Origins of Great Ancient Civilizations

De: Kenneth W. Harl, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Kenneth W. Harl

Locales like Mesopotamia or the Indus Valley, peoples like the Hittites or Assyrians, or rulers like Sargon, Hammurabi, and Darius are part of a long-dead antiquity, so shrouded with dust that we might be tempted to skip over them entirely, preferring to race forward along history's timeline in search of the riches we know will be found in our studies of Greece and Rome.

But, according to Professor Harl, these civilizations, "act as the cultural basis for many of the civilizations that will emerge on the Eurasian landmass and will dictate the destinies of many of the people living today on the globe." These remote, ancient civilizations stand behind the traditions of Greece, so it is critical to understand these great societies in order to better understand those that would come later - including our own.

These 12 fast-paced lectures cover many civilizations that may only receive a few lines of cursory discussion in the average Western civilization textbook. Beginning in the Bronze Age and the emergence of urban-based literate civilizations, the story continues through the demise of Persia's great empire at the hands of the Greeks.

Along the way, you'll examine advances such as the invention and evolution of writing, the development of vast empires dependent not only on military might but on laws and administration, the growth of trade, and the contributions of the Hebrews to the religious and ethical future of Western civilization.

History lovers will appreciate this course for its deep insights and its rock-solid foundation for deeper exploration.

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

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

Obviously gifted professor

Dr. Harl is knowledgeable about the material and is a fantastic storyteller. There are other courses by him. Will definitely listen to them as well.

Harl is a boss

Master lecturer with deep affinity for his subject matter. Have plowed through every one of his courses.

This shorter series would serve as an excellent primer on the foundations of all history and of his other courses with the Teaching Company.

Truly excellent.

very informative.

the instructor did a great job of explaining each civilization without dwelling too much on some while neglecting others.

Well spoken, possibly one-sided

The performance was really good and this was one of the first books I did not have to speed up to keep my attention.

However, I found the professor’s take on the Bronze Age Collapse to perhaps be a bit dismissive of other theories. In particular, Eric H. Cline gives a more multi sided argument for the causes of the collapse and he seems to be a reputable historian.

Kennett, always the best

he goes into story like knife in a butter, smooth, easy, and very very interesting