Dr. AMANDA H. PODANY is a historian and author specializing in the study of the ancient Near East, and a professor emeritus of history at Cal Poly Pomona. She has written several books on ancient Near Eastern history for a wide readership, most recently the critically acclaimed Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East (Oxford UP, 2022). In the book she recounts more than 3,000 years of history through the eyes of people of all walks of life: rich and poor, female and male, young and old. She is also the narrator of the audiobook version, available from Audible.

Podany's other books include The Ancient Near East: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford UP, 2014), Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East (Oxford UP, 2010), and The Land of Hana: Kings, Chronology, and Scribal Tradition (CDL Press, 2002). The Land of Hana pertains to Podany's scholarly research (also discussed in many articles), which focuses on Syria in the second millennium BCE, with attention to chronology, scribal practice, international relations, and kingship.

She has a particular interest in making recent findings in her field accessible to a wider audience and, in that spirit, co-wrote (with Marni McGee) a book for young adult readers called The Ancient Near Eastern World (Oxford UP, 2004). She is also the author and presenter of a 24-part series of lectures for Wondrium/Great Courses called Ancient Mesopotamia: Life in the Cradle of Civilization (also available on Audible). She has been the recipient of a research award from the NEH and received the Norris and Carol Hundley Award from the American Historical Association for her book, Brotherhood of Kings. Recently, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings was selected as a finalist for a PROSE award from the Association of American Publishers. Podany received her MA in archaeology of Western Asia from the Institute of Archaeology, University of London, and her PhD in history of the Ancient Near East from UCLA. She was also the original bass player for the band that became the Bangles.