The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Garland

Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.

The past truly comes alive as you take a series of imaginative leaps into the world of history's anonymous citizens, people such as a Greek soldier marching into battle in the front row of a phalanx; an Egyptian woman putting on makeup before attending an evening party with her husband; a Greek citizen relaxing at a drinking party with the likes of Socrates; a Roman slave captured in war and sent to work in the mines; and a Celtic monk scurrying away with the Book of Kells during a Viking invasion.

Put yourself in the sandals of ordinary people and discover what it was like to be among history's 99%. What did these everyday people do for a living? What was their home like? What did they eat? What did they wear? What did they do to relax? What were their beliefs about marriage? Religion? The afterlife?

This extraordinary journey takes you across space and time in an effort to be another person - someone with whom you might not think you have anything at all in common - and come away with an incredible sense of interconnectedness. You'll see the range of possibilities of what it means to be human, making this a journey very much worth taking.

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

©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses

Good listen.

It's a nice trip through antiquity with a speaker who really tries to bring his passion for this period to life. Presented in lecture format.

glimpses of many early civilizations

Good lectures with much of interest in these ancient civilizations. One gets a little tired of the lecturer's many quips which I guess he feels are funny, but these one can overlook. I love any ancient history, so it furthered my understanding of many of them.

Interesting Lectures from a Great Professor

Tons of interesting information, that covers a vast span. Professor Garland comes off as a genuine person, who is extremely passionate about history. He presents the material in a very entertaining way. I highly recommend.

very fast history

very entertaining, wanted it to be even longer than it's 24.5 hours. I enjoyed the information and the informal relative comparisons

If you live ancient history, listen to this one!

I was excited to find this course offered and loved it. It was so interesting. I'll probably listen to it again.

Wonderful

At the end of the course the Professor says that he is not quite ready to let us - the listeners - go. I can only return the compliment and say that very rarely I have enjoyed listening to someone talk about history so much. The 48 lectures are well researched and narrated compassionately and with a deep understanding of what it means to be human. This is an absolute must.

excellent overview of several ancient civilization

Daily life examined in several ancient cultures. Comprehensive and detailed looked at the average man's worldview and daily routine. facinating

If it wasn't for the ungodly perspective

It would have been an excellent book. One thing to note is how Life was in pagan societies.

Excellent

Great performance with tons of interesting information. My only issue with it is that it felt quite Eurocentric after the first bit, and there was possibly an overemphasis on Greece and Rome. But if Greece and Rome is what you love, then you’ll love this book.

A fantastic journey!

It was such a pleasure to picture a life I could have lived every step of the way. What a bright, creative and enjoyable way of delivering history! Dr Garland, I hope you keep up the good work of making regular people today relate to common people in history.
Plus, the way you express it all is so light and entertaining!