Although it’s not a book, you can listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast in his Kings of Kings episodes. There, he talks a lot about the struggles (and

Although it’s not a book, you can listen to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast in his Kings of Kings episodes. There, he talks a lot about the struggles (and wars) of the people then and how religion often played a major role. For example, a king would sometimes "safe" a village’s statue of their god which would be like taking their power away from the perspective of the villagers.