Coordinating Histories...

[Tribunal]

There are a lot of similarities in the histories of the ancient cultures (ie. Akkadians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Jewish, etc.). I would like to study these similarities and wonder if any of you can point me in the right direction? Are there are resources out there that can help me with this?

The scope of my study are all of the major cultures from 5000 BCE to 600 BCE.

[TAO]

There are a lot of similarities in the histories of the ancient cultures (ie. Akkadians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Jewish, etc.). I would like to study these similarities and wonder if any of you can point me in the right direction? Are there are resources out there that can help me with this?

The scope of my study are all of the major cultures from 5000 BCE to 600 BCE.

Well in terms of biblical events, there is a part of the Bible Dictionary I believe.

[The_Monk]

There are a lot of similarities in the histories of the ancient cultures (ie. Akkadians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Jewish, etc.). I would like to study these similarities and wonder if any of you can point me in the right direction? Are there are resources out there that can help me with this?

The scope of my study are all of the major cultures from 5000 BCE to 600 BCE.

Civilizations of the Ancient Near East (3 volumes, cheapest from cbd.com)

The Context of Scripture (3 volumes, cheap in paperback, or electronic from logos.com)

Those two will give you a good overview of these civilizations and their texts.

You could also try John Walton's Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament. (It's had some valid criticism, but still a good read.) It's introductory.

Kenton Sparks goes by literary genre in

Ancient Texts For The Study Of The Hebrew Bible: A Guide To The Background Literature, but it's kind of dense.

I've seen this used in undergrad courses to expose them to the texts of the civilizations of the ANE, and the Biblical connections. http://www.amazon.com/Readings-Ancient-Near-East-Encountering/dp/0801022924/ref=pd_sim_b_18

This is also useful, as it deals directly with the question of similarity in theology/culture/texts between the OT and surrounding cultures.

http://www.amazon.com/Inspiration-Incarnation-Evangelicals-Problem-Testament/dp/0801027306/ref=pd_sim_b_15

[Nevo]

Another good introductory source is Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide, ed. Sarah Iles Johnston (Belknap/Harvard University Press, 2004).