Podany portrays Near Eastern history, from 2300 to 1300, paying particular attention to royal interactions. Allowing them to speak in their own words, she reveals how they & their ambassadors devised a sophisticated system of diplomacy & trade. What the kings forged were fraternal friendships across hundreds of miles. They worked out ways for ambassadors to travel safely, created formal rules of interaction & conflict resolution & abided to treaties. Their efforts paid off with the exchange of goods. Tied to one another thru peace treaties & obligations, they were also often bound together as in-laws, by marrying one another's daughters. They'd almost never met, but they felt a strong connection, a brotherhood, which gradually made wars less common. Any one of the great powers of the time could have tried to conquer others, but diplomacy usually prevailed. Instead of fighting, they learned from one another & peacefully cooperated. An account of international diplomacy thousands of years before the UN. Brotherhood of Kings is a vibrant history of the "the cradle of civilization." A Word about Chronology & Translation Cast of Characters Time Line Acknowledgments Introduction The first evidence for diplomacy Traders & ships from distant lands War & allegiance Long journeys away from home Attack on Babylon by a distant enemy A clash between expanding empires Diplomatic overtures between the great powers Brother kings united & at peace Diplomatic marriages Luxury goods from everywhere A crisis in the brotherhood The end of an empire & the restoration of peace Epilogue Abbreviations Notes Further Reading Bibliography Index