The origins of the world's ancient civilizations re-examined; looked at not individually, but as a whole. We know little of our remote past. What we cannot explain, we consign to the domain of mysteries and legends. This is often because of over-specialization-scholars versed in and focusing on very specific disciplines. Ignorance in alien cultural elements, such as languages, also contributes to the problem. Barbarians in the Gate takes an all-encompassing approach, and offers a new perspective.