Great Tours: Ancient Cities of the Mediterranean

by Darius Arya, The Great Courses

The Mediterranean is one of the great wellsprings of human civilization. Central to the region’s history are the splendorous cities that flowered around the region—bases of power that saw innovation, commerce, expansion, and the building of great empires. Many of these cities have become icons of the ancient world, and exemplars of the cultures, conquests, and ways of life that have built western civilization.

In these 24 lavishly illustrated lectures, Dr. Arya takes you to a rich range of superlative cities across the Mediterranean—a thrilling panorama of the great and historically pivotal urban centers of the ancient world, such

Rome. In two lectures on the awe-inspiring world of ancient Rome, take in the grandeur of the city that was the beating heart of a vast empire.

Jerusalem. Find how this landlocked metropolis was deeply connected to Mediterranean trade routes, making it a major center of commerce as well as of culture.

Ephesus. In today’s Turkey, one of the most magnificent Greco-Roman cities of the ancient Mediterranean, and a dazzling archaeological site to visit today.

Alexandria. Founded by Alexander the Great on the shores of Egypt; witness its rise under the Ptolemaic pharaohs as a capital of learning and scholarship.

Constantinople. Discover this incredible city as Byzantium, under the Greeks, and then as Constantinople under Roman rule. Travel its fabulous urban landscape in the time of the Roman emperors.

In addition to the most renowned urban complexes of the region, you’ll explore a spectrum of extraordinary cities that are less familiar, but no less fascinating, such as Aquileia in Croatia, Sidon in Lebanon, and Timgad in Algeria, as well as the astonishing feats of engineering and glorious works of art of the ancient Mediterranean peoples.

In this sumptuous audio tour, you’ll discover some of history’s greatest marvels and most fascinating cultures, at the fountainhead of Western civilization.

PLEASE When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published April 11, 2025

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this were a TV series to watch - which I know there have been thousands of- but I would watch again and over & over. I didn't appreciate my time in the Mediterranean as much as I would today, now that I'm not in my 20's, lol.
*each chapter is 30 minutes and the PDF had some new-ish photos...

L1 - The Phoenicians: Byblos, Sidon & Tyre
L2- Crete, Knossos & the Minoans
L3- Athens, Piraeus, & the Rise of Greece
L4- Magna Graecia: Taras, Poseidonia & Syracuse
L5- Republican Rome: Rise of a Naval Power
L6- Imperial Rome & Ostia Antica
L7- Sacred Cities: Delphi, Delos & Olympia
L8- Asia Minor: Miletus & Pergamon
L9- Ephesus & The Hellenic Golden Age
L10- The Rise & Fall of Carthage
L11- Iberia: Gadir, Carthago, Nova & Tarraco
L12- Alexandria & Ptolemaic Egypt
L13- Cyrene, Leptis Magna & Ancient Libya
L14- Epirus & the Gateways to Greece
L15-Earliest Trade: Sardinia, Corsica & Malta
L16- Massalia, Narbo & Southern Gaul
L17- Innovative Islands: Rhodes, Samos & Kos
L18- Jersusalem, Petra & the Desert Trade
L19- Antioch & the Journeys of Paul
L20- Desert Cities of Numidia & Mauretania
L21- Aquileia & the Dalmation Coast
L22- Constantinople: Straddling Europe & Asia
L23-Ravenna & the Rise of Christianity
L24- Thessaloniki & the End of Antiquity

[Enrico · Rating 3 out of 5]

The course is about one to three cities per lecture, in total 24 lectures. It covers all corners of the ancient mediterranean and ends with the end of antiquity. For each city it covers it's history and and also what parts of it are still visible today. At some point it became a bit stale since it's just so much.