The Big History of Civilizations
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Narrated by:
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Craig G. Benjamin
About this listen
The history of human civilization is an astonishing story of migration, innovation, and social development. Now, the exciting new field of "big history" allows us to explore human civilizations in ways unavailable to historians of previous generations. Big history scholars take a multidisciplinary approach to study great spans of time, unlocking important themes, trends, and developments across time and space.
Unlike a traditional survey of history - with its focus on dates and events, kings and battles - The Big History of Civilizations is your chance to apply this cutting-edge historical approach to the epic story of humanity around the world. Taught by acclaimed Professor Craig G. Benjamin of Grand Valley State University, these 36 sweeping lectures trace the story of human civilizations from our emergence as a species, through the agricultural and industrial revolutions, and into the future.
It only takes a few minutes of one lecture for you to discover that Big History is an amazing approach to history. Its grand vision will give you powerful new insights into human civilization, and it offers a profound analysis of some of our biggest questions: What makes us human? Where did we come from? And where are we going? There may be no easy answers, but Professor Benjamin takes you on a powerful journey to the limits of our understanding.
What differentiates big history from any other field is the way it combines divergent fields, from archaeology and anthropology to ecology and philosophy, and ties them together, allowing you to see patterns of our past, present - and even future. From the just-right "Goldilocks factors" that allow civilizations to emerge to different ways civilizations have emerged across time and around the word, this riveting approach to history offers a multidisciplinary toolkit to tell the story about what makes us human.
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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The Roman gladiator has long been a figure of fascination. Portrayed frequently in fine art and popular culture alike, the gladiator is both a real part of history and a legend of a romanticized past. We know that these men entertained Roman audiences by fighting in dangerous and often deadly games. But who were the gladiators? What were their lives like? And why do they continue to have such a strong hold on our imagination, centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire?
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Mistitled
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Helter Skelter
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- Unabridged
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Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.
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Everything I remembered about the case was wrong..
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The Secret History of Christmas
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Christmas is the single biggest annual event on the planet, a time for merry-making, over-indulgence, peace, goodwill, and the occasional family row. It’s as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes and yet still glittery and exciting. But what do you really know about it? It’s stuffed full of traditions and rituals that most of us have been observing all our lives without having the slightest idea of where they come from.
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Fascinating and Entertaining
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
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The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean
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The history of the tablets translated in the following book is strange and beyond the belief of modern scientists. Their antiquity is stupendous, dating back some 36,000 years. The writer is Thoth, an Atlantean Priest-King, who founded a colony in ancient Egypt after the sinking of the mother country. He was the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, erroneously attributed to Cheops. In it he incorporated his knowledge of the ancient wisdom and also securely secreted records and instruments of ancient Atlantis.
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Excellence...
- By Light Worker on 04-21-18
By: M. Doreal
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What listeners say about The Big History of Civilizations
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Nikolaos Tsagkarakis
- 10-03-19
Nothing better
This is the single best piece of audible literature i have ever come across.
Good material and well narrated.
I would give 100 stars if i could.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Cody
- 01-31-24
very shallow and some is just incorrect
Much of the first half of the course is just a very shallow and often over simplified pass over Eurasian history up to the Mongols, with "big history" analyses only really coming in when he starts looking at the Americas. many details are wrong or anachronistic, such as attributing modern crops from the Americas to African farmers because they farm them now (cassava, for example). He also suffers from editorializing, such as applying cultural beliefs to Amazonian people's pre-Euro contact that have not been confirmed.
I guess it is an okay first start, but there are many better courses out there.
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- Rich
- 03-08-17
Good book
Helps in understanding the present and future. We do repeat the past. Good for future thinking.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Michele
- 02-07-21
enjoyable for commute
The narrator was pleasant to listen to and the lectures are orderly and often interesting. I would have liked to have a little more depth and more info on ordinary people, lifestyles, and culture.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-27-20
A new take on history of mankind, the earth, the universe
Never thought of history in the big picture way this book/course explains it. How our environment has affected the way different civilizations have risen and eventual fall. Have we really managed to free ourself from this cycle or have we just managed to push it forward?
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- Nathan Tallar
- 11-24-22
Good History Overview,
My only dislike is him acting like he knows the future, didn't like that no
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- Disland
- 01-07-17
Too many chapters.
I enjoyed the introduction and chapter 6. The middle has too many facts and not enough of the themes that interested. Then chapter 30 through the end I thought was just great.
The amount of work this took for the professor is staggering, just look at the bibliography. He has a good presentation as well.
It is one of the most interesting and thought provoking courses in The Great Courses series. I would have liked a broader topic like military history and innovation combined into one chapter rather than scatter the topic around to each civilization. The same for trade influences, religion, etc. instead I got a little board going through the history of each geographical area, but only a little. I will listen to this again and get more out of it. That is a sign of a great course.
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4 people found this helpful
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- EmilyK
- 08-23-20
Fast moving global history
This was an incredibly fast paced history of all humankind. I did appreciate getting the perspective of big history. I think it would be useful to know more about some of the periods before listening to this recap. On the other hand it might intrigue a highschooler or other homeschooler with curiosity.
There are so many good great courses history lectures but Professor Benjamin is definitely one of the better ones. He has a lot of enthusiasm and I thought this one of his lecture series was particularly well done.
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1 person found this helpful
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- CWALL
- 06-19-21
Loved this listen
A bit like taking a supersonic flight from the very beginning to the present and finishing with an imaging of what may come. Super engaging listen. I found myself going within chapters just to hear again the account of what happened when. Recommended
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- Joel Nernberger
- 01-27-21
Exactly what I was hoping for!
Moves pretty quick and covers a lot of civilizations across all time periods. I would have been content with more detail on some civs, but that can be found in more targeted books...
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