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Herodotus: The Father of History
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
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A lecture I keep coming back to ..It's *that* good
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Made the Iliad easy to understand
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Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
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good presenter not enough lectors
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- Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Greek tragedy was a dramatic form that flourished for less than a full century. And yet it remains vibrant, alive, and productive today. And the form's masterpieces help us-as perhaps they helped their original audiences-grasp a fuller sense of the terror and wonder of life. Professor Vandiver has designed these 24 rich and rewarding lectures to give you a full overview of Greek tragedy, both in its original setting and as a lasting contribution to the artistic exploration of the human condition.
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terrific
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Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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The Aeneid of Virgil
- Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Aeneid is the great national epic of ancient Rome, and one of the most important works of literature ever written. And with Professor Vandiver's 12 instructive lectures, you'll enter fully into the gripping tale that Virgil tells. Join Aeneas on his long journey west from ruined Troy to the founding of a new nation in Italy, and see how he weaves a rich network of compelling human themes. Your encounter with the Aeneid focuses on careful, detailed examinations of the epic's background, main themes, and significant episodes.
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A lecture I keep coming back to ..It's *that* good
- By Mercedes Morris on 2018-09-13
Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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Classical Mythology
- Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
These 24 lectures are a vibrant introduction to the primary characters and most important stories of classical Greek and Roman mythology. Among those you'll investigate are the accounts of the creation of the world in Hesiod's Theogony and Ovid's Metamorphoses; the gods Zeus, Apollo, Demeter, Persephone, Hermes, Dionysos, and Aphrodite; the Greek heroes, Theseus and Heracles (Hercules in the Roman version); and the most famous of all classical myths, the Trojan War.
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Great stuff, worth buying.
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Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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- Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the
Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people. Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the
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Made the Iliad easy to understand
- By Goodlad on 2019-09-13
Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, and others
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- Written by: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Jennifer Paxton PhD
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Following the surge of interest and pride in Celtic identity since the 19th century, much of what we thought we knew about the Celts has been radically transformed. In The Celtic World, discover the incredible story of the Celtic-speaking peoples, whose art, language, and culture once spread from Ireland to Austria. This series of 24 enlightening lectures explains the traditional historical view of who the Celts were, then contrasts it with brand-new evidence from DNA analysis and archeology that totally changes our perspective on where the Celts came from.
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good presenter not enough lectors
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- Written by: Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Vandiver
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- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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What is it in Homer's Odyssey that has so enthralled readers from around the world for thousands of years? By joining Professor Vandiver for these 12 lectures on the Odyssey, you'll find out why.This literary exploration centers on a single provocative question about the epic poem's protagonist, Odysseus: Why does he long so powerfully to go home? To probe the depths of this question, you'll embark on meticulous, insightful examinations of the most important episodes in the Odyssey.
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Publisher's Summary
Witness the "works and wonders" of the ancient world through the eyes of its first great historian in this sparkling series of 24 lectures from a much-honored teacher and classical scholar.
Herodotus (c. 484-420 B.C.E.) was a Greek who was born in what is now the modern Turkish resort town of Bodrum and who died, so tradition says, in the south of Italy. In between, his tirelessly inquiring mind took him from one corner of the known world to another. And he reported on or visited all of its continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) to write about the vast array of subjects that captured his interest. These included the "great works" of the ancient land of Egypt; the remarkable kings who built the vast Persian Empire; and the strange customs and unlikely origins of the Scythians, a warlike, mounted people who lived beyond the Danube and whose repulse of Darius and the Persians in 513 B.C.E. made them the first Europeans to throw back an eastern invasion.
The book that emerged from these "inquiries" - The Histories - is Herodotus's only known work, yet it still made Herodotus one of the rare, landmark figures in the story of thought. In these lectures, Professor Vandiver introduces you to Herodotus and The Histories, tracing the influences he assimilated and the new methods he used in crafting this monumental work. You learn how that work looked at the past in new and fresh ways, seeing it not as a distant recess shrouded in legend and rumor, but as something that lies close at hand; as something that immediately affects the here and now, and as a subject whose great personalities and patterns of events can be studied in order to make the reasons behind them as clear as possible.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Herodotus: The Father of History
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Roberta W
- 2022-04-09
Quite enlightening
A great series of lectures. I like how Professor Vandiver describes Herodotus’ role in history and literature. This is all accompanied by a great telling of the historical times of which he wrote. A wee bit long, but still worth it.
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-11-19
Well delivered and covered
This comprehensive course covers Herodotus' histories, giving the listener context and alternate sources to make learning about this subject easier, and even enjoyable for the least historically interested academic.
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- John
- 2019-10-07
Vandiver + Herodotus = 2 Well-Spent Credits
Another reviewer likened the Histories to “story time with a grandparent”. I get what they mean, but for me Herodotus is more like the keeper of a vast antique shop describing the items (and the stories behind the items) as he guides us through his labyrinth of cabinets.
Of course, that can get confusing. Which is why I can’t recommend Professor Vandiver’s lectures too highly. Listening to both recordings in tandem (choose the Naxos edition of the Histories, with David Timson), Vandiver’s talks become your footnotes (and Cliff’s Notes), giving everything from illuminating details to the broader intellectual milieu in which Herodotus worked and the shape of the book he left us.
For example: College was a while ago, so I either forgot or never knew that Herodotus consciously echoes Homer. And that, for Herodotus, history is not the outcome of impersonal economic and social forces but of very personal likes and dislikes, friendships and vendettas. For that reason, the story of a king’s downfall can quickly evolve into a lengthy digression on the man’s great grandparents who fomented the grievance that is now inspiring his enemies. The experience is more than a little like listening to Ovid’s Metamorphosis; the synapses between stories—or, in this case, within them—can be very elusive. Lucky for us, Professor Vandiver can be very helpful.
Then there are moments—frequent with me—where you ask questions like, “Were the Persians really named after Perseus?” Again, Professor Vandiver has light to shed; while Herodotus purports to give us the inside story on how a city was founded or a custom established, the good professor gives us either the best scholarly guesses, recent archeological evidence, or both. This isn’t to ding Herodotus; as he reminds us, “Nothing is impossible in the long lapse of ages” (and many times the archeology backs him up). But to a modern sensibility it’s comforting to get both perspectives.
Maybe it’s just because the story of the Persian Wars is more familiar (and this is the account that made it so familiar), but in the final two-and-a-half books of his History, the garrulous antiquarian stops rummaging through his display cases and suddenly becomes something akin to a more modern historian. Yet even as the narrative focus sharpens, there are still plenty of digressions, detours and details for Professor Vandiver to illuminate.
Both recordings make for very easy listening. Professor Vandiver’s obvious love for her subject always makes her an engaging, entertaining teacher. And David Timson turns in his usual spectacular performance on the Histories.
25 people found this helpful
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- Betsy
- 2013-09-15
Really Loved It
I thought this was completely informative and enjoyable. It does what courses like this do best by taking a topic you know a little bit about and just expanding it. At first, I was skeptical about the Professor but I was wrong. She was knowledgeable and easy to follow. But she also seemed to just genuinely enjoy the topic and have a lot of affection for Herodotus (as odd as that sounds by the end I did too), which really makes you get into it.
The Histories really were an amazing achievement from a person who seemed to be maybe naive maybe intentionally deceptive but, regardless, endlessly curious and inquisitive about just everything. Not just the wars but culture, religion, science. And the Professor conveys that along with conveying facts.
It obviously seems like a narrow and niche topic to pick up. But I really think it is worth it. It really covers a lot about the history of history and of the time. The Professor talks about how Herodotus influences others (even as they were disdainful of him) but I think that has never been more relevant. She doesn't get into it but at this point there is an "oral history" on every topic imaginable floating around. Some are considered classics (Please Kill Me, Live From New York and most of Studs Terkel). And some aren't. But the idea of learning about a topic and a place in time by just talking to a bunch of people and relating what they say word for word even if one contradicts the other has definitely come back into vogue in a very big way. That approach has a lot of flaws when it comes to relating facts and dates (so traditional history is of course important) but it often captures the mood, the feelings, the idea of a place (the real truth) in a way relating the facts can't. And, in that sense, Herodotus has truly never been more relevant.
20 people found this helpful
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- julio santiago
- 2015-06-17
Utterly Fantastic!
I am a great fan of The Great Courses series and have built up quite a library. Listening to these great professors, experts and masters in their field, is for me a great investment of time. I find it difficult listening to anything else as I excercise, or go about my chores.
These lectures by Herodotian scholar, Professor Vandiver are my favorite. The Professor is an excellent orator and is passionate about her subject. Two ingredients that I believe, make for a great professor. This is my second time listening to the course and I intend to revisit it again. I definitely recommend this course to anyone interested in Herodotus and Greek - Persian history.
12 people found this helpful
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- Penny
- 2021-01-13
Great Topic, Wrong narration
The topic was interesting, however, 90% of the lectures were opinions. I realize that opinions are needed in regards to so so much inconsistencies with the subject matter. However, after listening to 25 lectures, I still know very little about Herodotus.
The Author should quote more of his actual writings and tell us in more detail where Herodotus actually traveled. I could go possibly go to Wikipedia and learn as much about Herodotus
4 people found this helpful
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- Taylor Britton
- 2020-01-13
a great course
i saved this one as my last of the available courses on greek history and mythology because Elizabeth Vandiver has been my fav Great Courses instructor so far. now that i am out of her courses i will have to find a copy of her book "Heroes in Herodotus: The Interaction of Myth and History"
3 people found this helpful
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- Hermanubis
- 2021-12-20
Dry but incredibly detailed.
She outperformed herself, the content is just dry. For anyone contemplating whether to get a spartan tattoo, listen to her first lol
2 people found this helpful
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- historygirl
- 2016-03-23
Fantastic
I absolutely loved this course. Professor Vandiver has carefully constructed a wonderful series of lectures on Herodotus, his work, and in the world he lived in and wrote about. Highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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- Omar
- 2016-02-28
Just What You Were Looking For
Professor Vandiver will ignite (or reignite) your love for the classics and open your eyes to the possibilities of historical writing
2 people found this helpful
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- Jeff Lacy
- 2020-06-18
Excellent lecture on Herodotus
Professor Vandiver gives us twenty-four enlightening lectures on Herodotus’ Histories. With a pleasant voice, she provides well organized lectures that probe and analyze Herodotus’ work, adding background information, and highlighting opinions by other scholars. Her years of experience with the work and the genre lend this Audible recording of this Great Courses series great value to the student and those interested in adding to their appreciation of The Histories.
1 person found this helpful
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- LocalShopper
- 2018-02-19
Generally interesting but very wordy, repetitive
An interesting topic presented by a bearable lecturer but in a highly drawn out and repetitive style. If you need to burn a credit and want to learn a few facts about the history of history, it's an okay choice. You will learn how Herodotus's work influenced the practice of recording history and about some of the reasons Eastern / Western cultures fell into conflict. I just wish she had been more concise in her presentation; I felt constantly that I could ignore the audio for several minutes without missing any important points because she would be rephrasing and repeating everything at least four times.
1 person found this helpful