World History as the History of Foundations, 3000 Bce to 1500 CE - (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 1; The Near and Middle East) (Paperback)

About the Book

In World History as the History of Foundations, 3000 BCE to 1500 CE, Michael Borgolte investigates the origins and development of foundations from Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages.

Book Synopsis

In World History as the History of Foundations, 3000 BCE to 1500 CE, Michael Borgolte investigates the origins and development of foundations from Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. In his survey foundations emerge not as mere legal institutions, but rather as "total social phenomena" which touch upon manifold aspects, including politics, the economy, art and religion of the cultures in which they emerged. Cross-cultural in its approach and the result of decades of research, this work represents by far the most comprehensive account of the history of foundations that has hitherto been published.

Review Quotes

"This book covers an impressive temporal and geographic scope, beginning in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, while investigating an array of diverse religious traditions, including Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, and Confucianism." T. Anderson in CHOICE

About the Author

Michael Borgolte, Ph.D. (1975), Humboldt-University of Berlin, is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History and Senior Researcher at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Amongst his many publications is: Christen, Juden, Muselmanen. Die Erben der Antike und der Aufstieg des Abendlandes, 300 bis 1400 n. Chr. (2006).