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Ancient Mesopotamia
- Life in the Cradle of Civilization
- Narrated by: Professor Amanda H. Podany PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
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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.
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- Happy Shopper
- 04-08-18
Excellent - I've learnt so much
This is a brilliant set of lectures, I feel like my time has been very well spent and I now am eager to learn more about ancient Mesopotamia, a time I knew nothing about. I'm a historian but lecture on 19th century British history so this was several millennia out of my comfort zone, but have enjoyed it so much I'm planning to listen again and read around the subject.
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18 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-01-19
Sparkling overview of a fascinating era
This is a great course. Prof Podany is a brilliant lecturer who really brings to life a period that is very poorly taught (if at all) in general education despite being the literal cradle of civilisation. A civilised world before the Egyptians, before the Greeks and Romans, it is replete with brilliant characters, jaw-dropping cultural development and astonishing clarity of documentation. I found myself googling throughout to follow-up. Highly recommended.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Michael Tierney
- 15-03-19
really enjoyed
really enjoyed it made history interesting and opens up a window into the past that opens up a vista to the present.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Linus Daniel
- 13-07-18
Good historical context to OT writings
Intersting listen. Gave me a good background on the topic. Strong belief in causal effect is very prelevant in Hinduism, Buddhism, etc even today. I guess all religions would teach consequences for bad actions.
Seems as Ur was developing into a new modern civilization, Abraham migrated out of that area and wondered and followed a religion contrary to what everyone believed those days.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Josie G.
- 07-08-20
Informative, but Boring
This was very informative, but I struggled with it a bit. The lecturer clearly knows her stuff, but I couldn't help but think that she was reading directly from her notes. Because of this, I had wanted to quit this course quite a few times.
I am sure it does not help that I am listening to this course just after the Ancient Egypt lecture series. The lecturer for that series is a lot more passionate, and clearly was not reading from notes.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Roy foley
- 19-01-19
another great look into the past.
the great courses content is always informative and easy to listen to, much better than some others I've tried.
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2 people found this helpful
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- iain ramponi
- 08-06-20
Entertaining History
I really enjoyed this well read and interesting book, it reinvigorated my interest in this period of history.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ramya Kirtisinghe
- 26-05-20
immersive
Enjoyed every minute of this lecture. Easy to absorb and very interesting. Definitely would recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jon lanģley
- 01-02-20
very good
a very good course, well delivered by the author, who was not just well informed about her subject, but passed on her enthusiasm as well as the facts. interesting information about the archeological history as well as general overview of the history of the region. thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 12-02-24
Great course
This was a good one! She speaks with such clarity and enthusiasm, and does a beautiful job of combining detail and the everyday, with the grand sweep of history and major historical developments.
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