The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World

By: The Great Courses, Ian Worthington

Narrated by: Ian Worthington

Immerse yourself in this comprehensive survey of ancient Greece from 750 to 323 B.C. - from the emergence of Greece at the end of the Dark Ages to the final disintegration of Greek autonomy through the Macedonian kings Philip II and Alexander the Great.

These 48 riveting lectures tell the story of ancient Greek institutions and the people who molded them during the Archaic and Classical periods.

Concentrating on the city-states of mainland Greece, with a special focus on Athens, Professor Worthington guides through some of history's most hard-fought struggles - from armed conflicts (such as the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, and the campaigns of Alexander the Great) to political and social struggles (including the late 6th-century civil war in Athens that pitted nobles against the lower classes and eventually produced the first stirrings of democracy).

As you explore innovative Athenian approaches to democracy, law, and empire, you discover how these approaches served as the bedrock for ideas and practices that you live with every day. You also encounter a wealth of intriguing links to many of our own contemporary institutions and attitudes about democracy, law, and empire.

By the end of Professor Worthington's final captivating lecture, you discover that there was nothing inevitable about democracy, the Western concept of justice, or any of the other traditions and institutions that now play such central roles in the politics of the modern Western world. The story of how this tentative structure transformed into the firm foundation of our contemporary world is gripping, enlightening, and immensely rewarding.

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

©2009 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2009 The Great Courses

Amazing

Such a wonderful and well executed course detailing all the important events and people in Greek history. This course is a must.

Absolutely outstanding

This professor makes Greek history come alive. I thought I would get bored with all the dates and personalities prior to starting this course, but that was not the case at all. Quite the opposite! Not all of the details may be to your taste, especially the extended level of detail with which he treats ancient Greek law — in that case, I would suggest listening to those sections at two times speed – that helps if you start to be uncomfortable with his endearing but somewhat awkward sense of humor as well.

Broad Scope

A good introductory course to the Ancient Greek world. The instructor does a good job presenting early Greek history to the decline of Greece and Macedonia as regional powers following the death of Alexander. While a lot of specifics are left out (they have to be in a course like this), the instructor does an excellent job presenting a big-picture narrative. He also has some controversial views about Thucydides, Cleon, and Alexander, which made the course exciting

Get it

Wonderful. Truly Wonderful. Would listen to this again. Great for people interested in the Peloponnesian war and the growing pains of Democracy.

Informative and entertaining

Ian Worthington is entertaining to listen to and his course is well thought out. Like any good course it gets the student to think. Ian, in many places, gives multiple possible reasons for actions of historical people, which I much prefer over being Told what someone thinks (i.e. not fact but opinion based on what we know). Not all history was written down at the time and when it was it was usually done by the victor.

Illuminating and Edifying

Prof. Worthington’s discourse is pithy and sometimes “heretical.” Beyond laying out the historical development from Archaic through Classical Greece epochs, his compelling arguments recasting some of Greece’s heroes are presented somewhat irreverently and often amusingly, without misplacing the historical facts, as we’ve known them. He clearly has a good sense of humor. Very enjoyable but sadly, all the more relevant to our current era of hegemony and demagoguery. Well done and worth the time.

nice overview

nice overview. was the last of the available more generalized great courses on ancient greece for me to listen too and it didnt feel too redundant. a nice refresher before i listen to one more book on egypt and then dive straight into the direct focus on alexander and the transitionary time towards a roman centric world

very informative

I enjoyed the presentation, especially the further touching on Macedonian rule and the focus on law, imperialism and empire

Excellent. Compelling and informative.

What about Professor Ian Worthington’s performance did you like?

He is clearly excited and passionate about the subject, and this comes across both in his delivery and in his planning and preparation of the content.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Too many to list!

Any additional comments?

The other commenter should not be trusted, his review is completely inaccurate. I would say this is a matter of subject preference, but there is so little in it that corresponds to reality that I do not doubt he must have listened only to one or two lectures before giving up, likely having too little interest in the subject matter to begin with.

Fantastic.

Broad expertise kept afloat with sustained enthusiasm and light heartedness.

Delivered in general, with enough spunk to be interesting, and enough humility not to be offensive.