War and Peace in the Ancient World

This book is the first to focus on war and peace in the ancient world from a global perspective. The first book to focus on war and peace in the ancient world Takes a global perspective, covering a large number of early civilizations, from China, India and West Asia, through the Mediterranean to the Americas Features contributions from nineteen distinguished scholars, all of whom are experts in their fields Offers remarkable insights into the different ways in which ancient societies dealt with a common human challenge Requires no prior historical knowledge, making it suitable for non-specialists

Series Editor’s Preface vii Notes on Contributors ix 1 Introduction: Searching for Peace in the Ancient World 1 Kurt A. Raaflaub 2 Making War and Making Peace in Early China 34 Robin D. S. Yates 3 Ancient India: Peace Within and War Without 53 Richard Salomon 4 Water under the Straw: Peace in Mesopotamia 66 Benjamin R. Foster 5 Making, Preserving, and Breaking the Peace with the Hittite State 81 Richard H. Beal 6 Conflict and Reconciliation in the Ancient Middle East: The Clash of Egyptian and Hittite Chariots in Syria, and the World’s First Peace Treaty between “Superpowers” 98 Lanny Bell 7 From Achaemenid Imperial Order to Sasanian Diplomacy: War, Peace, and Reconciliation in Pre-Islamic Iran 121 Josef Wiesehofer 8 War and Reconciliation in the Traditions of Ancient Israel: Historical, Literary, and Ideological Considerations 141 Susan Niditch 9 “They Shall Beat Their Swords into Plowshares”: A Vision of Peace Through Justice and Its Background in the Hebrew Bible 161 Thomas Kruger 10 “Laughing for Joy”: War and Peace Among the Greeks 172 Lawrence A. Tritle 11 War and Reconciliation in Greek Literature 191 David Konstan 12 War, Peace, Fear and International Law in Ancient Greece 206 Victor Alonso 13 War and Peace, Fear and Reconciliation at Rome 226 Nathan Rosenstein 14 The Price of Peace in Ancient Rome 245 Carlin A. Barton 15 The Gates of War (and Peace): Roman Literary Perspectives 256 Jeri Blair DeBrohun 16 Early Christian Views on Violence, War, and Peace 279 Louis J. Swift 17 Fight for God-But Do So with Kindness: Reflections on War, Peace, and Communal Identity in Early Islam 297 Fred M. Donner 18 Peace, Reconciliation, and Alliance in Aztec Mexico 312 Ross Hassig 19 War and Peace in the Inca Heartland 329 Catherine Julien 20 The Long Peace Among Iroquois Nations 348 Neta C. Crawford Index 369