num_pages: 432
description: Podany portrays Near Eastern history from 2300 to 1300 paying particular attention to royal interactions. Allowing them to speak in their own words she reveals how they &amp; their ambassadors devised a sophisticated system of diplomacy &amp; trade. What the kings forged were fraternal friendships across hundreds of miles. They worked out ways for ambassadors to travel safely created formal rules of interaction &amp; conflict resolution &amp; abided to treaties. Their efforts paid off with the exchange of goods. Tied to one another thru peace treaties &amp; obligations they were also often bound together as in-laws by marrying one another's daughters. They'd almost never met but they felt a strong connection a brotherhood which gradually made wars less common. Any one of the great powers of the time could have tried to conquer others but diplomacy usually prevailed. Instead of fighting they learned from one another &amp; peacefully cooperated. An account of international diplomacy thousands of years before the UN. Brotherhood of Kings is a vibrant history of the the cradle of civilization.A Word about Chronology &amp; TranslationCast of CharactersTime LineAcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe first evidence for diplomacyTraders &amp; ships from distant landsWar &amp; allegianceLong journeys away from homeAttack on Babylon by a distant enemyA clash between expanding empiresDiplomatic overtures between the great powersBrother kings united &amp; at peaceDiplomatic marriagesLuxury goods from everywhereA crisis in the brotherhoodThe end of an empire &amp; the restoration of peaceEpilogueAbbreviationsNotesFurther ReadingBibliographyIndex
language: English
title: Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East
publisher: Oxford University Press