#736 overall
The Other Side of History
The Great Courses
1 recommender · 1 thread · recommended in 1 year, 2023 · score 0.7
A Great Courses lecture series that examines history from the perspective of ordinary people rather than leaders, covering daily life from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt through Greece, Rome, and the medieval period.
One commenter says they enjoyed the deep dive into daily life through history, which helped them see the common threads all humans share.
Humanities & Social Sciencebeginnerpaidvideo lectures#social history#daily life#ancient world#medieval#lecture series
Recommendations by year
20062026
Not sure best ever, but I really enjoyed “The Other Side of History” (available from Great Courses Plus now Wonderium). I found the deep dive into daily life through history helped me better understand the common threads that all humans experience.
Course Description:
Imagine you're a Greek soldier marching into battle in the front row of a phalanx. Or an Egyptian woman putting on makeup before attending an evening party with your husband. Or a Celtic monk scurrying away with the Book of Kells during a Viking invasion. Welcome to the other side of history, the 99% of ordinary people whose names don't make it into the history books—but whose lives are no less fascinating than the great leaders whose names we all know. Here you'll encounter such diverse individuals as:
a Mesopotamian hunter-gatherer making a living in one of the world's earliest permanent settlements;
an Egyptian craftsman decorating the pharaoh's tomb in the Valley of the Kings; a Minoan fleeing the island of Santorini during a volcanic eruption;
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 medieval pilgrim on the road to Canterbury.
https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-other-side-of-hi...