This comprehensive chronicle of the history of the ancient Mediterranean (from Sumer to the fall of Rome) explores thedistinctive formssociety took in the ancient worldespecially the unusual relationship between society and the state (unlike anything we encounter today) that characterized the social order of antiquity.By closely integrating social and cultural histories with the political, institutional, and military climates in which they unfolded, this book provides fascinating insights into family, gender relations, class structures, public vs. private realms, slavery, popular culture, religion, art, architecture, leisure styles, philosophy, science, and educationand their complex relationships to ideology and political events.An excellent resource for anyone interested in politics and culture; this book is a font of information; if we understand the past, we can understand the changes that politics and society have undergone, and the reasons for those changes.