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

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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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About this listen

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 Ancient Marriage Royalty Thought-Provoking Greece War Mesopotamia Rome Ancient History Middle East Ancient Greece China Classics Ancient Egypt Africa
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I've listened to a lot of history courses, understandably, most of them cover the big events of the era, and follow the succession of kings and emperors. This really fills in the gaps for what it was like to live there at the time. The small details and facts that are invariably left out of the 'Great man' narratives.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Me. Though this is still structured mostly as an exposition, I could still close my eyes and imagine myself in these times and places, as a worker in ancient egypt decorating the pharaoah's tomb, or drinking at a symposium with fellow Greeks, discussing politics and philosophy.

Any additional comments?

I noted that Robert Garland plugged his other Great Course: "Greece and Rome: An Integrated History of the Ancient Mediterranean". I spent my next credit on that one, and it didn't disappoint.

Fantastic experience.

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Professer Garland delivers a thoughly entertaining series on history of the ordinary person in the ancient world.
I bought this audible book to learn a little something and was suprised at how much I enjoyed it.
I looked forward to spending time each day listening to this and will go through it again for more to sink in.
Now I know what they used crocodile dung for in ancient Eygpt. It has this and other fun interesting facts scattered thoughout.
His voice was very soothing to listen to.

How to enjoy history

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Robert Garland paints a rich picture, providing compelling insights into the lives and likely mindsets of our predecessors.

His consideration of how people saw the world provides context and helps us to make sense of historical events, the rise and fall of civilisations and plain old daily life.

His sensitivity to the plight of society’s most vulnerable across the centuries, and general sense of humanity, is also worth calling out.

Loved every minute.

History comes alive

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The information that was presented on the ancient cultures was by far the most interesting and informative in this. The model that the lecturer used to present the info was also novel.

It was severly let down by the material on the Dark and Middle ages which was a basic review of medieval history at the best of times and delved into pure misinformation at the worst (no, knights didn't bludgeon each other with heavy weapons; they wouldn't have written books on their techniques it'd they did). A very painful end to an otherwise informative listen.

End at the Celts, ignore the rest

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Written records have been used to inform our understanding of history for the past four thousand years. Because they have been formulated by the literate, and therefore by definition, the elite, it is often hard to imagine life for the ordinary person. Since 80% or more of these people were slaves, peasant farmers or urban poor, these records have given us a falsely grandiose picture of the past. In presenting this series of lectures illustrating the lives of the the non elites, Robert Garland challenges us to see history from a more comprehensive perspective. While kings and emperors were murdering each other, it was up to the poor to hold society together in the face of chaos.
However, while not wishing to discourage people from enjoying these brilliant lectures, I do have one point of logical disagreement. In summing up at the end, the lecturer strays from his theme to make the now expected platitudes of how history has repeatedly mistreated women. He may have also continued with the hackneyed additions of minorities, people of colour etc. Surely, the point of lectures was that if you were outside the elite ruling class, life was pretty tough regardless of your gender etc. Considering the subject, this seems a pointless bit of woke PC. These lectures cover thousands of years of history and yet miss the most obvious observation in the conclusion. Even in the developed world, we are less than a century removed from societies that were mostly agrarian. Urbanisation as we know it might have begun its first tentative steps in late 18th Century Britain, but barely three or four generations ago, the majority of the populations in industrialising countries were also agrarian. In Asia, this is still the case. If the family unit is to be successful, both parents must share the burden. Child labour, despite modern education, must also be expected if the family was and is to survive.
Although a wealthy property owning class, sometimes less than 2% of society, did skew the rules in favour of the dominant males, this was seldom reflected in the lives of working majority. The commonly taught and parroted doctrine of a 49% conspiratorial male elite oppressing women is logically unsustainable when honestly examining how societies functioned. It was only in nineteenth century Victorian Britain when these kind of general social expectations and morality became the widely propagated as normal.

Fanfare to the commoner

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Love it. Every chapter was well written and very interesting. The author, Robert Garland, was a great narrator. Highly recommended.

Fantastic, well presented and knowledgeable.

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Professor Garland takes the listener on a time traveller's tour throughout history. This lecture series brings to life eras that might otherwise be remembered as a string of remote and uninteresting dates, turning them instead into living stories. Brilliant.

A time machine

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An insightful and interesting look into human history from a viewpoint I had not thought much about prior to discovering The Great Courses. Will absolutely be listening to more of these!

Brilliant

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Gifting insight to the human experience through ancient times and across place. Povides a good cross-section for each civilisation desribed, covering diverse groups, classes and religions. Mainly a Western World focus. I really came to enjoy the narration and found his style as entertaining as the fascinating histories entailed.

Great Human Story

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I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this series, so much so that I actually cried when Prof Garland said it was the end. What a heart wrenching and mind opening experience it is, to learn all the calamities and suffering our ancestors faced. It gives me a renewed appreciation for modern life and for the strength and courage of my predecessors.

I cried when this was over

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