Amanda Podany is Professor Emeritus of History at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She specializes in the study of Syria and Mesopotamia in the Middle and Late Bronze Age. Her 2010 book, Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East (Oxford University Press, 2010), was the 2010 winner of the Norris and Carol Hundley Award from the Pacific Coast Branch - American Historical Association. She is the instructor in a series of 24 video and audio lectures for The Great Courses / Teaching Company called Ancient Mesopotamia: Life in the Cradle of Civilization. Podany's book The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction was published by Oxford University Press in November 2013 and is available in a Spanish translation. Her previous books include The Land of Hana: Kings, Chronology, and Scribal Tradition (CDL Press, 2002), and The Ancient Near Eastern World (co-authored with Marni McGee, Oxford University Press, 2005). Dr. Podany is also very interested in helping to improve the teaching of history in schools and has been involved in many projects and courses for history teachers.
