The Modern Scholar: From Troy to Constantinople

The Cities and Societies of Ancient Turkey

By: Jennifer Tobin

Narrated by: Jennifer Tobin

From time immemorial, the region of modern-day Turkey has served as a crossroads between east and west. In this illuminating course, Professor Jennifer Tobin leads a compelling discussion of "Anatolia" from early archaeological sites and the Trojan War up through the Greeks, Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Romans. A land of immense cultural significance, Ancient Turkey has housed an amazing array of peoples - the study of whom shines light on the modern world.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2011 Jennifer Tobin (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

Greatly informative

The narrator’s voice, tone, and inflection were very good. The only problem I had was that, whether through actual narration, or through bad editing, there were CONSTANTLY pauses between words where there simply shouldn’t have been. It made me feel like I was playing a game of Red Light, Green Light while listening.

Another Archaeological Triumph

Another fascinating presentation by Professor Tobin. This time she focusses on just one small part of the ancient world, Anatolia, or what we nowadays call Turkey. But the number of different peoples who lived in this bit of land makes it an amazing trip through time. Did you know that people were building temples in 11,000 BC, even before we started farming or living in villages, let alone cities? Do you know who invented money? Did you know that America's federal system is based partly on the government of a small nation in southern Turkey that was established before Christ? Enough of the spoilers, hear it for yourself. Suffice it to say that Professor Tobin never loses sight of the fact that she is talking about people, not just buildings. And the PDF document you get with the program enables you to see the pictures and check the spelling of those funny names.

Glimpses

Treat this as a Lecture series and a Guide. What I did like was the number of www. sites as well as books for further reading. The pdf was great, thanks. The area covered is huge, the time span great, so I for one see this series of lectures as a suggested 'road map'. Today this whole area is still a hotbed. In terms of Archeology there is still so much being uncovered and more questions being asked. I have hardly started going through the suggested readings. So my rating is a little premature. I expect I will be dipping into this series of lectures for a while to come.

Informative

This book was decent, and to an extent informative. The title is a little bit misleading in that the vast preponderance of the information was related to ancient Anatolia, only the final ten minutes of the book was related to Constantinople. The other shortcoming in my opinion was the total lack of discussion on the critical role this area played in the early Christian Church.

The narration was good, although it is in the form of a lecture rather than a narration.

Fascinating Lecture Series

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this lecture series very much. I have traveled a great deal all over Turkey and visited the places and sites discussed in these lectures. I have read many other books focused on myths, history and travel related to Turkey. I have also listened to a jumble of tour guide stories and highlights during site visits. These lectures were a pleasure because they fleshed out and deepened my understanding of the place through time. Turkey is a rich treasure trove to explore in person or in reading. This series offers a firm footing from which to explore and begin to understand a wonderfully complex subject. Recommended if you enjoy history through a lecture format. The accompanying PDF is helpful with maps and photos as well.