Watch The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

2023
1 Season

Go beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. The past truly comes alive in this ambitious course that takes a series of imaginative leaps to put you inside the world of history's anonymous citizens and to give you a fuller understanding of our distant past.

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World is a series that ran for 1 seasons (43 episodes) between March 16, 2023 and on The Great Courses

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Seasons

48. Daily Life Matters

March 16, 2023

Reflect on the humanistic value of putting yourself in the hearts and minds of ordinary people from the Neanderthal era to the late Middle Ages. The difference between their lives and ours is profound, yet this series leaves you with an equally profound connection to the anonymous majority who make up the other side of history.

47. Relaxing Medieval Style

March 16, 2023

Soccer. Chess. Skating. Music. Life in the Middle Ages was full of misery and toil, but the world of sports and leisure was not that different from today. Learn about the origins of soccer, the history of chess, the variety of medieval music, and more. Conclude with a look at touring entertainers and professional guilds.

46. Being a Pilgrim

March 16, 2023

Imagine you were one of Chaucer's pilgrims on your way to visit the tomb of Thomas Becket. Chaucer died before he could finish his tales, but this episode takes you on the road from London all the way to the massive crowds at Canterbury. Then turn to a more hazardous journey, the 3,000-mile trek from England to Jerusalem to visit the holiest shrine in Christendom.

45. Being a Crusader

March 16, 2023

Unpack the term "Crusade" and situate it in its cultural context. When Pope Urban said it was the Christians' duty to take up arms against the "infidels," ordinary people were swept up in the idea that they were fighting to save Christianity and their own souls against the advance of Islam.

44. Being a Medieval Knight

March 16, 2023

Were the Middle Ages really an era of knights in shining armor and damsels in distress? In this episode, you'll gain new insights into the realities of knighthood, from the rigorous training during childhood to the bloodthirstiness of battle. You'll also study the code of chivalry, where courtesy is the mark of a civilized man.

43. Being a Medieval Christian or Heretic

March 16, 2023

Look at ways in which the medieval church wielded enormous influence over the lives of ordinary people, and how it did everything in its power to maintain its influence. You'll witness life as a clergyman, go into the world of a monastery, and see what became of those the church deemed heretics.

42. Being a Medieval Woman

March 16, 2023

Like the ancient world, the Middle Ages was patriarchal and male-dominated, so a woman had few options: get married, become a nun, or turn to prostitution. But Chaucer's Wife of Bath, the seducer in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and the notion of courtly love all added new dimensions to womanhood.

41. Being Poor in the Middle Ages

March 16, 2023

Visit the life of peasants in the wake of the Black Death. Experiencing economic hardship due in part to the feudal system, the poor organized the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, the first popular uprising of its kind. Beyond the revolt, this episode takes you to the dinner tables of everyday people, and to the anonymous cemeteries where they'd be buried.

40. Being Medieval

March 16, 2023

From the Magna Carta, which granted rights to ordinary citizens, to the rise of vernacular English, as evidenced by The Canterbury Tales, the Middle Ages marked a turning point for the "other side" of history. Find out what influenced life for ordinary people, from the control of the church to the horrors of the infamous Black Death.

39. Living under Norman Rule

March 16, 2023

The last successful invasion of England was by the Normans, who won the well-known Battle of Hastings in 1066. Go inside that invasion and learn about Norman culture and its lasting influence on the British, especially the creation of a strong central government that has fortified the island to the present.

38. Being a Viking Raider

March 16, 2023

The Vikings have always been on the "other side" of history, their deeds recorded only by their victims. In this episode, you'll get at the truth of this enigmatic culture. While a small number were the raiders we know from other accounts, the Vikings had a vibrant trading culture based on the sea.

37. Being Anglo-Saxon

March 16, 2023

Meet the people who filled the vacuum left by the Romans. The Anglo-Saxons, a warrior culture responsible for King Arthur and Beowulf, invaded Britain at the beginning of the so-called Dark Ages. In addition to meeting the wealthy thanes, struggling peasants, and unfortunate slaves, you'll examine the lives of monks and nuns.

36. Being a Roman Briton

March 16, 2023

Picture what it was like to be a British native under Roman rule. How did you make peace with being subjugated when Claudius subjugated you in A.D. 43? The Romans built cities and showed natives new, more efficient agricultural practices, and protected the island for 365 years. After all that, how would you have felt when they abandoned you?

35. Being a Celt in Ancient Britain

March 16, 2023

Shift your attention to the world of the Celts, a mysterious European race that left few excavation sites

34. Being Christian under Roman Rule

March 16, 2023

Among the competitors of Roman polytheism was a religion that preached love and salvation for the poor, the meek, and the downtrodden

32. Practicing Roman Religion

March 16, 2023

Cicero called the Romans the most religious of all mortals. See what religion meant in the Roman world, both inside the family, where the paterfamilias supervised various ceremonies, and in the state at large, whose emperor was considered divine. You'll also compare how the Roman view of the gods differed from the Greek perspective.

31. Relaxing Roman Style

March 16, 2023

The Romans balanced the sobriety of running an empire with a healthy need to relax. Delve into the spectator side of Roman society and learn about its public games: chariot races, theatrical performances, gladiatorial combats, and circuses. Experience the venues, the violence, and the excitement of relaxing Roman style.

28. Being a Rich Roman

March 16, 2023

Now check out the lives of the rich. You'll tour the grand house in the city and the countryside, learn about the customs of dress, food, and hygiene, and follow a rich Roman around for the day

27. Being a Poor Roman

March 16, 2023

Put yourself into the world of Rome's plebian class. This episode takes you to the leaky, rat-infested housing where the urban poor suffered from disease and malnutrition, and you'll experience the threat of fire that hung over Rome in the 1st century A.D. You'll also get a glimpse of what sustained the day-to-day life of the poor.

25. Being a Roman Soldier

March 16, 2023

Find out what daily life was like for a Roman soldier, from the training to engagement on the battlefield. You'll discover how the army was structured, what benefits you could expect, and what would happen if you were disobedient. Finally, you'll explore what you'd do when you were not fighting - likely constructing the Roman road system.

24. Being a Roman Slave

March 16, 2023

Could Romans have achieved all they did without the labor of slaves? Imagine yourself as part of the largest slave force in human history, perhaps as an agricultural slave worked to death or as a semi-independent craftsman. Then explore manumission, the process by which domestic slaves were sometimes freed.

23. Being Roman

March 16, 2023

See how the Romans extended citizenship, expanding the word "Roman" to encompass more than just a person from Rome itself. As Vergil's Aeneid shows, Romans considered it their civic duty to expand their territory for the public good; yet, despite this noble aspiration, they also had a penchant for violence and cruelty.

22. Living in Hellenistic Egypt

March 16, 2023

Revisit Egypt in the years after Alexander the Great, an era when Greek (Hellenistic) culture spread throughout the region. Tour the city of Alexandria, which was arguably the greatest city of the ancient world and which now lies mostly beneath the sea. Then explore the ethnic tensions between the Egyptians, Greeks, and Jews.

21. Being Persian

March 16, 2023

Turn to ancient Persia, a kingdom that came from the other side of history and rose to greatness. See how Cyrus the Great was a tolerant, pragmatic ruler, who allowed his subjects to maintain certain rights. Then see how Darius built roads, adopted a currency, and created an innovative system of communication and administration.

20. Being a Dead Greek

March 16, 2023

An ancient Greek faced death head on. You would die in the home, surrounded by family, and afterward women would tend to your body and sing dirges in your honor. Your corpse would be tainted with miasma (pollution) and would be buried outside the city. Meanwhile, your spirit would be carried across the River Styx to Hades, where life among the shades of the dead awaited you.

19. Being an Old Greek

March 16, 2023

Despite their lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality, some Greeks managed to live to a ripe old age, especially the poets and philosophers, who lived a more sedentary life. Discover the secrets to their longevity, and how you would support yourself in an era without anything like today's retirement systems.

18. Practicing Greek Religion

March 16, 2023

Take a look at what, in many ways, is one of the most bizarre religious systems in human history: a system with no rules, no holy book, and no orthodoxy. You'll meet some of the famous gods of Mount Olympus and the Underworld, with their jealousies and other human emotions, and you'll experience the festivals and observances that were part of Greek religion.

17. Being a Sick or Disabled Greek

March 16, 2023

Despite Greek sculptures depicting the idealized human form, real people in the ancient world were at great risk for serious injuries, disfigurement, and disease. Find out the ancients' perspective on disability, deformity, and illness and the often crude way these conditions were treated, as well as the stigma such people faced.

16. Being a Greek Refugee

March 16, 2023

Consider the lives of those truly on the other side of history: the refugees long ignored by historians. From the 8th to the 6th centuries B.C., a large percentage of Greeks were uprooted from their homelands. This episode shows you the harrowing colonization process from the point of view of the refugees themselves.

15. Relaxing Greek Style

March 16, 2023

As a Greek citizen, your life would have been much more leisurely than ours is today. Put yourself in the sandals of an average citizen taking a morning stroll to the agora or enjoying a lively evening of drinking and discussion at a symposium. Then tour the clubs, witness the athletic events, and participate in the festivals that would have been part of your daily life.

14. Being a Greek Woman

March 16, 2023

This episode takes you into the world of Athenian women, who were subjugated to males all their lives and who rarely left the home except for festivals and funerals. You'll also look at the hetaerae (female companions) whose lives were relatively independent.

13. Being a Greek Soldier or Sailor

March 16, 2023

Go inside a phalanx battle and experience it as an average citizen-soldier or hoplite. Then turn to Sparta, a society that revolved around military life from childhood education to retirement at age 60. Finally, explore the rise of Greek mercenaries, whom some Greek writers feared were a threat to civilization.

12. Being a Greek Slave

March 16, 2023

What are the origins of slavery? Although ancient Greeks didn't invent the concept, they did leave records. You'll discover the range of work slaves did, from performing domestic duties to being worked to death in the mines. Then travel to Sparta, where helot slaves outnumbered free Spartans by as many as 7 to 1.

11. Growing Up Greek

March 16, 2023

Growing up in ancient Greece, you'd face a myriad of challenges between birth and adulthood, beginning with whether your father decided to raise you or expose you to the elements shortly after birth. See what your childhood would have been like, from the games you'd play to the schools you'd attend.

10. Being Greek

March 16, 2023

Explore the world of the Greek polis and of true democracies run by ordinary citizens: that is, free male citizens. Women were cut off from society and kept in the home, and slaves performed much of the labor. After seeing the broad strokes of this society, you'll go inside the mind of a juror casting his ballot at the trial of Socrates.

9. Being Minoan and Mycenaean

March 16, 2023

While most ancient civilizations sprang up near rivers, Minoans and Mycenaeans lived in a thalassocracy: an empire based on control of the sea. This episode surveys life on the island of Santorini, including the threat of earthquakes and volcanoes, the shift of power from Crete to mainland Greece, and life in the Greek Dark Age.

8. Being an Egyptian Worker

March 16, 2023

As an ancient Egyptian, you might have been a farmer, a herdsman, a craftsman, a hunter, or, most dangerously, a miner. Take a tour of people in the professions that would been available to you in the village of Deir el-Medina, from educated scribes to the craftsmen who built royal tombs.

7. Being a Dead Egyptian

March 16, 2023

Mummies. The Book of the Dead. Tomb robbers. Death was big business in ancient Egypt, and in this episode you'll discover Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife and the journey from this world to the next. You'll learn how to make a mummy and how to get past Osiris at the gates to the afterlife.

5. Belonging to an Egyptian Family

March 16, 2023

Professor Garland takes you deep inside the lives of an ordinary Egyptian family, from marriage, fertility, and the rights of its women, to social gatherings a couple might host or attend. You'll experience the house, its furniture, and even the cosmetics - all the elements of everyday life.

4. Being Egyptian

March 16, 2023

What was it like to be an ancient Egyptian? Travel to the world's first Western civilization and explore everyday life during the New Kingdom era. You'll learn about the richness of the Nile, the conservatism and stability of the society, and relics that have survived across millennia - hieroglyphics, papyri, art, and more.

3. Living in Mesopotamia

March 16, 2023

Step into the world's earliest permanent settlement - the river banks in Mesopotamia. The development of agriculture was a revolution because it allowed humans to live permanently in one place, which led to the invention of writing, the creation of laws, an increase in trade, and technological innovations such as the wheel.

2. Being Paleolithic

March 16, 2023

What does it mean to be human? Take a look at the lives of our ancestors, from ancient hominids to Homo erectus to the earliest humans. Picture yourself as a Neanderthal, whose life was dominated by the environment, and discover the significance of the human mind, language, and art in the Old Stone Age.

1. Taking on the Other Side of History

March 16, 2023

Consider the imaginary lives of ordinary people who lived on the other side of history: the citizens, soldiers, slaves, and more.

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Where to Watch The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World on demand at Apple TV Channels, Prime Video and Amazon.