Ancient Mesopotamia

Life in the Cradle of Civilization

By: The Great Courses

Narrated by: Professor Amanda H. Podany PhD

Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

When we imagine what life might have been like thousands of years in the past, the images we often conjure are primitive ones: reed and mud huts or plain brick dwellings, cooking pits, villagers, and simple farms. That was indeed what life was like in the earliest settlements, but by 5,000 years ago, life in some places had become much more sophisticated than we might think. Impressive achievements - like stepped temples that towered like mountains, elaborate palaces (some with bathrooms and plumbing), and complex houses - were also a part of life for people who lived in cities that arose thousands of years ago, particularly in the fertile region that emerged along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Welcome to Mesopotamia, the ancient name for the region that is now Iraq, a remarkably advanced civilization that flourished for two-thirds of the time that civilization has existed on Earth. Mesopotamians mastered irrigation agriculture; built the first complex urban societies; developed writing, literature, and law; and united vast regions through warfare and diplomacy. While civilizations like Greece and Rome have an unbroken tradition of written histories, the rich history of Mesopotamia has only been recently rediscovered, thanks to the decipherment of Mesopotamia's cuneiform writing less than 200 years ago. In this 24-lecture course taught by Professor Podany, you'll fill in the blanks of your historical understanding as you witness a whole new world opening before your eyes.

Riveting stories about kings and priestesses as well as ordinary people from all walks of life transport you back in time, giving you invaluable insights into the history of a landmark region that has long been known as the cradle of civilization.

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

©2018 The Great Courses (P)2018 The Teaching Company, LLC

Captivating, informative, an amazing experience.

Unlike some of the Great Courses, which tend to be conveyed in the usual fact-listing monotone with little or no background story, these lectures captivate you from the start. The way Dr. Podany describes everyday life in the context of Mesopotamian history brings the entire period to life and holds your attention from beginning to end. She truly loves her work and you can hear this in her voice. She uses what we know to understand the people. Suddenly, you feel as if you were there, sharing their lives, understanding their thinking and how they saw their own world. This is the best course in the Great Courses series that I listened to so far.

awesome

very eye opening. It was a fascinating account of ancient history. does great job at showing both how we're different and how we're the same.

A Wonderful Trip Through Ancient Mesopotamia

This course is very informative and interesting. The presenter is passionate, informed and engaging, painting a picture of ancient civilization that is both educational, engaging and entertaining. I highly reccomend this series of lectures.

surprising and well researched

interesting information presented well, includes references to the research explaining how conclusions were drawn. you will be surprised what cool things the messopotamians were doing in the ancient past

Ancient Mesopotamia

Very engaging and indormative narrative, and a very pleasant narration. The end snuck up on me, as it did the Assyrians.

Very particular

A very skillful and helpful overview of ancient Mesopotamian history. The course is organized chronologically, and so at its worst can feel like Professor Podany is just listing events that happened in the order that they happened (mostly successions of rulers and when various empires were established, etc.). From what I gather, figuring out when thing like this happened is the focus of Podany's research, so it makes sense that she focuses on this topic and uses chronology as an organizational framework! But in my opinion the chronological organization limits the course's potential to really make interesting thematic connections, both between the topics raised in the course and with human history and culture in general.

Enjoyable introduction to ancient Mesopotamia

The lectures follows a chronological timeline describing the different empires and kingdoms of ancient Mesopotamia, their relations to each other and to other powers of the Near East. Both political developments and social evolution are described. Parts of the Epic of Gilgamesh are read and explained, correspondence letters between kings, some poem, etc.
What I found missing is some description of the geography of the region with special emphasis on the role of the Tigris and Euphrates: how well were they navigable? How did their course changed and what were the consequences? There is some desription of the transport system by land, but it is not detailed.
This said, I enjoyed the lectures. I hope they could constitute a script for some National Geographic series.

waoww

this book gives you a glance to a ancient Mesopotamia common people to Kings and

Fabulous!

I have listened to a lot of courses but this is by far the best. The professors voice is pleasing, the stories are fascinating, and through masterful storytelling people dead for thousands of years came alive again.

This was a learning experience!

I enjoyed Dr Podany's lectures very much. She is a marvelous teacher! I never knew very much about these civilization until now. I will continue to reenforce my existing knowledge base.