More than 3,000 years ago, a coalition of Bronze Age rulers existed across the Near Eastern world. Kings reigning over great Bronze age powers like New Kingdom Egypt, Babylon and the Hittites coexisted and interacted with each other. They exchanged precious goods, signed treaties and even married into each other's families. But how exactly did this brotherhood of kings emerge? And how important was it to the history of the ancient Near East? In today's episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by Prof. Amanda Podany to talk about what has come to be known as the first ‘international age’. Together they uncover how the brotherhood of kings ruled supreme across the Near Eastern world and explore why they built such a sophisticated and intricate web of diplomatic ties and connections. Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here. You can take part in our listener survey here.