I am immensely interested in learning how old civilization survived, what they did for food, what we know about their housing and their weapons and so forth and even politics. As for what civilizations I am interested in, pretty much everything from ancient Mesopotamia to say the Renaissance. Huge gap I know, so I guess I'll prefer the older ones for now.
Thank you for any help.
Okay, well, first recommendation has to be Courtesans and Fishcakes by James Davidson. The title tells it all, but how did the Ancient Athenians see fish? Well, apparently they really loved it. He uses small aspects of daily life (fish, drinking etc) and expands on it, showing not just a microcosm of Athenian society but also explaining how the attitudes towards such comparatively minor things tell us a lot about Athenian society as a whole. It's a fun good read, with a lot of humour in it and gives a unique view on how Ancient Greeks lived.
Also, the World of Pompeii by Dobbins and Foss is excellent for learning about Roman society.
Hands down the best book for learning about daily life in ancient Israel is Life in Biblical Israel by King and Stager. It covers all aspects of ancient lifeways, from food to architecture to religion and family life. If I taught a course on this, it would be the #1 required textbook.
An old classic is Jerome Carcopino's Daily Life in Ancient Rome . It's a bit dated but I always enjoyed this book.
I'm pretty fond of Karen Rhea-Nemet-Nejat's Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Jean Bottero has a similar book that's also really useful.