Includes bibliographical references (p. 361-395) and indexes.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Hermeneutics and the Human Sciences -- The Sense and Reference of Human Works -- Rethinking Social Systems -- The Patrimonial Ethic and the Spirit of Antiquity -- Rationalization and Its Discontents -- Before the Bourgeoisie -- Mediterranean Historical Demography -- Demography and Domestic Space in Ancient Israel -- Models of Bronze Age Near Eastern Society -- Canaanite Feudalism as Seen from Ugarit -- The Two-Sector Model: Ugarit and the “Asiatic Mode of Production” -- Patrimonial Society in the Bronze Age Near East -- House Plans and Neighborhood Organization -- The House of ͻIlu: Canaanite Gods and Human Society -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index of Texts Cited -- Index of Ancient Terms -- Author Index -- Subject Index.

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The first two volumes on patrimonialism in Ugarit and the ancient Near East, this book opens with a lengthy introduction on the interpretation of social action and households in the ancient world. Following this foundation, Schloen embarks on a societal and domestic study of the Late Bronze Age kingdom of Ugarit in its wider Near Eastern context.