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

A spellbinding journey

This was the most captivating great courses series I have listened to. In addition to conveying how very like us the people living in ancient wields were, this series gives a fantastic context to all the significant ancient civilisations, allowing us to see how the civilisations merged into one another.

A heading is required

Very informative and interesting. Good structure and choice of material. Review must be 20 words.

Great lectures on history.

His passion and zeal come through most of his lectures. His views and arguments are usually refreshing. It took a while but I got through them all from beginning to end. I'm glad I did.

Amazing Journey

What made the experience of listening to The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World the most enjoyable?

Not just the right amount of content, evidence, and insights, but also a delightful performance of Prof. Garland as a storyteller.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World?

A day in the life of Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Priceless!

Any additional comments?

Never judge a book by its cover. The standard cover for "The Great Courses" never gave me the impression that they would be worth my while. How wrong I was! Will definitely search for other Great Courses featuring Prof. Garland.

Fascinating and interesting.

Humans have lived, loved, murdered, enslaved, worshipped and survived. Here we get a glimpse at previous cultures how they lived. Many aspects feel alien and others familiar.

The stories told in the lectures are well worth listening to.

The Missing Lens of the Mundane

I really enjoyed this collection of views into the world of the history that never gets told! It has given me many wonderful hours of reflection and perspective. I have found this to be a wonderful addition to my library and a valuable asset to completing the big picture of our greater story, which, perhaps, may lead to an even grander version of humanity.

24 hours of pretty neat stuff

The format of 48 half-hour lectures is very accessible and Professor Garland is an excellent speaker. The diversity of topics and focus (mostly) on the life of the masses was interesting and unique, for example, thinking about the houses and food for the builders of the pyramids gave me new insight to Egyptian history.

Egypt, Greece, Rome, Celtic and Norse England are covered in depth with other areas of the world also receiving attention. Topics include "Being an Egyptian Worker." "Being a Greek Woman." Religious groups are spoken of as well.

Sometimes Prof. Garland got a bit judgmental - he didn't seem to attempt a straight relation of facts. This happened mostly with snide comments or condemnation of slavery or the subjugation of women. I found these comments distracting and unnecessary (I don't need a PhD to tell me these things are morally wrong). Perhaps Prof. Garland was uncomfortable sharing this information? It really brought down the level of the lecture from what I would consider a "great course" to a rather common pop-history.

I did mostly enjoy these lectures. There were enough references to historical events to keep me grounded and relate back to things I've already learned about but the themes around how these events affected common people kept the series interesting.

So

The was the first Great Courses lecture series that I listened to.I have always loved history and looked forward to this series of lectures. I was not disappointed. The lectures flowed smoothly from one period to another. The material was fascinating and the lecturer had a fabulous way of presenting the material. He was animated in his presentation and kept me interested from beginning to end.

Fascinating view of what life really was like

Thoroughly enjoyed the detailed lectures about everyday citizens of ancient cultures. Listened to this as a prelude to a home school study of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome with a grandson. Lots of info about what life was like for ordinary people helps make history come alive for upper elementary-aged and middle school students (and adults as well). Being able to print out the text of each lecture was truly helpful while preparing the home school sessions.

Professor Garland's passion for history and ancient civilizations as well as his extensive knowledge came through in every lecture. Well worth the time and purchase price. And a great way to complete my 2 mile daily walk...while listening to this series of lectures!

An amazing performance on bring the invisible to the front

The vast expanse of Ancient History covered in these lectures is amazing. Professor Garland uses us, the ordinary citizens to weave through centuries making the pieces of the Ancient world fit together. This leaves you, especially if your ancestors were from a European background, with a better sense of how you got to today. Professor Garland kept it moving and extremely interesting really worth listening to.