"Generous boxed texts cover specific points for classroom discussion on general themes...A penultimate chapter on South Asia and China in the 6th and 7th centuries, and a final chapter reflecting on the rise of Islam provides a welcome broadening of the canvas. The volume has been thoughtfully assembled, is presented in manageable chunks and is tidily illustrated." - Andrew Merrills, University of Leicester for Medieval Archaeology

"There are two main reasons that this book will make a wise choice as an assigned text. First, as textbooks go, it is a pleasure to read. Each chapter is fairly brief (around twenty pages) and--refraining from the tedium of running through most of what can be said on a topic--focuses on a few pieces of archaeological or literary evidence in an attempt to tease out what these ancient fragments tell us.... Second, the focus on these few bits of evidence in each chapter also helpfully demonstrates the difficulty of interpreting a literary text or a clay pot, as well as the rewards in the attempt." - Edmon L. Gallagher for Review of Biblical Literature