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Egypt, Greece and Rome
- Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 32 hrs and 2 mins
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Summary
Long sources of mystery, imagination, and inspiration, the myths and history of the ancient Mediterranean have given rise to artistic, religious, cultural, and intellectual traditions that span the centuries. In this unique and comprehensive introduction to the region's three major civilizations, Egypt, Greece, and Rome draws a fascinating picture of the deep links between the cultures across the Mediterranean and explores the ways in which these civilizations continue to be influential to this day.
Beginning with the emergence of the earliest Egyptian civilization around 3500 BC, Charles Freeman follows the history of the Mediterranean over a span of four millennia to AD 600, beyond the fall of the Roman empire in the west to the emergence of the Byzantine empire in the east. In addition to the three great civilizations, the peoples of the Ancient Near East and other lesser-known cultures such as the Etruscans, Celts, Persians, and Phoenicians are explored. The author examines the art, architecture, philosophy, literature, and religious practices of each culture, set against its social, political, and economic background. More than an overview of the primary political or military events, Egypt, Greece, and Rome pays particular attention to the actual lives of both the everyday person and the aristocracy: here is history brought to life. Especially striking are the readable and stimulating profiles of key individuals throughout the ancient world, covering persons from Homer to Horace, the Pharaoh Akhenaten to the emperor Augustus, Alexander the Great to Julius Caesar, Jesus to Justinian, and Aristotle to Augustine.
Generously illustrated in both color and black-and-white, and drawing on the most up-to-date scholarship, Egypt, Greece and Rome is a superb introduction for anyone seeking a better understanding of the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and their legacy to the West.
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What listeners say about Egypt, Greece and Rome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- M N R
- 03-01-19
Great content poor choice of narrator
A British author gets an American reader who sounds like a 12 year old. I have no problem with US accents but this is an odd choice. Still very good narrative covering huge span of history in a lively and clear telling
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22 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-05-21
A great narrative of classic history despite poor narration
Having listened to the majority of this book I will say I regret having got an audio book instead of a physical book. In the bits I’ve listened to I’ve found the history to be incredibly informative. Lots of history that I’d forgotten or hadn’t learned before. You can tell the author has a real understanding of the subject and true passion for classical history.
However, I feel the narrator doesn’t do the book justice. I often felt bored listening to his voice as he doesn’t seem to have any enthusiasm for the subject. While everything he did was technically correct, it just felt like someone reading from a textbook for the rest of their class. I found myself getting easily distracted.
History audiobooks can be hit and miss with narrators and I’d give this a miss. I would suggest getting the actual book if you’re interested.
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16 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-01-15
Ambitious yet highly accessible history
This is an ambitious yet accessible and entertaining history of the classical worlds for the general reader. It will make you want to read and learn even more about the great civilisations of antiquity.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Macfhelen
- 11-07-20
filled in the gaps
This was a tour de force of a journey through time. It helped to have some background knowledge in advance as there was so much information. Being British, I found some of the American pronunciations of classical names a bit off-putting at times. Overall a good audio.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Reluctant Shopper
- 20-09-16
Content fab, shame about the speaker
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
It's a heavy subject and needs time, but the lecturer (yes I mean lecturer) has a droning voice making it harder to engage. It's a shame really
What was one of the most memorable moments of Egypt, Greece and Rome?
Not got far enough to comment - see above
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Yes. He did not bring the history alive. He could have demonstrated enthusiasm when speaking
If this book were a film would you go see it?
No
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8 people found this helpful
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- 5ft7offootballheaven
- 30-01-21
Fascinating Origin Story
Absolutely encapsulating run through about 4,000 years of history. There really is nothing particularly new about our present times...it’s all happened before - populism, religious extremism, terrorism, nationalism, invasion, intrigue, plague, incest and murder etc etc. If you have a long car journey or perhaps are in lockdown (again) this will help put things in perspective.
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4 people found this helpful
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- mr j p vinden
- 25-04-19
A fascinating and balanced account
Well paced and researched, the author gives great insight and analysis of the spread of great events and the spread of cultural ideas across the ancient Mediterranean world. I was a student of modern history and was previously never that interested in the “classics” but I’m regretting that now. I was most struck by the theme of constant cultural cross-pollination between different peoples down the millennia as I really had no clue the extent to which this was the case.
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3 people found this helpful
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- victoria macdonalf
- 22-10-21
Dry but very informatic
This book is a bit dry but is very informative and well worth reading/listening to. The narrator however. . . he reads it like a shopping list that he is rattling off as he jumps on a train! Truly awful, would have been more affective if it was narrated by a Sat-Nav!!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 19-05-21
Sorry it ended
Often starting with early histories can be complex due to the number of different players, often with unfamiliar names, all interacting in a myriad of complex ways where fact and myth are sometimes hard to separate. With a physical book it is easier to skip back sometimes and reset bearings. However, I think the way the author breaks up the narrative with interludes on different topics is brilliant. Once I had settled into the structure, and the wonderfully comforting rhythm of the narrator, I felt completely absorbed. I am not sure how much I remember of the detail, but I feel I have a much better overall picture of antiquity now, and a slight sense of loss having come to the end.
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2 people found this helpful
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- PJ
- 19-02-24
like drinking from a fire hose of information
Not what I expected. Felt a bit dry but I continued and was rewarded by so much information. Truly worth listening to. Wish it had continued through the timeline tbh.
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