obvious point is that it was published in 1990 and a lot has gone on since then. But I imagine there'll be a second edition at some point. Get stuck on the pricetag if you want, but don't get stuck on the title - it's a great book.