This book was born on the basis of a course of lectures on the history of the Ancient East and Egypt, read by the author at the University of Latvia (Riga) in the fall of 2000. The lecture character determines some of the features of the book (in particular, the lack of notes). The author does not seek to replace existing academic stories (see the bibliography at the end of the book), as well as say something completely new on each of the topics considered in the book. Its task is to present a new concept of history and prove it on the specific material of ancient history. The book is conceived as a manual for humanitarian students, as well as for everyone interested in the problems of history and its comprehension.