The story of the rise and fall of ancient cities, from the end of Bronze Age to the early Middle Ages

• The story of the rise and fall of ancient cities, from the end of Bronze Age to the early Middle Ages

• A tale of war and politics, pestilence and famine, triumph and tragedy, by turns both fabulous and squalid

• Begins with the Greek discovery of the ancient urban civilizations of Egypt and the Near East

• Charts the long slow spread of urbanism to the Atlantic and North Sea in the centuries that followed

• Asks how ancient cities were first created, how they survived so long, and how they eventually died

• A fascinating window onto ancient urban worlds so different from our own, dominated by gods, farmers, slaves, and soldiers

• A salutary reminder to the 21st century reader of the perils as well as the potential rewards of an urban existence