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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World cover art

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

By: Robert Garland,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Robert Garland
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Editor reviews

Captivating and informative, The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World is narrated by Professor Robert Garland in association with The Great Courses. This book gives an entirely original perspective on history, told through the eyes of the ordinary citizen living in the vast and influential ancient empires that once ruled. Professor Garland narrates these historical audiobook lectures vividly. He brings to life the finer and fascinating details of ordinary life for the ordinary person during this time. In order to understand cultures and behaviours in today’s societies, knowledge of those from the past is essential. Available now from Audible.

Summary

Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.

The past truly comes alive as you take a series of imaginative leaps into the world of history's anonymous citizens, people such as a Greek soldier marching into battle in the front row of a phalanx; an Egyptian woman putting on makeup before attending an evening party with her husband; a Greek citizen relaxing at a drinking party with the likes of Socrates; a Roman slave captured in war and sent to work in the mines; and a Celtic monk scurrying away with the Book of Kells during a Viking invasion.

Put yourself in the sandals of ordinary people and discover what it was like to be among history's 99%. What did these everyday people do for a living? What was their home like? What did they eat? What did they wear? What did they do to relax? What were their beliefs about marriage? Religion? The afterlife?

This extraordinary journey takes you across space and time in an effort to be another person - someone with whom you might not think you have anything at all in common - and come away with an incredible sense of interconnectedness. You'll see the range of possibilities of what it means to be human, making this a journey very much worth taking.

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

©2012 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2012 The Great Courses

What listeners say about The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

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  • JL
  • 09-10-13

Nearest thing to time travel available

Would you consider the audio edition of The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World to be better than the print version?

Superb, loved his Greece and Rome, bought this and couldn't get enough. A natural story teller just brings the lives of ordinary people to life. Just relax and let Professor Robert Garland read the narrative to you. Got to be even better than reading it for yourself.

What did you like best about this story?

Ancient Rome

Which character – as performed by Professor Robert Garland – was your favourite?

The leader of the Roman bandits which he did with an east end accent like Fagan from Oliver Twist or an English pirate.

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

Infant mortality in the ancient and medieval world 25-30%. Starvation of the children left behind after their family were wiped out by the plague and having to beg in the streets. Throwing ones relative onto a passing plague cart from an upstairs window which for a deeply religious people must have been terrible, but they had no choice.

Any additional comments?

At 53 years of age I want to go to university and study history under Professor Garland. Along with the Time Travellers Guide to Medieval England and the Time Travellers Guide to Tudor England by Ian Mortimer this is a must for those that wish to learn about history from the viewpoint of ordinary people. Works such as these have taken a long time to appear, but now they they have I hope there is more to come.

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32 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Fairly superficial skim through (western) history

This starts off discussing daily life in the ancient world - although limited to the 'standard' civilisations traditionally covered in a western centered, English-speaking curriculum - ie Egypt, Greece, Rome, with only the briefest of mentions of any other civilisations.
I'd say if you have very little knowledge of these societies then you should find plenty here to interest you. But if you have already read any basic introductions then there will be little new here.
Unfortunately after finishing with Rome he then moves on to a very fast skim through Roman Britain, Anglo Saxon England, Vikings, Norman England and then 14th Century England. Most of this could hardly be considered 'ancient' history, and indeed it's such a rapid overview that there's really no insight into daily life either. I became pretty annoyed by the end at how western- centric, Anglo-centric it all became - having purchased a course on the ancient world, I found myself listening to the Audible equivalent of an Usborne book of English history.

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16 people found this helpful

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Interesting

Conveniently, the 30 min lectures were just as long as my commute, and each commute is that much better when you are encouraged to image you're a Roman soldier or a medieval knight.

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15 people found this helpful

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Brilliant Trip Back In Time

This was one of the best audiobooks I've purchased. The 48 30-minute lectures give a fascinating glimpse of what life was like for ordinary people in ancient and medieval times. The lectures are informed by a wealth of learning but are never stuffy or dry. On the contrary, they are very well written and are delivered in an excellent speaking voice by Professor Garland who brings the people "on the other side of history" brilliantly to life. Another reviewer has said that they are the nearest we'll get to a a trip by time-machine and that captures the essence of the lectures: as Prof Garland speaks we are back there with those ordinary people, sharing their hopes and fears and marveling how they coped without basic things we take for granted - medicine that is effective, spectacles to correct our vision, and so forth. Highly recommended.

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13 people found this helpful

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A great Listen. plenty of it. Slight repetition.

Entertaining and informative. Well presented by the prof. who sounds a bit of a stereotype, but his enthusiasm is evident and his empathy for ancient lives is clear.

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10 people found this helpful

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like stepping back in time....

very good but doesn't half go on a bit... all good though, just like stepping back in time ;-)

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent empathic history

Excellent narration with extraordinary breadth of research and insight into the other side of historical life across the classical and medieval periods. Wonderful example of empathic social history done with wit, intelligent charm and compassion.

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5 people found this helpful

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Well worth the listening

What did you like most about The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World?

It informed about ordinary people through many cultures.

What about Professor Robert Garland’s performance did you like?

Very well researched and read. Obviously interested in his subject and puts it across in an interesting and accessible way.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very basic course.

The lecturer is very pleasant to listen to but material is high school level with very few interesting and new facts.

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4 people found this helpful

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Interesting if a bit anglocentric

I found the course much more interesting at the start. The more modern the more we seemed restricted to England and my interest disappeared.

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3 people found this helpful