Readers Preference Reviews

Before the 5th century BC Athens was still predominantly just another city on the Mediterranean. But that was soon to change, as Athens would become an important cultural power and a strong influence on Western culture.

Professor Jeremy McInerney, an Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, takes the listener back to this period in an extraordinary series of lectures. We are introduced to the Greek culture shortly after the conclusion of the Persian wars. These years have Athens uniting all the smaller Greek states into a cohesive empire. This uniting of the states resulted in their becoming a military power with no equal in the Aegean. But the military was not the only thing changing; the political and cultural environments were also evolving quickly.

But the military and political environments are not the only ones Professor McInerney examines during these lectures. He also takes us on a tour of the Agora and its importance in the life of the Athenian citizens and a discussion of Pericles as well as his mistress Aspasia. McInerney examines the architecture of the time including the Parthenon and the Acropolis and the building program of Pericles. He discusses the symbology used in the various columns, layout, and other details of construction.

Professor McInerney also turns his attention to everyday matters of the period including the social functions of festivals, the educational system, marriage, property, business, and even death as well as the writings of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and the Athenian court system. Of course the rise of the Greek culture did not end with Pericles and the title of the lecture series not withstanding, Professor McInerney also discusses several of the most important influences after Pericles including Socrates, the Sophists, and Plato.

This is an excellent lecture series with a speaker who keeps it entertaining and interesting. The Age of Pericles is a highly recommended lecture series for anyone interested in the rise of the Greek nation to become the center of culture, military, and political power of the area.

Author: Jeremy McInerney
Publisher: The Teaching Company
4151 Lafayette Center Drive, Suite 100
Chantilly, VA 20151-1232
Copyright: 2004
Format: Audio CD, DVD, Audio Cassette
Lectures: 24