The central starting point (it’s not quite a thesis; if it is, it’s an implicit one) for this volume is that “long-distance communication plays a key role in the cohesion and stability of early states, and in turn, these states invest in long-term communication strategies and networks” (1). The book is wide-ranging in both geography and chronology, ranging from the Eastern Assyrian Empire to the Western Roman empire, and from the 15th century BC to the 6th century AD. Each chapter covers one state (or a certain period of it): New Kingdom Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Seleukids, and Romans. The pleasure of this book is that the authors met twice….