Rated 5 out of
5
by
EngineerinVA from
Excellent Introduction
This is probably the best starting point for the very good array of classical (Greek and Roman) courses that The Great Courses offers. It’s an old course, calling itself part of The Great Courses on Tape (yes, cassette tape!) offerings, but it’s still a good representation of the subject material.
The course follows a chronological path from pre-historic civilizations including most notably the Minoan civilization with a digression into archeology, through the period of the Trojan War, and into the classical Greek history including the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian Wars. It ends with a postscript on the conquest by Philip of Macedon and the conquests of Alexander the Great.
Dr. McInerney is a very smooth lecturer, easy to follow. I think he hits the right level for an intelligent but non-specialized audience.
I listened to the audio version. I don’t think that visual aids would have added anything significant.
Date published: 2020-04-02
Rated 4 out of
5
by
BGZRedix from
Well-Done Review; More Casual than Academic
This is a well-done, worthwhile course for any seeking an intro to ancient Greek civilization presented in a listener-friendly, casual style. The key points are all covered, as can be seen from the lecture titles.
Professor McInerney is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and makes a mostly successful effort to portray the negatives of the culture (slaves, women's non-rights, identity politics) along with the much better known positives which have made it into our own Western cultural iconography and myth-making.
And I appreciate his including areas such as theater, religion, and sex and gender along with the more typical 'big man / big event' history of politics and wars.
My only significant disappointment was the relaxed story-telling approach, as opposed to my preferred clearly-sourced, tightly argued, highly focused academic history. If that doesn't bother you, you will likely enjoy the course.
Less importantly, I wish there were more photos, diagrams, and maps in the video. And the Course Guidebook is very thin. But, after all, this is one of the first of the Great Courses, so we can forgive them. Cheers and enjoy.
Date published: 2019-11-20
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Vultee from
Ancient Greek Civilization
I reasonably enjoyed the series, up to lecture 16. In that lecture, Dr. McInerney labeled the ancient practice of animal sacrifice as murder. I was extrememly offened by his statements, not that I support animal or human sacrifice, but that I resent having a so-called scientist try to cram his social or moral opinions down my throat. I want to learn the essential facts about the subject I study; I dont want politial propaganda. When I heard Dr. McInerney's statements, I wondered how many other so-called facts that he imparted were, in fact, nothing more than his personal social or political opinions. Frankly, I am extremely disappointed in The Great Courses for allowing this sort of behavior on its platform.
Date published: 2019-08-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
SamP from
Thorough look at the ancient Greeks
I really enjoyed this course, and found it quite informative.
Date published: 2019-06-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Cfox from
Ancient Greek Civilization
Finding this audio just excellent! Love the professor in and learning so much. Highly recommend.
Date published: 2019-06-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Status from
Wonderful Course
Just started this course, so far absolutely wonderful. Knowledgeable professor who is enthusiastic about the period. Highly recommended. Great start to a classical education.
Date published: 2019-05-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
farbror_isak from
Excellent history
I listened to this course from the library, and loved every lecture. What was the Dorian invasion? Why were the Greeks so competitive? How did the trauma of the Persian wars affect the direction of Greek history? Did slavery make Greek civilization possible, or could the Greeks have done it on their own? I learned so much.
Date published: 2018-11-30
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Panzergrenadier from
Could have been a CD
My wife has a liberal-arts MA, and really liked the course. I found the the course mediocre, principally because it could have been an audio CD - there were practically no illustrations: you get to watch Prof. McInerney. Instead of just talking about Greek plays, in which the actors wore masks, there should have been a short film of an actual Greek play. Greek land warfare was based on hoplite phalanxes - there should have been a picture of a hoplite and a phalanx. Greek naval warfare was based on the trireme - there should have been a picture of one. Warfare in general gets short shrift - as is usual at American universities. This doesn't wash because of the deep connection between warfare and democracy in Greece: the hoplite and trireme rower were also citizens and vice versa. Victor Davis Hansen's excellent work on Greek warfare is not mentioned. The infrequent illustrations were terrible: the one picture of Delphi shows four stubby columns. In fact, a photo of the shrine where the oracle sat could have been used. Better yet, there are models of Delphi, and the Parthenon, and sites in Athens which should have been used, but were not. Prof. McInerney and the producers of this course were just flat lazy.
Date published: 2018-11-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Juan Grande from
Older production, but still excellent
A second edition 2018 style from Dr. McInerney would be welcomed, perhaps expanded to 36 or 48 lectures. Expanded lectures on Greek art, architecture, literature, theatre, philosophy, and religion would benefit the course. Like many other GC series, this one benefits from watching on a player that allows for faster replay (like 1.5x speed)-- McInerney's delivery is too slow. He and many other GC teachers could improve their delivery by watching themselves at 1.5x speed. Helps the viewer too in getting through the talks more efficiently. TGC should provide user-selectable playback speed in the online streaming applications.
There is a graphical error in the last lecture (#24). The lecturer mentions "Cyrus the Younger," but the graphic displays date of death of "Cyrus the Great" as 401 BC (530 BC is correct date for Cyrus the Great). I probably should know the answer to this, but does TGC post errata anywhere?
Date published: 2018-11-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Candleman NJ from
entertaining and dynamic
The speaker is lively, energetic and entertaining. You can tell how much he enjoys what he is discussing and I did as well.
Date published: 2018-07-14
Rated 5 out of
5
by
MarleysGhost from
Very Good, but Missing Mathematics
This is my second course from Professor McInerney, the other being “The Age of Pericles”. I quite enjoyed his course on the golden age of Athens where he uses 24 lectures to great advantage in a fairly narrow focus. Not so in this course where the same number of lectures cover from the early Bronze Age to Alexander the Great (and a bit beyond). This is not a bad thing, but it does result in this course being a survey course.
Even so, Dr. McInerney manages to include quite a bit of detail along the way. Many reviewers have commented that the first few lectures were a bit boring, but for me the discussion about Minoan Crete (lecture 2) and lecture 3 (Heinrich Schliemann’s archeological work) fascinating. Here we are presented with the modern, balanced view of Schliemann, rather than the one that castigates him for his destructive excavation techniques.
The structure of the course is largely chronological, although of necessity some tangents are taken. This happens when a lecture focuses on one topic (e.g. Greek Religion). Here I did not find the anti-Christian bias that some reviewers have noted. Then again this may be due to my insensitivity on the matter. Even though I know quite a bit about the history and culture of the time, there were many surprises for me in the course. For example his view of the trial and execution of Socrates took a different slant than the ones with which I was familiar.
Even though the course devotes a few lectures to specific topics, and there was due respect paid to the contributions of those Greeks to our culture and society (art, architecture, politics, philosophy, and more) there was almost no mention of the Greek contributions to mathematics. A serious error of omission, in my opinion, but then again I’m not sure what Dr. McInerney could have left out.
Others have mentioned that the presentation was a bit dry. And I wrote some of the same remarks in my other review. Not so in this one, but that may be due to taking “Pericles” in audio and this one in video. Perhaps I am more forgiving of delivery when I can see the presenter. Full marks in any case.
Date published: 2018-06-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Cousindrew from
Solid Course
Prof. McInerney does an excellent job of bringing ancient Greek civilization to life in a series of lectures that are largely organized by topic rather than by calendar. Such a focused, topic-based approach works very well for this subject matter, and Prof. McInerney's refined manner makes each lecture easy to listen to and absorb. I listened to the audio version, which I thought worked just fine, although I suspect the video version has maps that likely aid understanding. In sum, a solid effort that earns high marks.
Date published: 2018-06-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Curious 2 from
Dynamic presenter!
We are on lectures 7&8. We watch 2 at a time so we can stop, absorb, and discuss them because the ideas are dense, provocative intellectually, and promote comparisons to our current national dynamics. Prof. McInerney uses cause--effect analysis, comparison/contrast, and synthesis in applying the aspects of history & archaeology to the examination of Ancient Greek Civilization. More photos would enrich this otherwise superior presentation.
Date published: 2018-05-27
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Klem from
Classical Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Rome
I bought this course a few years back in the audio format and listened to it while commuting in my car between work and home. The 1/2 hour lectures were great and filled the time while driving as well as educating me on the ancient Greek civilization. The format was perfect for driving and when the video course went on sale I bought this as well. I will give the audio course to my daughter who also commutes to work. I have done a fair amount of reading on Greece and found the course accurate and the interpretations valid. Great value and presentation. The professor's presentation was excellent.
Date published: 2018-04-29
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Testament from
Great story told by a master lecturer
This definitely is one of The Great Courses best products. The lecturer has an easy, charming manner of speaking and relates his accounts in engaging, almost flawless logic. In addition, he does a fine job of covering his topic broadly, so listeners (or viewers) will feel they really have learned a lot not only at the conclusion of the course, but at the end of each lecture, I enthusiastically recommend both of this lecturer’s courses for anyone even slightly interested in Ancient Greek history.
Date published: 2018-04-28
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Do not have none from
Well presented and very informative!
We travel to Greece in April and find the lectures a great preparation for our trip. One of the flimsy pins on the center holder in the DVD case arrived broken. Is there a sturdier system available?
Date published: 2018-03-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ermie from
Really enjoyed Jeremy McInerney’s Style
Excellent knowledge of his subject and an excellent delivery style. He covered a broad subject so well. Fantastic!
Date published: 2017-11-06
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Tmurph from
I’m traveling to Greece next month and I’m going to have a much better understanding of of the culture
Date published: 2017-10-29
Rated 2 out of
5
by
10040 from
This Didn't Meet My Expectations
I found this course to be somewhat boring and only got through 3/4 of the lectures before giving up. It seemed too much like it was the professor's own version of Greek history without much to support it. I particularly had problems with lecture 18 "Sex and Gender" in which the professor seems apologetic about homosexuality in Greek society, implying that it was only a phase that younger "normal" boys went through with older men. He seemed to rule out gay love between adults as unthinkable to the Greeks in spite of Homer's telling of Achilles lover and the lover of Alexander the Great. I just figured that if the professor can be so wrong in this field, what can I believe about what else he says. I do not recommend this course.
Date published: 2017-10-27
Rated 2 out of
5
by
tommyd555 from
Assumed Pre-Knowledge and Jumped Around a Bit
I listened to this after finishing the course "The History of Ancient Rome" and I expected a similar approach: a chronological retelling of ancient Greek civilization history. While the professor's lecture topics generally stayed in the chronological timeline approach, he did seem to assume his audience has prior knowledge of certain topics, he does jump around a bit on topics, and does not really focus on events per se. Call it my pet peeve but it irritates me when a professor speaks of x character in various contexts (assuming prior knowledge of this person) before he/she even introduces x character! That approach has always made it difficult for me to get into a course. I prefer a history from the beginning to the end assuming the audience has NO prior knowledge of an event or individual.
The professor's idiosyncrasy of smacking his lips everytime he took a breath between points began to grate on me. A few times throughout 12 hours is not noticeable but when it occurs countless times in each lecture it can begin to stand out and distract especially since most professional speakers prevent such a sound from being so prominently audible.
With that said this is not in the pantheon of terrible courses. The professor generally does a good job of putting you in the shoes of the ancient Greeks: getting into their mindset and how they thought about certain events or life in general. In that respect this course was a bit different. Examples include how they likely truly felt about the Persians, the Peloponnesian war, and slavery vs. what ancient historians and writers stated they felt.
Still I was looking more for a political/cultural/military history of the ancient Greeks focusing on events and people and in that respect I felt like this course was instead something different. I just purchased "The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World" to see if that course fits the bill...
Date published: 2017-10-12
Rated 2 out of
5
by
beeman02 from
First I would like to say I have ordered a few courses from The Great Courses and found them awesome. However, this one absolutely bored me to death, just could not get anything out of this professor. It was so bad I threw my CD's in the garbage.
Date published: 2017-09-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Dan1960 from
Ancient Greek Civilization
I watched this course on VHS two decades ago. It was do good that I delisted as a digital download. Cannot recommend it highly enough.
Date published: 2017-08-14
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Jennisi from
Solid Information
I learned a lot about ancient Greece from this series. For example I didn't know that the ancient Greeks were so given to fighting among themselves. It was interesting to compare their attitudes and ways of life to our own. The information unfolded in a logical manner with one lecture building on the previous one.
My only complaints are that although there were visuals, I felt that the visual element could have been used even more to greater advantage. Also the booklet that went with the series was more abbreviated than the booklets that accompanied other Great Courses series I've watched. Finally, occasionally Prof. McInerney lowered his voice and looked down just as he was giving the name of a person or place, and I couldn't hear it. Some names are listed in the booklet but not all.
Date published: 2017-06-19
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JimOR from
Very Well Done
I wasn't so sure about this one when I first started, but by the third program it came around and turned into a very informative and enjoyable series. The initial episodes turned out to be a necessary preamble. He has a pleasant presentation style. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in history, particularly as it might deal with culture and social evolution. If you have spent any time in Greece, it becomes that much more interesting.
Date published: 2017-03-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
LisaAnne from
Fascinating
This has been the one of the most interesting courses I have taken. So much to learn.
Date published: 2017-03-26
Rated 5 out of
5
by
jprattcpa from
I was Sorry to See it End
Professor. McInerney provides, in this 24 lecture course, an excellent overview of Greece's ancient history from Minoan Crete to Philip and Alexander. Although it must be a daunting task to cover such a vast amount of history (1500 B.C. to abt 300 B.C.), I felt the professor accomplished it with a high level of proficiency.
Some may not care for Dr. McInerney's delivery style, considering that he stands behind a lectern and refers (not reads) to his notes for the whole series, but I didn't buy the course to be entertained. Rather I purchased it to learn, and learn I did! Professor McInerney continues to keep the student interested through the information he provides, which, to me, was simply fascinating.
In addition, the course was skillfully organized. It was amazing to me to see how the professor could cover so much complex information and structure it in such a manner that the student does not become confused. He does this by generally following a chronological order of Greece's ancient history. In addition, he provides a short summary at the beginning of each lecture to provide a bridge with the previous lecture. Furthermore for lectures discussing general aspects of Ancient Greek common life (slavery, philosophy, sex and gender, etc), he masterfully intertwines these topics with the history of the time and provides enlightening conclusions. Not to digress, but it reminded me of how Dickens ties everything together at the end of one of his novels and the reader says, "Oh, I see!"
Finally, a few other items I enjoyed in these lectures which are specific to Professor McInerney's delivery are as follows:
1. If the professor is expressing his opinion, which in many cases, considering the topic, was necessary, he plainly states it was his opinion by saying a phrase such as, "It seems to me...".
2. I enjoyed his subtle sense of humor which would occasionally arise during the lectures
3. I enjoyed how he concluded each lecture. In most cases it was like the conclusion of a good novel provoking thought.
4. Although visuals (photos and maps) were not frequent, those that were provided were appealing and instructive.
Considering that this series was produced quite a few years ago (1998), I was sorry to see that it is included in the recent warehouse clearance. It seems like this was a gem that may eventually not be available. Too bad.
Date published: 2017-03-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
BTdeCA from
An Excellent Pedigogical Mid-level Approach
There are many ways to present this material. One such method would be that of the late Rufus Fears. The Learning Company has many such raconteur-style courses from Professor Fears AND they convey much information on this same topic. However, as an introductory-to-mid-level approach to ancient Greeks, their origins, history, culture, society and never-ending internecine wars, this course delivers as would most top-notch college courses. This extremely knowledgeable professor delivers the facts and dishes the dirt on the ancient Greeks. This topic has been one of my pets, for years and I still learned many new "nuggets" as we viewed this new-to-my-wife course together.
Date published: 2017-01-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
ginlalee from
Ancient Greek Civilization, by Prof J. McInerney
I have learned so much. The material is presented is presented in a fashion that is not only educational, but in a way that coorelates the Greek's society to our own. The information about the religious, judicial and govermental aspects of Greek society is amzing and to think that occurred 2500 years ago. I am so glad I picked this title. The comments he makes about the excavations and his experiences there lets you imagine being there. Nice voice, too
Date published: 2016-10-07
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Veblen from
Excellent
I was extremely satisfied with this course, which effectively covered the highlights of Ancient Greek history and culture in a mere twenty-four lectures. I listened to the audio version, and enjoyed the lecturer's manner of presenting the material. The choice of topics was also excellent, and I learned a tremendous amount about such fascinating topics as Sparta, Ancient Greek ideas about gender, the Olympics, and the trial of Socrates. Highly recommended!
Date published: 2016-10-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ark1836 from
Greek Culture's Influence on the West
This course is largely a study of the way that Greek culture has influenced the West, including our modern culture. This is not the stated theme of the course, but it becomes apparent throughout the course based on the professor's topic selection and the issues he decides to emphasis. This is very appropriate given the incredible influence that Greece continues to exert on our culture thousands of years later. This influence is often indirect and subtle, but its presence can be felt and understood better through courses like this one.
This course dovetails nicely with another Great Courses, The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World, which dedicates nearly a dozen lessons to Greek life and culture. I recently listened to The Other Side of History, and I found this course complimentary rather than duplicative. There is significant overlap, but this course provides more chronological framework and spends more time on the political and military situations that helped shape Greek culture. Maybe another way to say it is that this course explains the "why" behind aspects of Greek culture while The Other Side of History focuses more on the application of the culture to the lives of people. Either way, taking these two courses close together gave me a renewed and deepened appreciation for Greek culture and the debt that the West owes to this incredibly important civilization.
Date published: 2016-08-29
6: From Sicily to Syria-The Growth of Trade and Colonization
Greek colonies were established as near as the Mediterranean and as far away as Ukraine. While the causes of Hellenic colonization are complex, its results were important. Trade filled Greek coffers. Intellectual imports, such as written language and artistic motifs, arrived as well.
30 min
11: The Origins of Democracy
Cleisthenes recognized that the common Athenian was a more potent political force than any aristocrat, and used this knowledge to take control of an Athens newly freed from the Peisistratid tyranny. Under his rule, the Athenians established the elements of democratic governance.
31 min
12: Beyond Greece-The Persian Empire
The epic confrontation between Greece and Persia changed Greek history forever. In this lecture, the Persian Empire is examined and, as far as possible, without the bias of Greek sources. The portrait that emerges is of a complex and sophisticated society.
32 min
13: The Persian Wars
The Persian Wars, 490-479 B.C.E, were probably of more consequence to the Greeks than to the Persians. From these confrontations the Greeks articulated their idea of eleutheria (freedom), which is still embedded in Western culture. What was freedom as the Greeks conceived it?...
31 min
14: The Athenian Empire
An alliance of Aegean city-states, the Delian League was formed in the aftermath of the Persian Wars while Athens enjoyed great prestige. The Golden Age of Pericles was the age of imperial Athens, during which time the Parthenon, Propylaia, and Erectheion were completed.
31 min
16: Sacrifice and Greek Religion
Greek spiritual life rested on a fluid cosmology in which faith was personal while religion was a public affair that revolved around a communal sacrifice. These sacrifices were organized as festivals, leading us to ask: Which ranked first in importance, performance or belief?
31 min
17: Theater and the Competition of Art
Familiar as Greek plays seem to us, their roots lie in the more foreign realm of ancient religious festivals. The power of drama was seen as connecting the community with the divine. Therefore, the straightforward structure of most Greek dramas should not blind us to their powerful emotional role and content.
30 min
19: The Peloponnesian War, Part I
The Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C.E., was a contest between Athens and Sparta, the two most powerful states in Greece. Thucydides, an Athenian general, wrote his observations and attempted to analyze scientifically the causes of the war. His account remains important not only because it is remarkably detailed, but because Thucydides saw the gap between societal ideals and the realities of power.
30 min
21: Socrates on Trial
The philosophic traditions of Ionian inquiry and sophistic pedagogy met in the career of Socrates, who concentrated almost exclusively on moral philosophy. Plato immortalized his trial and execution in the "Apology," "Crito," and "Phaedo." Was Socrates a martyr, as Plato and many others have held, or is there another explanation for his fate?
31 min
22: Slavery and Freedom
Slaves were ubiquitous in classical Greece; even the poorest citizens owned slaves because the amount of time needed for participation in democratic government meant that the eleutheros, the free man, needed to have others do his domestic tasks. How did the Greeks reconcile the ideal of democracy with the practice of slavery?...
30 min
23: Athens in Decline?
The history of Greece during the 4th century B.C.E. is divided between the early decades when important developments were made in many areas, and the later decades, during which Greece came under the domination of the Macedonian kings. Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum changed philosophy forever, and writers such as Xenophon and Menander produced enduring prose and drama.
31 min
24: Philip, Alexander, and Greece in Transition
Once Philip II had conquered Greece, he used the dream of a Panhellenic crusade to unite the Greeks and conquer the Persian Empire. Philip's son, Alexander the Great, went a long way toward realizing this dream when he led Greco-Macedonian armies in the conquest of Persia and extended the Greek "empire of influence" across Asia as far as the northern marches of the Indian subcontinent.
31 min
Jeremy McInerney
All cultures are unique, I would argue. Japanese culture, Chinese culture, Indian culture-we even know now that cultures that were once dismissed as 'primitive' in fact have extremely rich cultural lives.
ALMA MATER
University of California, Berkeley
INSTITUTION
University of Pennsylvania
About Jeremy McInerney
Dr. Jeremy McInerney is Davidson Kennedy Associate Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. McInerney earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He was the Wheeler Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and has excavated in Israel, at Corinth, and on Crete. He serves on the Managing Committee of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece. Professor McInerney's research interests include topography, epigraphy and historiography. He is the author of The Folds of Parnassos: Land and Ethnicity in Ancient Pholis, and has published articles in a variety of academic journals including Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, the American Journal of Archaeology, Hesperia, and California Studies in Classical Antiquity. In 1997, he was an invited participant at a colloquium on ethnicity in the ancient world, hosted by the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington.
