Great Battles of the Ancient World

By: Garrett G. Fagan, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Garrett G. Fagan

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Forget Hollywood's portrayal of violence and mayhem in ancient warfare and find out what the ancient battles were really like. What were the weapons, tactics, armor, training, and logistics? What were the crucial factors that could turn the tide of battle, giving one side victory and the other defeat?

In 24 exciting lectures, Professor Fagan introduces you to the many fateful battles that became crucibles of history: the fearsome clash between the Athenians and the invading Persian army at the Marathon, Alexander the Great's crushing hammer-and-anvil tactics against the Persians at Gaugemela, and the Roman mastery of siege warfare at the Jewish fortress of Masada.

Encompassing the region from Mesopotamia to western Europe-including Egypt and Northern Africa-this course charts the development of warfare from prehistoric times and examines battles and warfare from the city-states of early Sumer to the fearsome Assyrian war machine, the Greeks' distinctive form of combat, the Persian invasions, and the legions of Rome, which evolved brutally effective tactics that gained them dominion over the entire Mediterranean basin.

Although the battles you study were fought long ago, considerable controversy exists among contemporary historians. Professor Fagan presents contending theories without losing sight of the grim realities of war, and the many millions who have died on the battlefields.

"We owe it to them," he concludes, "and to the thousands who continue to perish in our planet's wars, to understand as fully as possible what it was that killed them. If this course has advanced its audience's comprehension of war even a little, then it has amply fulfilled its purpose."

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

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

Entertaining, challenging, and educational

Prof Fagan delivers a well considered and researched look at key points in ancient history. Incorporating multiple points of view and considering all sides of history he provides intriguing insight into why events played out as they did and how they impact our world today.

Excellent lecturer and topic

I had put off listening to this one since I think Professor Fagan's lectures are outstanding and we won't be getting more of them. It was worth the wait!

I appreciate his delivery style and dry humor. This one felt a bit more "read" than his other lectures but it wasn't off-putting to me. I always enjoy how he summarizes the different schools of thought on these ancient events for which we sometimes have sparse data.

I thought I might find this less interesting since I'm less interested in battle styles, weapons, etc. but Fagan made it all come alive for me.

Bravo

As a student of war this course is a must. Many new points of view and clear mastery of the subject

One of my favorite professors to listen to.

Garrett G. Fagan gives great lectures. This is the 3rd one I've listened to from him. Highly recommend!

Great treatment of a collateral historical subject

Whatever subject Garrett Fagan covers, he does it with unparalleled depth and a philosophical twist here and there. Even to those not keen on the subject matter of battles and warfare, this course gives an interesting view of the evolution of war techniques in the ancient world within the historical context of the time and creates the curiosity of the reader or listener to learn further.

Interesting Study

This is an interesting study of ancient battles and warfare. The course is purely focused on Mediterranean cultures, so no ancient battles of China or other places. While I wish the course was broad enough to cover a larger geographic area, this is still an excellent course. The course strikes a nice balance between the pace of the presentation and the detail of the material. The professor is clearly knowledgeable and presents in a clear manner.

Love overall, some small mistakes

I love how this course covers a wide range of East Asian history. I also noticed some small mistakes:
1. Big flood in 1942 in China was on the Yellow River, not Yangzi River.
2. Cao Cao in Three Kingdoms era pronounced "Tsao Tsao", not "Kao Kao"
3. LI QingZhao the famous poet was from Song Dynasty not Tang Dynasty.

A Series of Violent Episodes Create a Whole

Would you listen to Great Battles of the Ancient World again? Why?

This course presents a unique look at ancient history by focusing on key battles. The context of the battle is established and its conduct and outcome discussed in detail.

While this is a series of episodes, Professor Fagan makes it a whole story. The battles are presented in a narrative of the emerging civilizations and empires of the ancient world. This ties them together so you can see how they affected the course of history.

The detail on strategy, tactics, and armaments is excellent. The descriptions are complete. There is never a dry moment.

What about Professor Garrett G. Fagan’s performance did you like?

With a wonderful speaking style, Professor Fagan pulls you into the story and makes you see the scenes he describes.

Excellent!

Would you consider the audio edition of Great Battles of the Ancient World to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the printed version.

What did you like best about this story?

The Presentation, the Professor Fagan is truly a great at what he does.

What about Professor Garrett G. Fagan’s performance did you like?

His knowledge, his presentation, and his objectivism.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I wish I was in this classroom :P

Any additional comments?

If there is only one issue I would take with this is his lack of descriptions of various weapons and how they were likely used in the battles he presented. I realize that this is difficult given our (lack of) knowledge, but even speculations would be great.

Otherwise, I love Professor Fagan and will listen all of his books (I already listened to his lectures on Ancient Rome).

Good content, narration not so much

I found the material interesting, however the narration felt like it was simply being read. The narrator stumbled over words frequently and it just seemed a little clumsy.