History of the Ancient World : a Global Perspective /
Gregory S. Aldrete ; The Teaching Company.
- Chantilly, VA : The Teaching Company, 2011.
- 8 dvd (ca. 1440 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in. + 1 course guidebook (viii, 352 p. ; 19 cm.).
- The Great Courses History Ancient History .
- Great courses (DVD). Ancient & Medieval history. .
Course: 3850. Course guidebook includes professor biography, course scope, lecture outlines, timeline, glossary, biographical notes, and bibliography.
DISC 1 LECTURE 1: Cities, Civilizations, and Sources LECTURE 2: From Out of the Mesopotamian Mud LECTURE 3: Cultures of the Ancient Near East LECTURE 4: Ancient Egypt : the Gift of the Nile LECTURE 5: Pharaohs, Tombs, and Gods LECTURE 6: Lost Civilization of the Indus Valley DISC 2 LECTURE 7: Vedic Age of Ancient India LECTURE 8: Mystery Cultures of Early Greece LECTURE 9: Homer and Indian Poetry LECTURE 10: Athens and Experiments in Democracy LECTURE 11: Hoplite Warfare and Sparta LECTURE 12: Civilization Dawns in China : Shang and Zhou DISC 3 LECTURE 13: Confucius and the Greek Philosophers LECTURE 14: Mystics, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians LECTURE 15: Persians and Greeks LECTURE 16: Greek Art and Architecture LECTURE 17: Greek Tragedy and the Sophists LECTURE 18: Peloponnesian War and the Trial of Socrates DISC 4 LECTURE 19: Philip of Macedon - Architect of Empire LECTURE 20: Alexander the Great Goes East LECTURE 21: Unifiers of India : Chandragupta and Asoka LECTURE 22: Shi Huangdi : First Emperor of China LECTURE 23: Earliest Historians of Greece and China LECTURE 24: Hellenistic World DISC 5 LECTURE 25: Great Empire of the Han Dynasty LECTURE 26: People of the Toga : Etruscans, Early Rome LECTURE 27: Crucible - Punic Wars, Roman imperialism LECTURE 28: Death of the Roman Republic LECTURE 29: Augustus - Creator of the Roman Empire LECTURE 30: Roman Emperors - Good, Bad, and Crazy DISC 6 LECTURE 31: Han and Roman Empires Compared - Geography LECTURE 32: Han and Roman Empires Compared - Government LECTURE 33: Han and Roman Empires Compared - Problems LECTURE 34: Early Americas - Resources and Olmecs LECTURE 35: Pots and Pyramids - Moche and Teotihuacán LECTURE 36: Blood and Corn - Mayan civilization DISC 7 LECTURE 37: Hunter-Gatherers and Polynesians LECTURE 38: The Art and Architecture of Power LECTURE 39: Comparative Armies - Rome, China, Maya LECTURE 40: Later Roman Empire - Crisis and Christianity LECTURE 41: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? LECTURE 42: Byzantine Empire and the Legacy of Rome DISC 8 LECTURE 43: China from Chaos to Order Under the Tang LECTURE 44: Golden Age of Tang Culture LECTURE 45: Rise and Flourishing of Islam LECTURE 46: Holy Men and Women : Monasticism and Saints LECTURE 47: Charlemagne : Father of Europe LECTURE 48: Endings, Beginnings, What Does It All Mean?
Producer/editor, Laura Walz ; directors, Jonathan Leven, Jim M. Allen ; editor Tom Krzywicki. Producer/editor, Laura Walz ; directors, Jonathan Leven, Jim M. Allen ; editor Tom Krzywicki.
"This course traces the development of civilizations around the world, from the appearance of the first cities in various places around 3500-3000 B.C. until the establishment of the first true European empire under Charlemagne and the golden ages of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad and the Tang dynasty in China, all during the 9th century A.D. The lectures are chronologically organized, but they interweave history with the examination of key aspects of culture, including art, literature, philosophy, religion, and architecture. We begin by looking at the earliest urban civilizations, which arose independently in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China, with an emphasis on how each unique physical environment indelibly and dramatically shaped the civilization that developed in each location. In Mesopotamia, we follow a sequence of cultures: the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Hittites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Sassanians. In India, we follow the growth of the Indus Valley, Vedic, and Aryan civilizations and the achievements of the Mauryan and Gupta dynasties. In China, we observe the successive Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties, while in the eastern Mediterranean, the pre-Greek Minoans and Mycenaeans are described, as is the subsequent path of classical Greek civilization, including the famed cities of Athens and Sparta and the Hellenistic world created by Alexander of Macedon. In the western Mediterranean, the fortunes of the Etruscans, Carthaginians, Romans, and various barbarian nations are all outlined. Turning to North and South America, we survey the Olmec, Chavin, Moche, Teotihuacàn, and Mayan civilizations. In Africa, the establishment of kingdoms such as Meroe, Ghana, and Axum are traced, and in Oceania, we chart the explorations of the Polynesian seafarers. Even some long-lasting hunter-gatherer societies, such as the Australian Aborigines, are examined. The course comes to a close chronologically with the rise of Islam and the establishment of the Islamic Caliphates and the effect of this on Europe and the Near East. This course combines a sweeping survey of all of world history, from the beginnings of civilization up until the origins of the modern world were established, with targeted in-depth analysis of key figures, moments, and inventions. Its goal is to provide a solid foundational knowledge of the ancient world and deeper insight into the present." (Scope, p. 1-2)