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isweedan's review against another edition
3.0
I think this course would be more accurately known as A History of Andean Civilizations. Not a bad listen and less astro-archaeology than the lecturer's North American class though I did not apprecate whenever he focused on his personal theories.
thejoshpit's review against another edition
4.0
Great overview of thousands of years of history. There was only a sliver of information on Spanish contact. Definitely was hoping for more.
hollysbookadventure's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
5.0
The Lost Civilizations of South America became available through audible for me, so I gave it a listen! I have listened to other lectures by Edwin Barnhart, and have enjoyed them
In the Lost Civilizations of South America we travel through time to get a basic grasp on how various cultures thrived and concured the Amazonian jungle.
I always felt that the classes I took in high school left out South America in its curriculum. This course was exactly what I had wanted it to be. It provided archeological and anthropological evidence to share what we know about the Inca's and the precursor Civilizations before them
I do think a huge area we can continue to focus on is asking the indiginous people who still live there about their history and their stories. Barnhart offered several examples where scientests puzzled over things for years, then casually spoke to a local, and got all the answers to their questions. I also appreciate the note that the Inca's legend of the 5 ages of the world, mirror almost exactly what archeology has shown.
I learned alot in this lecture and definitely reccomend it to anyone who likes history!
In the Lost Civilizations of South America we travel through time to get a basic grasp on how various cultures thrived and concured the Amazonian jungle.
I always felt that the classes I took in high school left out South America in its curriculum. This course was exactly what I had wanted it to be. It provided archeological and anthropological evidence to share what we know about the Inca's and the precursor Civilizations before them
I do think a huge area we can continue to focus on is asking the indiginous people who still live there about their history and their stories. Barnhart offered several examples where scientests puzzled over things for years, then casually spoke to a local, and got all the answers to their questions. I also appreciate the note that the Inca's legend of the 5 ages of the world, mirror almost exactly what archeology has shown.
I learned alot in this lecture and definitely reccomend it to anyone who likes history!
guardian's review against another edition
4.0
The information provided was excellent, but I didn't particularly like the style of the presenter, thus the 4-star review.
I choose this course as I knew very little about South American cultures, mostly just the Mayans and Incas. I know more now, but there is A LOT more to learn about. As an overview course the information provided a top-level look at known mythology of some groups, as well as the state of the archeology today, including all of the looting, which makes one wonder what has been lost. I ended up not having a favorite lecture as I found all of the information to be interesting.
I agree with a prior reviewer that the presenter does tend to discount offhand other views without fully explaining his reasoning. However, there is a lot of information presented in 24 lectures, so going in depth on these disagreements isn't feasible. There are journal articles and other information available to understand the information and make your own decision if interested.
As I purchased this course through Audible, it came with a ~200 page pdf, which will be very useful for future research and reading.
I choose this course as I knew very little about South American cultures, mostly just the Mayans and Incas. I know more now, but there is A LOT more to learn about. As an overview course the information provided a top-level look at known mythology of some groups, as well as the state of the archeology today, including all of the looting, which makes one wonder what has been lost. I ended up not having a favorite lecture as I found all of the information to be interesting.
I agree with a prior reviewer that the presenter does tend to discount offhand other views without fully explaining his reasoning. However, there is a lot of information presented in 24 lectures, so going in depth on these disagreements isn't feasible. There are journal articles and other information available to understand the information and make your own decision if interested.
As I purchased this course through Audible, it came with a ~200 page pdf, which will be very useful for future research and reading.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Barnhart's Great Course are, well, great. This is the second one of his that I have listened to.
He presents it from the Indigenous population's pov (and boy, he sounds like he, rightly, wants to smack the Spanish).
There is so much here. It was so wonderful. I just wish it was longer.
He presents it from the Indigenous population's pov (and boy, he sounds like he, rightly, wants to smack the Spanish).
There is so much here. It was so wonderful. I just wish it was longer.
brucemri's review against another edition
5.0
A few months ago, I enthused about one of the Great Courses series of audio lectures, The Origins of Life by Robert M. Hazen. This is just as good. :)
Professor Barnhart is an archeologist studying South American civilizations, and this is a 2012 recording. He takes listeners from the oldest known settlements in South America - much older than had ever been suspected until quite recently - through the various rising and falling cultures until the time of contact with the Spanish. It turns out that there are millennia of complex societies I never knew about, flourishing from the Pacific coast through the Andes and the vast Amazonian sprawl. Further, Barnhart makes an excellent case for Amazonian societies being first on the scene with sophisticated social and physical lives that are hard to study now because of their need to use almost exclusively perishable materials, and for them being repeated influences on the cultures to their west that are easier to study thanks to greater riches of artifacts.
As with Hazen's lectures, Barnhart combines the evidence uncovered, interpretations of it, and very personal accounts of what it's like to do the work - what kinds of environment are hard or easy, popular or shunned, to study, about dealing with contemporary peoples and politics, about revising guesses as gaps get filled in, about how sudden insights and long slow analysis work together. It thoroughly humanizes the archeological process, constantly reminding listeners of how actual human beings with actual human vices and virtues work together (or against each other) to build up a collaborative set of data and understanding.
One strength of this lecture over Hazen's is that it requires less prior knowledge. Barnhart describes geography and other relevant details as he goes, so that it's very accessible to newcomers.
Highly recommended!
Professor Barnhart is an archeologist studying South American civilizations, and this is a 2012 recording. He takes listeners from the oldest known settlements in South America - much older than had ever been suspected until quite recently - through the various rising and falling cultures until the time of contact with the Spanish. It turns out that there are millennia of complex societies I never knew about, flourishing from the Pacific coast through the Andes and the vast Amazonian sprawl. Further, Barnhart makes an excellent case for Amazonian societies being first on the scene with sophisticated social and physical lives that are hard to study now because of their need to use almost exclusively perishable materials, and for them being repeated influences on the cultures to their west that are easier to study thanks to greater riches of artifacts.
As with Hazen's lectures, Barnhart combines the evidence uncovered, interpretations of it, and very personal accounts of what it's like to do the work - what kinds of environment are hard or easy, popular or shunned, to study, about dealing with contemporary peoples and politics, about revising guesses as gaps get filled in, about how sudden insights and long slow analysis work together. It thoroughly humanizes the archeological process, constantly reminding listeners of how actual human beings with actual human vices and virtues work together (or against each other) to build up a collaborative set of data and understanding.
One strength of this lecture over Hazen's is that it requires less prior knowledge. Barnhart describes geography and other relevant details as he goes, so that it's very accessible to newcomers.
Highly recommended!
agirlushouldknow's review against another edition
4.0
A good overview of South American history. The professor who taught this was interesting, had obvious expertise in the area and was passionate about it.
I don't know how much might have been left out because I have a sad American education that doesn't focus on anything except the "rah rah Murika" outlook, and I never sought personal reading on the subject unlike Europe, Japan and Egyptian history.
I appreciated what I got from it though, and I definitely recommend it as a source for those interested in reading about South America.
I don't know how much might have been left out because I have a sad American education that doesn't focus on anything except the "rah rah Murika" outlook, and I never sought personal reading on the subject unlike Europe, Japan and Egyptian history.
I appreciated what I got from it though, and I definitely recommend it as a source for those interested in reading about South America.
harmony's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting lecture series. We Westerners tend to treat European history as the sum total of relevant earthly history, but the Roman Empire wasn't the only massive Empire that rose and fell in the ancient world. I was also delighted to find that the Inca were socialist as fuck and that the system worked well until the Europeans showed up to rape, murder, and pillage cultures all over the Americas. There it's so much to know, and this lecture only scratches the surface, as it must with such a broad and varied collection of cultures to touch on.