This book explores aspects of the ancient civilization in West Asia, which has had a great impact on modern human society—agriculture, metallurgy, cities, writing, regional states, and monotheism, all of which appeared first in West Asia during the tenth to first millennia BC.The editors specifically use the term "West Asia" since the "Middle East" is seen as an Eurocentric term. By using this term, the book hopes to mitigate potential bias (i.e. historical and Western) by using a pure geographical term. However, the "West Asia" region is identical to that of the narrower "Middle East," which encompasses modern Iran and Turkey from east to west and Turkey and the Arabian Peninsula from north to south.This volume assembles research from different disciplines, such as the natural sciences, archaeology and philology/linguistics, in order to tackle the question of which circumstances and processes these significant cultural phenomena occurred in West Asia. Scrutinizing subjects such as the relations between climate, geology and human activities, the origins of wheat cultivation and animal domestication, the development of metallurgy, the birth of urbanization and writing, ancient religious traditions, as well as the treatment of cultural heritage, the book undertakes a comprehensive analysis of West Asian Civilization that provided the common background to cultures in various areas of the globe, including Europe and Asia.These contributions will attempt to demonstrate a fresh vision which emphasizes the common cultural origin between Europe and West Asia, standing in opposition to the global antagonism symbolized by the theory of "Clash of Civilizations."

;Proud Inheritors Of Historic Legacies, India And West Asia Have Been Friends And Neighbours Since The Dawn Of Civilisation. With The Advent Of Islam The Arabindian Contacts Were Further Strengthened. It Was The Arabs Who Attempted The First Written H

The commercial intercourse between India and West Asia can be traced from antiquity. A clear picture of this trade can be presented with continuity from 6th Century B.C. This book covers the period from 6th Century BC to 3rd Century AD. Specifically, the work examines: the forces of exchange of commerce which became an important part of the study of Indian trade history; the impact of political relations on trade, in addition to exchange of goods; the elaborate arrangement of Mauryas to gain control over trade and exchange of cultural ingredients; and the exchange of goods, market places, system of transport, and communication in commercial relations during this period.