Unsung Heroes of the Ancient World

De: Gregory S. Aldrete, The Great Courses

Narrado por: Gregory S. Aldrete

Mainstream histories of the ancient world too often focus on its greatest men, like the Roman dictator Julius Caesar or the acclaimed Greek philosopher Aristotle. But what about antiquity’s more obscure heroes and antiheroes? The men and the women who defied expectations and fundamentally shaped ancient politics, culture, and society without achieving the same kind of fame and acclaim: the victors, villains, and vigilantes who operated outside of the limelight. What are we to make of their extraordinary lives—their triumphs, their failures, and everything in-between?

The 24 revealing lectures of Unsung Heroes of the Ancient World reconstruct over a dozen biographies from the classical world—most of them little-known, some of them quite unlikely heroes. With Professor Emeritus Gregory Aldrete as your expert guide, you will meet the ambitious travel writers, dedicated engineers, careful cartographers, diligent farmers, woman philosophers, devoted wives, skilled military generals, African rebels, Persian kings, and impressive athletes who stood out among their peers centuries ago. Become acquainted with Jugurtha, a prince who ascended to power in Numidia and agitated against Rome; with the Diagoras of Rhodes sports dynasty, a family of Olympic champions; and with Mousa, a slave-turned-queen. Survey the battles waged by military leaders like Cimon, Agrippa, and Sextus Pompey, as well as the intellectual exploits of naturalist Pliny the Elder and Alexandrian philosopher Hypatia. Unpack antiquity’s criminal underworld, from the false prophet Alexander Abonoteichus to maritime insurance fraudsters Zenothemis and Hegestratus. And study the contributions of working people both free and unfree, learning about the slaves and farmers who shaped ancient society from the bottom up.

Throughout these lectures, you will carefully parse private letters, statue inscriptions, travel manuals, lectures notes, oratory textbooks, and myths for narrative details. You’ll have the opportunity to piece together the social backgrounds, early lives, professional careers, motivations, and occasional hardships of some of the most consequential yet underrated figures of antiquity. In the end, you’ll emerge with a sharper and broader understanding of politics, culture, gender, social norms, sport, violence, and war in the ancient world.

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

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Another wonderful lecture series from Prof. A

This is a very enjoyable series for fans of ancient history. I learned about several figures in the ancient world that I had never heard of, or where I recognized the name but little else. Prof. Aldrete's lectures are always interesting and well-organized, but this was one of my favorite series of his.

I would start with a more general introduction to Greek and Roman history before you listen to this -- that would give you a frame of reference for some of the anecdotes'. But there are a lot of wonderful Great Courses on ancient history available, so that shouldn't be a problem! And even if you don't have that background, I'm sure you could find this interesting.