Living History: Experiencing Great Events of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds

By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Robert Garland

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Macedonia, 336 B.C.E. - King Philip II is murdered under mysterious circumstances amid a cloud of intrigue.

Constantinople, 532 C.E. - The Byzantine Emperor Justinian nearly abandons the city to an angry mob until his wife, Theodora, persuades him to stay.

France, 1095 C.E. - Pope Urban II gives a speech that inspires thousands of his subjects to embark on a crusade to Jerusalem.

Time and again, moments shape history. We often examine history from a distant vantage, zooming in on a few kings and battles. But history is made up of individuals who were as alive in their time as we are today. Pausing on a few key individuals and magnifying specific moments in their lives allows us to experience history in a whole new way-as a vibrant story, full of life.

Living History: Great Events of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds takes you back in time and throws a spotlight on two dozen turning points where the tide of history changes irrevocably. These 24 dramatic lectures examine key events from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to medieval Europe and Asia. Spanning thousands of years and three continents, this course illuminates fascinating historical dramas on the individual scale.

More than covering great events that change the contours of history, Professor Garland takes you into the scene and allows you to hear what he terms the "heartbeat of history". Rather than merely reviewing the facts of events such as the Battle of Marathon, the arrest and trial of Jesus, and the coronation of Charlemagne, you'll engage with a variety of firsthand accounts and authentic primary and secondary sources to experience what it was like to live these events as they occurred. From reports by historians such as Herodotus and Livy to official scrolls and administrative records, these eyewitness sources and ancient documents take you back in time through the eyes of people who were there.

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

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC

Engaging and interesting throughout

Robert Garland is one of my favourite presenters on the Great Courses. He’s siper knowledgeable, is clearly enthusiastic about his job, and manages to keep the material interesting and engaging for the whole course.

This course covers an absolutely massive amount of human history and spanned continents and cultures and dynasties. A fascinating listen from beginning to end.

My only complaint is that he focused so much on Greek and Roman history, it felt like the hundreds of other kingdoms and empires were not spoken about as much.

entertaining and educational... Great!!!A++

loved it... great structure and information...

entertaining as well as educational... well done!

impressively well structured, and while gaps remain, this course connects many dots....

ancient history through the eyes of people there

loved it the best way to learn the world around at that time and the people who live in it

Great content, great delivery

Wonderful content and delivery. It's a little hard to listen to the professor at first, but give it a chance and by the end of the first lecture, you'll be hooked!

Another Great Course From A Great Professor

After listening to another course from the same professor, I was pleased to see this one become available.....and it did not disappoint. Well researched and expertly delivered, "Living History" draws the listener into great historical moments, allowing you to look around yourself and see them come to life.

Astounding

Worth every penny. There is a reason they titled it "Living History". It as if I just lived 1500 years.

Fascinating, But a Word of Caution

Although this was a very fascinating course, presented by Professor Robert Garland, whose robust enthusiasm for his subject is quite apparent, as is his thorough research and engaging presentation, I offer one word of caution.
As is right and proper, Professor Garland offered many editorial insights, making sure the listener realized when he was offering his own ideas and interpretation. However, there were a number of occasions when Professor Garland's personal worldview was subtly apparent to varying degrees - and if the listener did not stay alert, the professor's personal bias of these significant events in world history could be taken as fact.
Any professor has his or her own view and interpretation of events, which may be erroneous or correct. As long as the listener stays alert to such moments, then he or she can determine whether what is being said is fact or opinion.

Better to read

I like history so the material was interesting and if I had read this instead of listening to it I might have enjoyed it more. However, the speaker/author has a very staccato speech pattern. For example, The... speech... pattern... of... the... teacher... was at times difficult. Even... so... the... material... was enlightening and informative.
I can not recommend this as an audio book.

History comes a live

In each lecture you imagine yourself in that scene and you become a participant in history. Robert Garland loves history and really makes you see and feel what is happening in each lecture. It really comes alive. I hope there is another course that picks up where this one left off.

Like history? Robert Garland is the best.

Like no other, this lecturer will bring history alive.

Robert Garland delivers some of the most compelling analyses of historical events. He simultaneously is able throw out the balloons of possible "what ifs?"... and yet also keep those balloons firmly attached to the core thread of the story.