Most Ancient Historians start with a study of classics, but some have a background in the study of history. Pierre Briant (like myself) belongs to the latter category. He studied history at the University of Poitiers (1960-1965). Most ancient historians focus on the history of the Greeks and the Romans, discussing Greek and Latin texts. Most often we find in study guides and on websites of universities that Ancient Historians in doing so study the cradle of the western civilization. As a student of history in Leiden I had this experience, but it struck me that when studying, e.g., the Persian Empire not much information was given beyond the work of Herodotus. More and more I came to the conclusion that the history of Greece and Rome is inextricably connected with the history of the Ancient Near East, and that apart from the Graeco-Roman world the civilizations of Western Asia and Egypt were responsible for developments in later European history.