Ancient Mesopotamia cover art

Ancient Mesopotamia

Life in the Cradle of Civilization

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Ancient Mesopotamia

By: The Great Courses
Narrated by: Professor Amanda H. Podany PhD
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £25.99

Buy Now for £25.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

When we imagine what life might have been like thousands of years in the past, the images we often conjure are primitive ones: reed and mud huts or plain brick dwellings, cooking pits, villagers, and simple farms. That was indeed what life was like in the earliest settlements, but by 5,000 years ago, life in some places had become much more sophisticated than we might think. Impressive achievements - like stepped temples that towered like mountains, elaborate palaces (some with bathrooms and plumbing), and complex houses - were also a part of life for people who lived in cities that arose thousands of years ago, particularly in the fertile region that emerged along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Welcome to Mesopotamia, the ancient name for the region that is now Iraq, a remarkably advanced civilization that flourished for two-thirds of the time that civilization has existed on Earth. Mesopotamians mastered irrigation agriculture; built the first complex urban societies; developed writing, literature, and law; and united vast regions through warfare and diplomacy. While civilizations like Greece and Rome have an unbroken tradition of written histories, the rich history of Mesopotamia has only been recently rediscovered, thanks to the decipherment of Mesopotamia's cuneiform writing less than 200 years ago. In this 24-lecture course taught by Professor Podany, you'll fill in the blanks of your historical understanding as you witness a whole new world opening before your eyes.

Riveting stories about kings and priestesses as well as ordinary people from all walks of life transport you back in time, giving you invaluable insights into the history of a landmark region that has long been known as the cradle of civilization.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2018 The Great Courses (P)2018 The Teaching Company, LLC
World City Thought-Provoking Mesopotamia Ancient History World History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Babylon cover art
The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World cover art
The Celtic World cover art
The Mongol Empire cover art
The Greek World cover art
1066: The Year That Changed Everything cover art
The Pagan World cover art
England: From the Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest cover art
Language Families of the World cover art
The Story of Human Language cover art
The Iliad of Homer cover art
Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion cover art
Writing Creative Nonfiction cover art
The Foundations of Western Civilization cover art
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition cover art
Ancient Civilizations of North America cover art

What listeners say about Ancient Mesopotamia

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    263
  • 4 Stars
    56
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    231
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    217
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

really enjoyed

really enjoyed it made history interesting and opens up a window into the past that opens up a vista to the present.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great course

So interesting! Really enjoyed this course. The presenter is engaging and made it come alive.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great introduction, not to academic

Great introduction, interesting lectures and but not overly academic and heavy to listen to(this will be good for some, and poor for others)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly engaging

Fantastic content read well and with the enthusiasm of the author. A topic covering thousands of years but there are many highlights that even I retain. If you have an interest in this subject the lecture structure makes this easy to read and of course, revisit at any time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ancient history

Loved being immersed in this once great culture. These courses are are great way to access history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, a fascinating look at ancient history

The author narrated very well. She provided information about Mesopotamia, and gave an insight into the lives of the people. I've learned loads, fully recommended to anyone who is interested in history.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent look into ancient Mesopotamia.

Really enjoyed this audio book. The author knows her stuff. However, she was very slow, so I recommend you listen to it at 1.2 speed . enjoy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great course

This was a good one! She speaks with such clarity and enthusiasm, and does a beautiful job of combining detail and the everyday, with the grand sweep of history and major historical developments.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars

Enthralling

Great introduction to an exciting and underrepresented age. Plenty of depth with an engaging and well considered narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent it

Excellent in all respects, a bright light has been focused on a neglected forgotten history
L

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!