Early Semitic Civilizations

Description

This book, through the lens of Semitic studies, explains the history of the Semitic peoples, their cultural origins, and addresses the Semitic problem and the origin of the term “Semitic.” It then defines the Semitic languages, their types and characteristics, and introduces the various Semitic writing systems, including cuneiform, syllabic, and alphabetic scripts. The book further explores theories of the origin of the Semites and their civilizations, discussing them before offering a unique and novel perspective on the roots of the Semitic emergence in the Chalcolithic period of the sixth millennium BCE in Mesopotamia. It examines their ushering in this new era, marked by the rise of patriarchy, the use of metals, and the emergence of cities and temples. This influence spread to neighboring peoples, stimulating the rise of Indo-European, Caucasian, and Turkic peoples, thus ushering them into the Chalcolithic period.

The author then applies this theory, tracing the origins of the Semites and their role in shaping early civilizations in Mesopotamia, the Levant, and later throughout the Levant. The book examines three early Semitic civilizations: first, the Suber civilization, which rivaled the Sumerian civilization and later emerged in its Akkadian form, filling the gap between ancient and modern Sumerian history. This Akkadian civilization possessed its own distinct characteristics and gave Semitic civilizations the Akkadian language, the first written Semitic language. Second, it explores the history and civilization of the Amorites, the largest and oldest of the early Semitic peoples, delving into their families, lineages, and rich history. Third, it examines the history and civilization of Ebla in Syria, a significant early example of a civilization that combined a predominantly Amorite population with Akkadian and Sumerian writing systems, thus embodying elements of these ancient civilizations and reflecting their fusion.

We consider this book a pioneering work in its field because it challenges many prevailing assumptions and proposes new alternatives. It attempts to open a new path in Semitic studies, which have succumbed to many old assumptions that have not been challenged, despite the abundance of new evidence that calls for such a challenge—a challenge that this book successfully presents.