The document discusses the Ancient Near East region from prehistory to the 7th century CE. It encompasses diverse lands at the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe, including Anatolia, the Levant, Georgia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia. The term Near East was coined in the 1890s to refer to areas experiencing instability at the time, including the Armenian Genocide and conflicts in the Balkans and Arabian Peninsula. The region played an vastly influential role in world archaeology, history, art, culture and religion.

1. Ancient Near East
From prehistory to the end of Antiquity in the 7th century CE, embracing the diverse and exotic lands at
the meeting point of three continents, the Ancient Near East (together with Egypt) occupies a vastly
influential position in world archaeology and ancient history, art, culture and religion.
The Near East is a term commonly used by archaeologists, geographers and historians, less commonly
by journalists and commentators, to refer to the region encompassing Anatolia (the Asian portion of
modern Turkey), the Levant (Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon), Georgia, Armenia, and Mesopotamia
(Iraq and eastern Syria). The alternative term Middle East—preferred in some political and economic
contexts—is not used by Near Eastern archaeologists and historians.
The term Near East came into use in the 1890s, when European powers were faced with two critical
situations in the "east". The Sino-Japanese War in 1894–1895 occurred in the Far East, while an
Armenian Genocide and instability involving the Cretans and Macedonians were occurring in the Near
East. British archaeologist D.G. Hogarth published The Nearer East in 1902, which helped to define the
term and its extent, including Albania, Montenegro, southern Serbia and Bulgaria, Greece, Egypt, all the
Ottoman lands, the entire Arabian peninsula, and western parts of Iran.
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