Catalog Search Results
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Learn about the grand state of Assyria with its huge palaces and iconic winged lion sculptures. The long and stable dynasty of Assyrian kings always longed to expand the boundaries of the empire, believing that their great god, Assur, had instructed them to do so. Their kings could be brutal in putting down rebellions, but they were also effective in administering the growing empire.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Unlock the secrets of the Maya calendar, which was unlike any other in the world - with nested cycles of time keyed to human, seasonal, and astronomical patterns. Look back to their year zero and the special importance of the number 1,195,640.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Turn from the Athenian public sphere to the domestic spaces and find out what life was like for everyday citizens. See how a shoemaker or a sculptor might fill his day - including a stop by the Agora - and consider gender separation and the role of women in ancient Greece.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Travel through Rome in the footsteps of a well-to-do citizen, from his freestanding apartment complex to the political happenings at the Forum Romanum to the Markets of Trajan. Then witness how all social classes interacted at the public baths, where lower classes wrangled dinner invitations from wealthy Romans.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2019.
Language
English
Description
Traditionally, historians have viewed the years 200 to 600 as a time of collapse and stagnation, the end of Rome and the arrival of the “Dark Ages.” Recent historians have taken another look at this era and seen a time of invigorating change, a vibrant mingling of cultures, and an exciting transition between antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2019.
Language
English
Description
Meet the man who became Rome’s first emperor: Octavian, who took the title of Augustus, was relatively short and sickly, but clever and astute. His great political innovation—taking the title Augustus, gaining control of the military, and ruling Rome without inspiring his own assassination—is one of history’s most astonishing feats.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2015.
Language
English
Description
Delve into Olmec art, searching for clues to who the Olmec were and what preoccupied these builders of Mesoamerica's first great civilization. Explore the mysteries of giant sculpted heads, jaguar carvings, and full-bearded figures depicting men who some think were foreigners from afar.
88) King Tut’s Tomb
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2016.
Language
English
Description
Trace the events that led Egyptologist Howard Carter to the dramatic discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922. Witness the unfolding excavation of the site, and uncover the spectacular treasures of the tomb. Consider why the tomb of a young and short-lived king might have contained such a vast display of wealth.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2019.
Language
English
Description
While the western half of the Roman Empire had clearly collapsed by the end of the 5th century, the eastern Romans in the Byzantine Empire flourished for another thousand years. Visit the world of Constantinople, meet fascinating figures such as Justinian and Theodora, and see what made the Byzantine Empire so successful.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
To understand the history of the Hephthalites or "White Huns" and the Gök Turks in context, look at the Sassanid Empire - the contemporary rival to the late Roman world - from the monarchy's aspirations to the way its Neo-Persian shahs came into conflict with Rome and these nomadic peoples.
91) The Celtic World
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archaeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Unveil the turbulent story of English conquest in Wales with this insightful glimpse into Welsh history that includes the unfortunate influence of misplaced loyalty to family that cost the Welsh their sovereignty forever. Then, look at Welsh literature, particularly the wonderful but enigmatic myths of the Mabinogi and the witty poems of Dafydd ap Gwilym.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Look closely at the rise to power and achievements of the nomadic steppe peoples known as the Parthians who, despite clashes with the Romans, successfully ruled Iran and the wider Middle East from horseback for 400 years, creating the first nomadic empire in the Near East.
94) Ancient Mesopotamia: Life in the Cradle of Civilization: Episode 9,Akkadian Empire Arts and Gods
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
The Akkadian Empire was a high point for artistic achievement in Mesopotamia. Depictions of humans were believed to possess some of the life force of the people they represented. Professor Podany shows how the many gods had differing roles and powers and were as much a part of everyday life as one's family. Examine an emotional hymn by a priestess, who is the world's first-known author.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Pick up with Temujin's new status as the great khan, and follow his nomadic army's path of violent conquest - aided by skilled mapmakers and Chinese engineers - from the small kingdom of the Xi Xia to the Jin Empire to his most important campaign, the invasion of the Islamic world.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Turn to the Huns, who employed tactics similar to the Xiongnu and were viewed as both a major threat and militarily advantageous by the divided Roman Empire. Explore their conquests and the dual strategies eastern Rome used to manage the Hun threat - one of which faltered when Attila rose to power.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
The early Irish prized literary skill just as much as prowess in warfare, and lords were judged by the quality of poet they could hire. This lecture gives a glimpse into the diverse genres of Irish literature, from epics about mythological heroes to exciting tales designed to warn kings about the dangers of ruling unjustly.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Our earliest written records of the Celts come from Italy, Greece, and Spain, dating as far back as the 6th century B.C. Although scholarly theories about the Celts' migration throughout Europe conflict, the foundation of our understanding of their origins is laid bare here, peppered with several curious historic anecdotes.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Get a glimpse of the life of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, one of the most influential Welsh rulers, who briefly unified the country 1,000 years ago. Uncover the shocking truth of Henry II's invasion of Ireland and its causes as well as anti-Irish propaganda and the development of cruel stereotypes that influenced English views of the Irish down to the modern period.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2019.
Language
English
Description
Generations of historians have struggled over - and disagreed about - the fundamental questions of when and why the Roman Empire fell. This episode critically evaluates a wide range of possible answers to these complex and enduring questions.
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