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Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Complete your knowledge of the ancient world with this comprehensive look at the dozen empires that flourished in the 2,000 years before the conquests of Alexander the Great. Over the course of 36 insightful lectures, you'll follow the Egyptians, the Mycenaean Greeks, the Persians, the Carthaginians, and others as they rise to glory, create administrative and military structures, clash with one another, and eventually collapse. Professor Dise immerses...
Author
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Great Courses volume 30
Language
English
Description
Learn how the rule of Darius I brought about the classical Persian system of imperial administration, with its system of satrapies (provinces) and royal treasuries. Also, travel along the Royal Road (the empire's central communications network) and explore the massive - but flawed - Persian army.
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Great Courses volume 15
Language
English
Description
Legend and modern archaeological fact agree that the most important kingdom in Bronze Age Greece was Mycenae, which rose to power around 1600 B.C. Here, learn how the excavation of two key sites revealed insights into Mycenaean dynasties; then, explore the culture's decentralized government and its warlike nature.
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Great Courses volume 16
Language
English
Description
Mycenaean Greece flourished between the late 15th and early 14th centuries B.C., but by around 1180 B.C., it collapsed, probably from the inside. How did this happen? Was it the civilization's heroic culture, or the Trojan War? Either way, the empire's collapse signaled the end of Bronze Age Greece.
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Great Courses volume 31
Language
English
Description
In just four years, the greatest empire the ancient world had ever seen fell - and all at the hands of Alexander the Great. How did this happen? Chart the collapse of the Persian Empire in this piercing examination of the Macedonian leader's military campaign to conquer the ancient world.
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Great Courses volume 18
Language
English
Description
Experience the short-lived imperial glory of ancient Israel under the reigns of King David and his son, Solomon. Under David, Israel expanded beyond the confines of Canaan through a series of decisive military campaigns. Unlike his father's reign, Solomon's rule centralized both royal power and control of religion under the king.
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Great Courses volume 21
Language
English
Description
Here, explore the details of Assyria's highly centralized government - the most comprehensive apparatus of imperial administration that the Near East had seen up to this point. In addition, examine the real reasons behind the Assyrians' infamous brutality toward their enemies and their policy of deporting conquered populations.
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Great Courses volume 6
Language
English
Description
Sort through the mysterious histories of two Mesopotamian empires that emerged after the First Dynasty of Babylon. The Mitanni of northern Mesopotamia lived in a decentralized state similar to a feudal society, while the Kassites in the south brought about a series of important social and economic changes.
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Great Courses volume 14
Language
English
Description
Meet the most obscure of all peoples in antiquity: the Minoans. Thriving on and around Crete for roughly 2,000 years, the Minoans are important for many reasons, including their influence on the emergence of Greek mainland civilization and their possible creation of the first sea-based empire, or thalassocracy.
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Great Courses volume 8
Language
English
Description
In this lecture, focus on the elements of Hittite government, paying particular attention to the central role played by the Great King (the "Labarna") - especially in judicial matters. Hatti, you learn, possessed an intricate imperial system that blended hierarchy, bureaucracy, and feudalism.
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Great Courses volume 13
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English
Description
How did the massive Egyptian Empire disintegrate and disappear? Professor Dise looks at the final two dynasties of New Kingdom Egypt, focusing on the series of clashes between Egypt and Hatti and attacks from the Libyans and the Sea Peoples.
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Great Courses volume 33
Language
English
Description
Examine how Carthage administered its empire - through both a monarchy and a government composed of the magistrates, the council, and the people - and defended it with a mercenary army and a citizen navy. Both the Carthaginian government and military, you learn, reflected the commercial nature of the empire.
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Great Courses volume 22
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English
Description
The massive military machine of the Neo-Assyrian Empire was essential to combating the many threats along its weak frontiers. Focus on the Assyrian army's organization, its weaponry, its battle tactics and strategies, and its rationale for waging war against the Aramaeans, Babylonians, and others.
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Great Courses volume 27
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English
Description
Follow the second phase of Persia's war against Greece, this time under the reign of King Xerxes. Professor Dise guides you through the details of three key battles: the Spartans' last stand at Thermopylae, the chaotic sea battle at Artemisium, and the Greek victory at Salamis, which crippled Persian morale.
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Great Courses volume 2
Language
English
Description
Tour the geography of the ancient Near East, which played a decisive role in the region's fascinating empires. Then, look at the kinds of archaeological and documentary evidence - such as the discoveries from excavations of ancient sites and from historical writings - that help us better understand this period.
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Great Courses volume 26
Language
English
Description
Plunge into the heat of battle between the Persian Empire and the city-states of Greece during the Greco-Persian Wars, which ranged from 499 to 449 B.C. Explore Persian efforts to neutralize Greek autonomy and discover the strategies that led to a Greek victory at the epic Battle of Marathon.
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Great Courses volume 10
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English
Description
Conclude your exploration of Hatti by studying its pinnacle of power from 1430 to 1200 B.C., the period known as the New Kingdom. In addition to investigating the key role played by the warrior-king Suppiluliumas, probe some possible reasons the empire suddenly collapsed, never to rise again.
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Great Courses volume 17
Language
English
Description
See the story of Israel as the epic tale of a small kingdom's brief rise to greatness - one that would change the future of the entire world. Compare the biblical and archaeological evidence behind watershed moments in Israel's history, including the Exodus and the conquest of Canaan.
Author
Series
Great Courses volume 1
Language
English
Description
What makes a true "empire"? How do empires rise and flourish? How do they decline and fall? Discover pointed answers to these and other fundamental questions about the study of empires in this engaging course overview.
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Series
Great Courses volume 28
Language
English
Description
How did Persia's wars with Greece end? Discover the answer in this lecture, which explains how the Battle of Plataea forced the Persian Empire to go on the defensive, endure a series of defeats, and ultimately reach a cessation of hostilities in 449 B.C. with the Peace of Callias.