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Babylon
- Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Categories: History, Ancient History
Non-member price: $29.24
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In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh’s army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians.
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Awful Narration
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Taken together, the civilizations of Sumer, Assyria, and Persia have helped form the modern makeup of Mesopotamia, western Asia, and the world. However, to really understand why things are the way they are, it’s important to break up this historical timeline and spend some time learning about each society. Only by doing this will you be able to fully appreciate the powerful impact these ancient peoples had on our modern world.
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Good book let down by amateur narration.
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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.
Publisher's Summary
Civilization was born 8,000 years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place.
In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period and explores the political and social systems, as well as the technical and cultural innovations, which made this land extraordinary. At the heart of this book is the story of Babylon, which rose to prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi from about 1800 BCE. Even as Babylon's fortunes waxed and waned, it never lost its allure as the ancient world's greatest city.
Engaging and compelling, Babylon reveals the splendor of the ancient world that laid the foundation for civilization itself.
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What listeners say about Babylon
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bob H
- 09-02-2020
Pretentious
Faux literary and pretentious style makes for a nauseating telling of what should have been an interesting subject. Author is probably knowledgable but sprinkles ever sentence with lofty opinions and pretentious reflections on the world. Do it once and it can be refreshing and interesting; do it in every single bloody sentence and it gets absolutely unbearable. Could not finish this garbage of book.
17 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 19-05-2020
A mix of good narrative and bad history
The story follows a good narrative but is filled with lots of dubious analysis and comparison. Some of these are really poignant and meaningful while others are placed in an odd spot and bad history.
10 people found this helpful
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- Alsor2000
- 19-07-2020
Solid overview 3000 years of history
One reviewer said he could not finish because of a pretentious style. I bet he got to chapter 3 and then gave up. Through the first 3 chapters, I could understand where he was coming from. They are basically a setup and introduction to the subject, and they *are* a little wordy and somewhat boring. But, if you push onto chapters 4 and then 5 then you get into the meat of the history and you really get what you came for. I was hooked and listened right through to the end. Look, the book is 12 hours. It gives you the broad strokes and includes a lot of interesting tidbits for the Bronze age novice. It was just what I was looking for. (I.e How slingers were used. The economic setup. How the first armies may have come about.) Our Oriental Heritage by Will Durant is 50 hours and covers the same ground. I have now spent a credit on that book since this book interested me in the subject. I recommend it but just push through the introductory chapters.
8 people found this helpful
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- Snippersly
- 17-10-2020
An evolutionary based atheist version of history
It is a history book and sounds like.someone reading a college text book. tons if good info but hard to pay attention to. it has a very atheist view despite many Biblical refer6that corroborate the history.
2 people found this helpful
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- Wundewaffe001
- 12-12-2020
Great
How it relates the past to today to Possible future is an interesting look at the historical record.
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- Hans Rigelman
- 07-10-2020
Good Historical Look at a Key Part of our World
Nice narrative, but a little tough to absorb in just one listen, so I'll have to try again when up for it. The stories about language origins were particularly interesting. I especially liked the Biblical comparisons with other ancient writings.
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- Ethan smith
- 07-08-2020
intresting view
detailed and interesting view of ancient Mesopotamia. wonderful stories and a must if you would like a look into civilizations beginnings.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-02-2020
good listen
very good factual account of the city and area. not the best, but worth every penny.
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- sarashina
- 20-10-2019
Highly enjoyable
A fascinating book, well-structured and full of interesting information. The author’s passion for the subject really comes across. Just what I was looking for.
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