Lectures
(2014)
Overview
The lectures provide an invaluable look at the design and architecture of ancient cities, as well as a flesh-and-blood glimpse into the daily lives of ordinary people and the worlds they created.
Cast
as Professor
Episodes
The Lure of the City 0.0
August 29, 2014
Cities are integral to our modern lives. Begin your tour by considering why wandering ancient humans left the forests a…
Çatalhöyük—First Experiment in Urban Living 0.0
August 29, 2014
Imagine a city with no streets, no public buildings, and no common spaces. Built in layers on a small mound, the world’…
Jericho and Its Walls 0.0
August 29, 2014
Nearly everyone has heard the story of the walls of Jericho, which famously came tumbling down in the book of Joshua. L…
Uruk—City of Gilgamesh 0.0
August 29, 2014
Shift your attention to one of the most marvelous cities in the ancient world. Located in the heart of Mesopotamia, Uru…
Mysterious Mohenjo-daro 0.0
August 29, 2014
Venture east to the Indus Valley, home of one of the great unknowns among ancient civilizations. The lack of written ev…
Kahun—Company Town in the Desert 0.0
August 29, 2014
Enter the world of ancient Egypt during the peaceful era of the Middle Kingdom. Here in the desert, paid laborers built…
Work and Life at Deir el-Medina 0.0
August 29, 2014
At the height of Egyptian power during the New Kingdom, skilled workers enjoyed more prosperity than ever before, and o…
Amarna—Revolutionary Capital 0.0
August 29, 2014
Deliberately created as a capital city near the center of the kingdom, Amarna served as an administrative and religious…
Knossos—Palace, City, or Temple? 0.0
August 29, 2014
Delve into the remarkable Minoan city of Knossos, a labyrinthine complex integrated into the natural landscape. This so…
Akrotiri—Bronze Age Pompeii 0.0
August 29, 2014
Visit another Minoan city, which was obliterated by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history. The eruptio…
Mycenae, Tiryns, and the Mask of Agamemnon 0.0
August 29, 2014
Investigate the culture of Bronze Age Greece. After learning about the intriguing masonry at Tiryns and the impressive …
Athens—Civic Buildings and Civic Identity 0.0
August 29, 2014
Leap forward to classical Athens in the Golden Age of the 5th century B.C. Tour some of the city’s most well-known land…
Athenian Domestic Architecture 0.0
August 29, 2014
Turn from the Athenian public sphere to the domestic spaces and find out what life was like for everyday citizens. See …
Hippodamian Planning—Miletus and Ephesus 0.0
August 29, 2014
Meet Hippodamus of Miletus, the father of urban planning. He used the system of orthogonal planning—including broad ave…
Olynthus—A Classical Greek City Preserved 0.0
August 29, 2014
Founded for defense at the start of the Peloponnesian War, the planned city of Olynthus contains the best-preserved cla…
Wonder and Diversity at Alexandria 0.0
August 29, 2014
Built directly on the seacoast and a major transportation hub, Alexandria is the first massive, cosmopolitan city we kn…
Pergamon—The New Theatricality 0.0
August 29, 2014
While Hippodamian planning emphasized practicality, the organic layout of Pergamon emphasized theatricality, great scal…
The Good Life in Rome 0.0
August 29, 2014
Travel through Rome in the footsteps of a well-to-do citizen, from his freestanding apartment complex to the political …
The Lives of the Poor in Rome 0.0
August 29, 2014
Trace a day in the life of an immigrant glass blower in Rome, whose life would be considerably less fortunate thanks to…
Ostia—Middle-Class Harbor Town 0.0
August 29, 2014
One of the most intriguing cities in the ancient world is Ostia, a “producer city” that appears to have been comprised …
Timgad—More Roman Than Rome 0.0
August 29, 2014
Take an excursion to the frontiers of the Roman Empire, where a group of military veterans lived in a planned city that…
Karanis—On the Fringes of the Empire 0.0
August 29, 2014
Consider another city at the edge of the empire—an agricultural community comprised of a diverse population. Here you’l…
Constantinople—The Last Ancient City 0.0
August 29, 2014
Your tour of ancient cities closes with an examination of Constantinople, which bridges the gap between the era of anti…
Lessons and Legacies of Ancient Urban Life 0.0
August 29, 2014
What does this survey of ancient cities add up to? What lessons can we draw from antiquity? Conclude the course with a …