The Axial Age--a period of several centuries around the middle of the last millennium BCE--and its cultural innovations are the subject of this collection of essays by international contributors from the fields of sociology, philosophy, Chinese, Sanskrit and Indic studies, comparative religion, and others. Essays explore cultural transformations in Ancient Greece, Ancient Israel, Iran, India, and China as well as background developments in the core civilizations of the Ancient Near East. An introductory essay deals with the history of the debate on the Axial Age, the theoretical questions that have emerged from it, and the current state of the discussion. Of interest to comparative historians of cultures and religions and for historical sociologists interested in the comparative analysis of civilizations. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)