Hey all. Going to be in Greece in like three weeks!!!! Anyone have a recommendation for a history book, that I could listen to to prepare for my trip? I think someone did recommend something but I lost the recommendation so looking for something to listen to on my lovely 2 hour round trip for work every day!
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
You might find Sailing the Wine Dark Sea of interest.
Posted by
Columbus, USA
396 posts
I've enjoyed the following free podcasts during my drive time, although generally podcasts are more specific to a topic due to the one hour format:
Rick Steves: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/rick-steves-greece-and-east-mediterranean/id364274305?mt=2
BBC History Extra: https://www.historyextra.com/article-type/podcast/
Classics Confidential: https://classicsconfidential.co.uk/
History of Ancient Greece, really detailed, may be too lengthy for three weeks but perhaps you could cherry pick among the podcasts: http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/
Also I bought The Great Courses DVD "The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World", Course No. 3810 with Professor Robert Garland, Ph.D. on DVD. Only part of it was about Greece but it's very high quality and Robert Garland is a dynamic speaker who was great to listen to. This is more about every day life and the people you normally don't read about in history books.
Also purchased The Great Courses "Iliad of Homer, Course No. 301" , (digital download) Professor Elizabeth Vandiver, Ph.D. I hadn't read the Illiad since college so it was a great refresher. Better than college because she puts the events in the Illiad into the context of the warrior culture of Bronze Age Greece. It seems like half of the ancient greek vases are decorated with an Illiad or Odyssey scene.
This book was a great intro to everyday life and a fairly easy read: "Greece: Ancient Greece: Everyday Life in the Birthplace of Western Civilization", also by Robert Garland.
In writing the above I realize I haven't really listened to anything that is specifically about ancient Greek history. Perhaps you'll find some of the above helpful, though.
Posted by
OP
Kansas
169 posts
All those suggestions I will look into. I did find a Great Course lecture series on Greece so maybe that will be good. I have enjoyed them before. I will look for all of these and see how long of a listen they are, with only 17 working days until I leave I want to find something under 17 hours but then again I will have time on my flight so maybe a little longer. Thank you!!!
Posted by
Athens, Greece
106 posts
Burkhardts's Civilization in Ancient Greece, Grote's History of Ancient Greece, and Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy AND The Homeric Contest. Three good ancient sources are Herodotus' Histories, Thucydides History, and Plutarch's Lives. Don't know if you can find it as an audio book though.
Some I found online
https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/greek-gods-heroes-and-men/124909
https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/life-of-greece-the-story-of-civilization-volume-2/201490
Also check this https://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/glory-of-ancient-greece-the-unabridged/
They have a free trial, might try it when you travel ;)