This book was born on the basis of a course of lectures on the history of the Ancient East and Egypt, given by the author at the University of Latvia (Riga) in the fall of 2000. The lecture nature determines some of the book’s features (in particular, the lack of notes). The author does not seek to replace existing academic histories (see bibliography at the end of the book), nor to say something completely new on each of the topics discussed in the book. Its task is to present a new concept of history and prove it using specific material from ancient history. The book is intended as a manual for students of the humanities, as well as for everyone interested in the problems of history and its understanding.