In 1862, George Rawlinson (1812-1902), an Orientalist and Camden professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford, published his The Five Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World. The five monarchies are Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, and Persia. Later, he published his The Sixth Great Oriental Monarchy (1873) on Parthi, and The Seventh Great Oriental Monarchy(1876) on Sassania. This new reprint brings all these volumes under the title The Seven Great Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern World.

Rawlinson's work soon became a major reference for historians. According to The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, through these volumes Rawlinson "build[s] up foundations likely to be of use to future historians."

The set is illustrated with over 758 woodcut engravings (reproduced using half-tone printing) and three maps.