Underlying the local traditions is a common tradition which has to be dated to the pre-literate period. Biblical covenants fit within this pattern. The cultures treated are Mesopotamia, the Hittites, Egypt, Syrian centres and Israel.

Ch. 1 Introduction
Asking New Questions
Why bother? The Rise and Fall of the Treaty in Scholarship
Overview of the Data
Problems of Silence
Preview of Results
Ch. 2 Mesopotamia
Defining the Area and the Culture
Outline of the History
The Lagash Treaties
The "Treaty" of Naram-Sin with Elam
Interpreting Silence
Hammurabi
The Old Assyrian Evidence
Summary of Old Babylonian and Old Assyrian
Evidence
The Middle Babylonian Period and the
Kudurru
A Middle Babylonian Divine-Human
Covenant? The Middle Assyrian Evidence
Mesopotamia in the First Millennium
Summary
Ch 3 The Hittites
Overview
Outline of the History
The Early Evidence
The Early Hittite Treaties
The Treaties of the Empire Period
Instructions and Service Oaths
Land Grants
A Ritual Text with an Oath
Accidents of Discovery and Archives
Summary of the Evidence
Treaty Concepts and Hittite Society
The Relationship to Mesopotamia
Reconsidering the Old Kingdom
Ch. 4 Egypt
Overview
Outline of the History
The Evidence for Parity Treaties
Vassal Treaties
Lessons from History
The Place of Egypt
Ch. 5 Syria
Historical Context
Ebla
Alalakh
Mari
The Treaty between Ugarit and Amurru
Covenants with Gods at Ugarit
The Sefire Treaties
Arslan Tash
Tentative Conclusion
Ch. 6 Israel
The Methodological Problems
A Historical Framework
The Phenomena in General
The Problem of Development
Covenant and Treaty: a Relationship? The Time and Nature of the Connection Baal/El Berith at Shechem
The "Objectivity" of Extra-biblical Analogy
Israelite Covenant: an Internal
Development? The Place of Israel in Treaty History
Ch. 7 The Significance Of It All
The Problem of Definition
The Origin Problem
The Problem of Development
Political Structure and Historiography
A Basic Thesis
Parallel Developments and
Convergences
The Special Case of Israel
The Special Case of Egypt
Divine-Human Covenants
The Resultant Model