Aldrete (in addition to the aforementioned course he also wowed me with "The Decisive Battles of World History"). It is no surprise to me that I'd walk away from this course declaring it yet another winner from Prof. This changed the equation: I just had to sample some of the lectures and, while doing so, it became evident I had to add this course to my collection.
Professor Aldrete had long ago won me over with his masterful course "History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective". Why did we need another course on the subject? I glanced at it suspecting I wouldn't be giving it more than a fleeting thought but when I saw who was teaching it I was stopped in my tracks. When I first saw this course upon its release I shook my head thinking, "Yet another course on ancient Rome?" I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Fagan's earlier course entitled "The History of Ancient Rome" and figured there was no way to improve upon what to me felt like a complete and definitive history on the topic. To sum up: it's a perfectly enjoyable course, but don't expect any major revelations if you're already familiar with the subject.
TGC's ancient history offerings could use more specificity of focus, and Aldrete is perfectly qualified to give that to us… But that's not what happened. And that's a bit of a shame, as Aldrete has written books on such specific things as Greek linen body armor and floods of the Tiber in antiquity. Fagan's excellent two-part survey course, composed of "The History of Ancient Rome" and "Emperors of Rome", and Robert Garland's course on "Daily Life in the Ancient World." Though the focus here is on just why the Roman republic became so powerful (And it IS just about the republic – it leaves off right as Octavian/Augustus seizes power, whereas a lecture on the "Rise of Rome" really ought to take you through at least to Trajan.), it's really not much more than another (admittedly very decent) survey course of Roman history. But if you're like me – a long time fan of TGC on Audible, and something of an ancient history enthusiast – then there is not a lot here that you haven't heard already from TGC's other ancient history offerings, namely Garrett G. This is a very solid course, and if you're new to Roman history or to The Great Courses, it would be a fine place to start.
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