TTC Video - A Modern Look At Ancient Greek Civilization

Drawing on art, literature, recent archeological discovers and the record of history, Professor Szegedy-Maszak of Wesleyan University explores the culture of 2,500 years of Greek civilization.

Beginning with Greece's own pre-history in Cycladic and Minoan civilizations through the warrior kings of Mycenae, the lectures share in the invention and developing consciousness that led to the poetry of Homer, the philosophical achievements of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the rise and disappointments of early democracy, the beginnings of historical understanding the harsh tensions imposed by the colonial and military ambitions of the Greeks, as well as the rich artistic legacy left ot us by the rich first flower of western civilization.

Course Lecture Titles:

01. Introduction And Prehistory: The Cycladic And Minoan Civilization
02. Homer And The Origins Of The Epic Tradition
03. The Archaic Age
04. Sparta And Lycurgus: The Creation Of A Martial Utopia
05. Athens And Solon: Economics And Political Reform
06. From Tyranny To Democracy
07. The Ionian Philosophers, Herodotus, And The Birth Of History: The Persian Wars
08. The War Generation
09. Society And Social Life In Athens
10. Tragedy, Myth, Ritual And The Polis
11. Democracy And Empire: The Rule Of Pericles
12. Thucydides And Scientific History: The Peloponnesian War
13. Old Comedy And New Politicians: Satirists And Demagogues
14. Socrates
15. The Fourth Century And The Rise Of Macedon
16. Alexander The Great And The Onset Of The Hellenistic Age

NOTE: Lecture 1 is incomplete (19 mins), Lecture 2 is missing. I added them as MP3 files separately.