The region in discussion embraces a vast geographical area, from the borders of Iran and Afghanistan in the east to the Levant and Anatolia, and from the Black Sea in the north to Egypt in the south. It was a region of enormous cultural, political and linguistic diversity. In this study, Amelie Kurht examines its history from the earliest written documents to the conquest of Alexander the Great, c.3000-330 BC. This work provides a narrative which takes into account the latest archaeological and textual discoveries and deals with the complex problems of interpretation and methodology. This text may be useful for students of history of this region and should be a valuable introduction for students and scholars working in related subjects.