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History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective

By: Gregory S. Aldrete, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
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Summary

The ancient world has cast a long shadow, influencing our customs and religious beliefs, our laws, and the form of our governments. It has taught us when and how we make war or pursue peace. It has shaped the buildings we live and work in and the art we hang on our walls. It has given us the calendar that organizes our year and has left its mark on the games we play.

Grasping the full scope of your bequest from the ancient world can't help but give you a more nuanced base from which to make decisions and choose pathways in your own life. These 48 lectures take you on a multidisciplinary journey that ranges across not only the traditional domains of politics and war that are normally the province of history courses, but also those of religion, philosophy, architecture and the visual arts, literature, and science, and more.

You'll examine the ancient world's greatest civilizations from the Mediterranean, Asia, and the Americas - including those of Rome, Greece, China, Persia, India, and the Maya - not in isolation but in the full context of where they came from, the cultures that flourished around them at the same time, and the civilizations that were to come from them. Taking a comparative approach, Professor Aldrete's course includes in-depth analyses of not only key individuals and historical moments, but also history's most important themes, from the nature of rulership and the evolution of religion and philosophy to the practice of warfare and the expression of power through art and architecture.

With its mix of nuanced interpretation, vivid description, and constant attention to exploring history as a coherent whole, this is sure to be one of the most informative and thought-provoking history courses you have ever taken.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2011 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2011 The Great Courses
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What listeners say about History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective

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Very enjoyable

Any broad title like the one of this series of lectures is bound to spring back some criticism about the ‘globality’ of what is presented, and the time it covers. After all, how long is a piece of string? However, this series has been thoroughly enjoyable and I learnt something new in each lecture. The lectures are a decent length each, and provide some interesting anecdotes, not just dates and events. I would recommend it to anyone who simply enjoys finding out more about history, but I would classify this more as interesting and engaging historical entertainment than academic research.

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What a great lecturer

Really well delivered. The professor has an engaging style. Lots of breadth here too, as evidenced by the length of the thing. It was clear that a lot of work went into it.

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2 people found this helpful

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School boy error.

In lecture one, the narrator said that Timbuktu was in Cameroon. Someone correct me please but wasn't Timbuktu situated in Mali?

I've had to review this book and I've improved my grading. I'll excuse the school boy error.

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I feel enlightened. Best investmed commute time

I feel enlightened. Best investmed commute time. Great to be able to use stories from history in meetings.

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2 people found this helpful

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Entertaining, straightforward, and informative

What made the experience of listening to History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective the most enjoyable?

This course was a delight to listen to. Books on history can be dry, or deal with the same things as lots of other books, but these talks are fun and easy to follow. I gained a much better understanding for the sweep of ancient history, and discovered many things both about history and ancient civilisations. This is not an academic course, but it is given by someone gifted with the ability to make history informative and easy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Alexander the Great

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Everything, every period and culture, every single lecture

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Civilisation: location is everything

Any additional comments?

I'll be looking for other courses by the same guy, and I've already bought several in the same series.

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Pure Excellence!

It is a most rewarding listen, informative, insightful and entertaining. It is also very well organized, so the listeners do not get lost in the maze. Yet there is a small blemish: in lecture 44 min.26 the third sentence of a famous poem by Li Bo was incorrectly translated. It says, " Rising up, I gaze at the mountains bathed in moonlight,"
The original text is "Lifting up my head, I gaze at the moon,"

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Brilliant

Ive listened to several dozens of these lectures series and this one is in the top 5
Really interesting, narrator really engaging, difficult to zone out, just brilliant
i can recommend this one

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Absolutely excellent

I learnt so much from this course . Exceptionally good. Some areas I knew nothing about previously but even in subjects which I was familiar with I learnt so much. Great scholarship but also accessible . Reading style also very good .
Thankyou

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Incredible!

Thoroughly enjoyable lectures, full of interesting insights and all narrated in a very compelling way by Aldrete.

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Very Imformative

Informative & easy to listen to. Fascinating to hear how different cultures have interacted to produce the modern world

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