Ancient history has traditionally focused on Greece and Rome. This book takes a global approach to the distant past, following the development of human societies across the globe from the last Ice Age, 11,700 years ago, to the rise of Islam in the seventh century CE.

The only book of its kind, A Global History of the Ancient World provides succinct narratives of the first Asian, African and European civilizations and their importance for later history without foregoing the key topics of conventional textbooks. Thematic overviews give truly global perspectives on connections, disconnections and parallel developments shaping the ancient world.

Written for students of history, classics and related disciplines, the book will appeal to anyone interested in widening their view of early history.

Eivind Heldaas Seland is Professor of Ancient History and Premodern Global History at the University of Bergen, Norway. He is the author of Ships of the Desert and Ships of the Sea: Palmyra in the World Trade of the First Three Centuries CE (2016).