Ancient Greek civilization tells a complex and intriguing story about the growth of the pivotal institutions that laid the groundwork for Western civilization. The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World immerses you in this exciting crucible of innovation with 48 lectures that focus on Greek democracy, law, and empire, as well as the people who molded them. Taught by award-winning Professor Ian Worthington, this course is an incredibly detailed look at the birth of our political traditions—a gripping, enlightening, and immensely rewarding story that reaffirms the many enduring legacies of the ancient Greek world.
The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World
Dive deep into Greek democracy, law, and empire, as well as the people who molded them.
Rated 4 out of
5
by
24ONR from
The good, the bad, the odd
This course was simultaneously good, bad and odd. To start with the odd: why is this course entitled “The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World?” It says almost nothing about the civilization’s legacy; rather, it is a survey of the ancient Greek world, from the Archaic Period to the beginning of the Hellenistic period. Turning to the good: as a survey course, it succeeds and is particularly strong in the Archaic period. Certain sections – such as his analysis of Greek laws – were superb. Turning to bad, the tone of his lectures (although not necessarily the content) is often that of an address to a group of elementary school students. He litters his lectures with banal rhetorical questions and maladroit modern analogies. There is a certain silly self-satisfaction and overkill to his professed “heresies”; he should just cite the conventional interpretations and his challenges to them. He is not being as daring as he thinks. For ancient Greek scholars with more gravitas, I would recommend Kenneth Harl’s course on the Peloponnesian War, Elizabeth Vandiver’s course on Herodotus or Jeremy McInerney’s courses on either Pericles or Alexander and the Hellenistic Age. Concluding with the odd, Professor Worthington gets sidetracked with justifying his likes and dislikes of various historical figures, alternatively saying we cannot judge them by contemporary moral standards, and other times judging them by contemporary moral standards. Trying to strip Alexander of his title “the Great” isn’t as transgressive as he thinks it is, unless perhaps he were lecturing in the 19th century. The legacy of Alexander’s exploits, however, was monumentally important, something the course’s title suggests we would be studying, but alas did not.
Date published: 2024-08-16
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Bob Kay from
The Long Shadow of the Greek World
I bought The Long Shadow of the Greek World May 31, 2024. I wish I had the course before I went to Greece. Professor Ian Worthington put in a lot of time researching this course, is most knowledgeable, and presents the course so that you wish you could be in his classroom.
Date published: 2024-07-23
Rated 5 out of
5
by
WilliamBd from
Outstanding and highly recommended
Ian Worthington is a renowned author on the subject matter. His lecture style is engaging and very thorough. He highlights his personal biases so you immediately know his opinions versus the more recognized factual material. Overall outstanding professor and communicator. I rate him among the very best.
Date published: 2024-03-15
Rated 5 out of
5
by
rsaid19fish from
Worth your time if you love history
This lecture series is a worthy investment of your time if you love history, but also if you just want to know more about the origins and development of many of the social and political pillars of western culture. Dr. Worthington does not just provide dates and names, but attempts to draw connections between ideas, find historical themes, and even throws in a few hersies that are worth examining. Loved the course!
Date published: 2024-02-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Cousindrew from
Excellent Course!
Prof. Worthington does a masterful job of tracing the history of ancient Greece in this 48-lecture series. His lecture style is easy and conversational, his knowledge of the subject matter is impressive, and his sense of humor and wit enliven each lecture. I purchased the audio version and found that to be entirely satisfactory, although a working knowledge of the geography of ancient Greece and Turkey is a definite plus. Highly recommended!
Date published: 2023-08-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ralph PG 64 from
The Long Shadow of the Ancient Greek World
I bought the DVD's a couple of years ao, and I am watching them for the second time. Professor Worthington knows his subject very well, and his enthusiasm for ancient Greek history and his humor make the course fun to watch. I have traveled through Greece, and it was interesting to hear about some of the things I saw there.
Date published: 2023-08-02
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Ric423 from
A Truly GREAT Course
Professor Worthington is an excellent instructor. He is a world class scholar who doesn’t talk down to his students. His voice is clear and pleasant, and his lectures are very enjoyable. You feel as if you are in a university class.
Date published: 2023-07-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Jonathan l from
A fantastic course that rewards repeat listening.
I am a fan of Prof Worthington - his books are great - and this course benefits from his sterling academic background, sense of detail but very approachable and conversational style.
You never feel like you are in the weeds. Listening to the course is like being front row in a lecture where you never look at the clock.
Date published: 2023-05-11
Overview
About
Dr. Ian Worthington is the Curators' Professor and Professor of History at the University of Missouri, where he has been teaching since 1998. The Curators' Professor title, which he received in 2013, is the highest research award in the UM system. Born in England, Professor Worthington earned a B.A. in Classical Studies from the University of Hull and an M.A. in Ancient History from the University of Durham. In 1987 he was awarded a Ph.D. from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, with a thesis on the Greek orator Dinarchus and Athenian history in the age of Alexander the Great. He went on to teach for 10 years in the classics departments at the universities of New England and of Tasmania. In 2005 Professor Worthington won the Chancellor?s Award for Outstanding Research and Creativity in the Humanities and in 2007 the Student-Athlete Most Inspiring Professor Award. In 2011 he was the recipient of the William H. Byler Distinguished Professor Award and the CAMWS Excellence in College Teaching Award. Professor Worthington has published 6 sole-authored books, 11 edited books, and 100 articles, book chapters, and essays on Greek history, oratory and epigraphy, including By the Spear, The Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire (Oxford University Press: 2014), Demosthenes of Athens and the Fall of Classical Greece (Oxford University Press 2013), Philip II of Macedonia (Yale University Press 2008), and Alexander the Great: Man and God (Pearson 2004), and the Blackwell Companions to Ancient Macedonia (2010; coedited with Joseph Roisman), and Greek Rhetoric (2007). He is also editor-in-chief of Brill's New Jacoby. He and Joseph Roisman just completed a commentary on the ancient lives of the Attic orators for the Clarendon Ancient History Series (forthcoming, 2015). He is working on a biography of Ptolemy I for Oxford University Press.
01: Three Mainstays of Ancient Greece
Begin your exploration of Archaic and Classical Greek history with a survey of the three major themes of this course: democracy, law, and empire. Then briefly examine the Bronze Age, which set the stage for many of the later developments you study.
34 min
02: The 8th-Century Renaissance
The Bronze Age was followed by four centuries of turmoil (1150-750 B.C.), termed the Dark Ages of ancient Greece. Investigate the civilization that emerged from this era, which ended with a renaissance in the 8th century, marking the start of the Archaic period.
31 min
03: Politics and Tyranny in Greece
This lecture considers the rule of the tyrants of three important states in the Peloponnese: Argos, Sicyon, and Corinth. "Tyrant" was a title assumed by those who illegally seized power. Surprisingly, many tyrants played a positive role in bringing peace and stability to their cities.
30 min
04: The Exercise of Political Power in Athens
Athens, like other states, was ruled by aristocratic families who felt threatened by the rise of tyrannies elsewhere. This background helps you understand the nature of political power in Athens before the revolutionary democratic reforms of Solon, Ephialtes, and Cleisthenes.
30 min
05: Dracon of Athens and the Birth of Greek Law
With Athens facing a revolt of the lower classes, the ruling families appointed a man called Dracon to codify the laws. His severity gave rise to the epithet "draconian," but his inauguration of a formal system of procedures, courts, trial by jury, and other measures earned him the Greek accolade "the father of law."
30 min
06: Solon of Athens—Social and Economic Reforms
In 594 the ruling nobles elected an Athenian named Solon to end civil strife, giving him absolute power for one year. Study the revolution wrought by this political genius, who invented democracy.
30 min
07: Solon, Democracy, and Law
Consider Solon's political and judicial legislation. How did he go about creating democracy? What did he do to help develop the legal code? You consider the view of Aristotle's "Athenian Constitution" on the three most democratic aspects of Solon's constitution.
31 min
08: From Anarchy to Tyranny in Athens
The decades after Solon were marked by anarchy, aristocratic faction fighting, and further civil war. Chart the rise to power of the tyrant Pisistratus, a nobleman who championed the cause of the poor.
32 min
09: Pisistratus, Tyrant of Athens
Examine how Pisistratus benefited Athens economically, artistically, and culturally by his exploitation of religion and his power as tyrant. This is when the first official texts of the Homeric poems were established, when tragedy was born, and when Athens began to emerge as the cultural center of Greece.
31 min
10: Tyranny Overthrown—The Sons of Pisistratus
To what extent did Pisistratus have the people's interests at heart, rather than cynically exploiting them to maintain his regime? After exploring this question, look at the inauspicious reign of his sons and the growing tension with the powerful military state of Sparta.
32 min
11: Democracy Restored—Cleisthenes of Athens
In the wake of the Pisistratid tyranny, a politician named Cleisthenes gained the upper hand by promising the people widespread changes. His legislation dramatically increased the fledgling democracy by revising the map of Attica to limit aristocratic influence.
31 min
12: Cleisthenes, the Real Father of Democracy?
Learn how Cleisthenes' political restructuring ended factional strife and is the forerunner of today's division of local, state, and federal administration. In taking democracy to the masses in a way that Solon had not, Cleisthenes may be more deserving of the title "the father of democracy."
32 min
13: Sparta, the "Odd-Man-Out" State in Greece
Turn to the polis that was the odd man out: Sparta. Other Greeks viewed the Spartans with a combination of admiration and alarm for their austere military culture. Yet in the early Archaic period, Sparta was developing like other Greek cities until it underwent a radical transformation.
31 min
14: Death or Glory—Spartan Military Education
Sparta's traditional lawgiver was a possibly mythical figure named Lycurgus. His reforms included a brutal system of military education called the agoge, with the aim of building the best army in Greece. You look at what this demanding and dangerous schooling involved.
30 min
15: "Come Back Carrying Your Shield or On It"
Spartan women played a more overt role in public life than their counterparts in Athens, exhorting their sons to die in battle rather than survive in defeat. Sparta's slaves, or helots, far outnumbered the Spartans - and created an internal security problem that may have triggered Sparta's obsession with military superiority.
30 min
16: From Sparta to Persia
Conclude your exploration of Spartan society with a look at its weaknesses, among them high mortality of Spartan males due to their constant military service. Further, Sparta's deteriorating relations with Athens in the 490s did not bode well for the Greeks as Persia prepared to invade the Greek mainland.
31 min
17: Marathon—End of the First Persian Invasion
In 490 Athenian troops fighting virtually alone defeated the invading Persian army at Marathon. Learn how this victory was crucial in Athens' coming of age as a military power.
30 min
18: Thermopylae and the 300 Spartans
The Persians sought revenge for their defeat at Marathon by invading Greece in 481 with a massive army and fleet led by the great king Xerxes. You focus on the famous battle at Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans led by Leonidas refused to surrender and were wiped out.
30 min
19: Greece Triumphs—The End of the Persian Wars
This lecture covers the advance of Persian forces deeper into Greece. At Salamis, Themistocles lured the Persian fleet to battle, virtually annihilating it. Then in spring 479 a pitched battle was fought at Plataea, in which the Persians were defeated.
31 min
20: From the Archaic to the Classical Period
Examine the aftermath of the Persian Wars, asking why the Persians lost. Then probe the surprisingly momentous question of whether the wars form the natural end of the Archaic period, or whether they should be considered the opening of the Classical period.
32 min
21: The Delian League—Origins and First Steps
Building on its military success in the Persian Wars, Athens formed an alliance of Greek states known as the Delian League, which became a de facto Athenian empire, alarming Sparta. Look at the working methods of Thucydides, the historian who recorded these developments.
33 min
22: From Delian League to Athenian Empire
Examine Thucydides' analysis of the early years of the Delian League and the growth of Athenian imperialism. Initially, relations between Athens and its allies were good, but from the 470s on Athenian expansion and the disregard of allied autonomy seriously strained ties.
32 min
23: Ephialtes, Founder of Radical Democracy
This lecture reads between the lines of the ancient sources to uncover the political and judicial revolution crafted by Ephialtes, a little-known general and politician who introduced radical or direct democracy to Athens, in which the people became sovereign in the state. He may also be responsible for trial by jury.
31 min
24: Rhetoric—A New Path to Political Power
Ephialtes' radical democracy created a demand for orators. These individuals were called rhêtores, or speakers. Out of this grew the term "demagogue," or leader of the people, which took on an odious connotation. You examine how rhetoric came to be exploited for political ends - and for deceiving the people.
32 min
25: Democracy and Political Speech—Then and Now
What is the difference between the democracy of Classical Athens and ours today? What were the shortcomings of the Athenian system? How democratic was it? After exploring these questions, you turn to the influence of ancient rhetoric on modern.
31 min
26: The Causes of the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides gave two reasons for the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War: Sparta's fear of the growth of Athenian power, and a sequence of actions that provoked the Spartans to declare war. You also hear the theory that Pericles, the leader of Athens, deliberately engineered the war.
30 min
27: The War's Early Years and the Great Plague
You cover the first few years of the Peloponnesian War, focusing on Pericles' strategy, the effects of the great plague that wiped out about one-quarter of Athenians, the rise of the demagogue Cleon, and the revolt of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.
31 min
28: Athenian Successes and a Temporary Peace
This lecture takes the war down to the Peace of Nicias in 421, which was a temporary cessation of hostilities. You study the successful Athenian campaign at Pylos and Sphacteria and the pivotal role played by Cleon, whom history has treated dismissively.
31 min
29: War Resumes—The Athenian Disaster in Sicily
Thucydides attributed Athens's loss in the war to the Sicilian expedition and the decline in leadership after Pericles. You examine the collapse of the Peace of Nicias and the background to the Sicilian campaign, noting how Athenians committed rashly to the enterprise.
31 min
30: Democracy Fails—Oligarchy in Athens
Look at the results of Athens' great defeat, which led to the imposition of oligarchy in Athens in 411, an event foreshadowed in Aristophanes' biting comedy "Lysistrata." The oligarchy was soon deposed and replaced by a moderate form of democracy.
32 min
31: Final Battles—Sparta's Triumph over Athens
Survey the war's last years and the climactic defeat of Athens at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405. The terms imposed on Athens by Sparta included the end of the Delian League, the abolition of Athenian democracy, and the installation of a cruel, pro-Spartan oligarchy.
32 min
32: Why Athens Lost—The Impact on Greece
Why did Athens lose the Peloponnesian War? This lecture examines the failure of the radical democracy, whose actions lay behind every event that was to Athens' detriment. The second half of the lecture takes Greek history to the accession of Philip II of Macedonia.
33 min
33: The Household in the Polis
Turn from military campaigns to a study of Greek law and society. Investigate the Athenian family and its integral role in law and society, focusing on the various members of the family, especially women, and what the state expected of them.
31 min
34: Athenian Law and Society
Three ancient literary works provide a window into Athens' legal system. You look at Aristophanes' "Wasps,", Plato's "Crito," and Sophocles' "Antigone" for insight into how the Athenian legal code developed, how seriously citizens viewed it, and how it also afforded a means of entertainment.
31 min
35: Historical Development of the Legal Code
The rudimentary justice of the Bronze Age is depicted in a famous passage in Homer. You begin with this scene and follow the development of Greek law through the introduction of trial by jury and the protection of individual rights in the Classical period.
33 min
36: The Judicial Machinery of the Legal System
This lecture discusses the major components of Athens' judicial system: the magistrates, courts, and private and public arbitrators. Athenians attached great importance to the law and were enthusiastic participants in legal proceedings, both as litigants and jurors.
30 min
37: Types of Cases, Sycophants, and Pretrial
The origin of lawyers may trace to professional consultants in Athens, who composed and sometimes delivered court speeches on behalf of clients, whether for the prosecution or defense. You also learn of the positive role played in law enforcement by sycophants, or blackmailers.
32 min
38: Going to Trial in Ancient Athens
When a case got to Athenian court, how long did a trial last? What role did the jury have? How did it vote? What sorts of penalties were prescribed? The conduct of jurors would seem shocking by today's standards, but their frequent cheering and jeering were strictly professional.
30 min
39: Macedonia, North of Mount Olympus
Returning to the theme of imperialism, you investigate Macedonia in the age of Philip II and Alexander III, also known as "the Great." Before Philip's reign, Macedonia was a backwater with a weak army and no centralized rule, beset by frequent attacks by neighboring tribes.
32 min
40: Philip II—"Greatest of the Kings of Europe"
How did Philip become the greatest of the kings of Europe in his time according to one ancient historian? You follow his early steps to consolidate Macedonia's position by a combination of diplomacy, deceit, and a series of canny political marriages.
30 min
41: Philip II and Macedonian Imperialism
This lecture surveys Philip's war with Athens over Amphipolis and his involvement in the Third Sacred War, both of which he used as stepping stones into central Greek affairs. At their conclusion he had become a significant force in the politics of the region.
33 min
42: Greece Conquered—The End of Greek Autonomy
As Philip tightened the screws on the Greek states, the Athenian orator Demosthenes worked tirelessly to discredit him. The tensions reached a peak at the battle of Chaeronea in 338. Philip's victory put Greece under Macedonian control, and Greek autonomy came to an end.
32 min
43: Philip's Assassination and Legacy
Trace Philip's reign down to his assassination in 336, focusing on his incorporation of the Greek states into the Macedonian Empire, his plan to invade the Persian Empire, and his controversial seventh marriage that led to an open clash with his son Alexander.
32 min
44: Alexander the Great—Youth, Early Kingship
For all Alexander's brilliance as a general and strategist, was he truly great? Begin your investigation of history's most celebrated conqueror, getting at the man behind the myth. Alexander had ample motives to wish his father dead, and circumstantial evidence suggests that he was involved in Philip's assassination.
31 min
45: Alexander as General
Alexander enormously expanded Philip's foreign ventures. This lecture recounts his three major battles that captured the entire Persian Empire: Granicus, Issus, and Gaugamela. All were won against great odds. Alexander spread his conquests as far as present-day Pakistan before his army mutinied.
32 min
46: Alexander as King
Exploring Alexander's claim to greatness, you look at his increasingly erratic behavior during his conquests, evident when he used the excuse of two apparent attempts on his life to get rid of vocal opponents. You also consider the accuracy of the view that he was an idealist.
31 min
47: Alexander as Man—and God?
One of the most controversial aspects of Alexander's reign is whether he considered himself divine. This lecture explores his self-identification as son of Zeus, his desire to be worshiped as a god, and the attitude of his court and army toward this very un-Greek-like behavior.
32 min
48: Beyond the Classical—The Greeks and Us
The final lecture sums up the course by examining several questions: What happened to Greece after the Classical period? What has been the role of Greek civilization in the Western tradition? And what lessons have we learned from the Greek experience with democracy, law, and empire?
31 min
