The Architecture of Power: Great Palaces of the Ancient World

by Steven L. Tuck

The seat of power. A symbol of authority and prosperity. The center of a complex nexus of social and cultural forces. A palace is all of these and more. Palaces are mirrors of the societies that created them and the rulers that occupied them.

Genres: History, Architecture, Ancient History

12 pages, Audiobook

First published October 12, 2018

About the author

Steven L. Tuck is Assistant Professor of Classics at Miami University of Ohio.

Reviews

[Yaaresse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent set of lectures about palaces and how they reflected power and policy as much as -- sometimes more -- then the rulers' personal tastes.

Professor Tuck is a classicist, so there is heavy emphasis on the Greeks and Romans, but he does give some time to the East and one section to Mexico. Frankly, I'm about bored to tears with the Greeks and Romans in general, so the fact that I stuck with those sections just shows how engaging the lectures are. Dr. Tuck uses a LOT of photos and maps, far more than in most Great Courses, and this added greatly to the material. (The printed course guide is one of the few I've seen that's printed in color and also is photo-rich.)

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this very much. It's such a pity that many of these palaces do not survive, they are a testament to human ambition and folly. The Roman ones are magnificent, but I'd be so curious to know how the Egyptian and Persian ones look like back in the day. Would br great if there are more pictures.

[Enrico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been so much better. A lot of maps of the palaces but it was kinda hard to be focused on the content.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One great thing about this book, compared to other GCs, is that it is in colour and really uses it well. Pictures galore. I love pictures. Pictures of the walls, the buildings, the landscape. i really feel like I am on tour with Prof Tuck. This guy is just phenomenal.