A review by jaisandhu
History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective by Gregory S. Aldrete

4.0

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Really engaging. Great narrator. Pulls you in.

But not a global perspective. 24 of the 48 lectures are on the Greeks and Romans. Although other major civilizations are covered, they receive far less attention. For instance, when setting up a series of comparisons between classical Rome and Han China, Prof. Aldrete spends 5 straight lectures on Roman history and just one on the Han. The entire history of Islamic civilization gets one lecture. The whole of the Americas get three lectures - the same as the life and legacy of Alexander the Great.

This weighting aside, each lecture is interesting and well delivered. Aldrete is an engaging speaker.

I enjoyed these lectures, and that's great. They are fun and informative, and I enjoyed my time and really nice for beginners like me, but just know, that this is not a global perspective.