The evolution of architecture and building in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor and North Syria, the Levant, Elam and Persia, and Cyprus from earliest times to the Hellenistic Period is the subject matter of this study.
Unlike recent books on the architecture of the Near East which merely follow a chronological scheme, this volume treats the achievements of each country separately; subdividing the buildings into groups: domestic, religious, funerary, and military.
Four hundred tracings made by the author from generally inaccessible journals and books are also arranged by functional category to show the evolution of each type of building within each country. Historical maps and charts showing the architectural relationships between the various countries in their chronological context serve to place and integrate the tracings.
