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Ancient Civilizations of North America

Written by: Edwin Barnhart, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Edwin Barnhart
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Publisher's Summary

For the past few hundred years, most of what we’ve been taught about the native cultures of North America came from reports authored by the conquerors and colonizers who destroyed them. Now - with the technological advances of modern archaeology and a new perspective on world history - we are finally able to piece together their compelling true stories. In Ancient Civilizations of North America, Professor Edwin Barnhart, Director of the Maya Exploration Center, will open your eyes to a fascinating world you never knew existed - even though you’ve been living right next to it, or even on top of it, for as long as you’ve been on the continent. 

The peoples of ancient North America were exceptionally knowledgeable about their environment, but their intellectual and artistic curiosity went much beyond the immediate need for food and safety. Beginning thousands of years ago, and without benefit of written language, native peoples became mathematicians, construction and soil engineers, astronomers, urban planners, and more. They developed thriving cities, extensive trade routes, canals to bring water to the desert, and earthworks we still marvel over today. 

In 24 exciting lectures, you’ll learn about the vibrant cities of Poverty Point, the first city in North America, built about 3,500 years ago, and Cahokia, the largest city of ancient North America. You’ll explore the many ways in which the Chacoan environment provided cultural and religious focus for peoples of the southwest. And you’ll learn about the Iroquoian source of some of our most basic “American” values. 

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

©2018 The Great Courses (P)2018 The Teaching Company, LLC

What listeners say about Ancient Civilizations of North America

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Most of Canada is left out, as usual

I really enjoyed this lecture series, learning lots, and up until the last two lectures was thinking how in depth and thoughtful the research was. I kept waiting for anywhere east or north of Ontario to get mentioned, but aside from lumping everyone together as "Algonquin" and mispronouncing Newfoundland, there was nothing. Yes, the Mi’kmaq and Métis may be part of the same broad language group, but they also have their own distinct cultures and languages, cover huge areas, and are still prevalent today.

My biggest issue though, is that not once did he mention the Inuit. Nunavut makes up roughly 1/3 of Canada, and almost 90% of people living there today are Inuk. The Inuit peoples had, and still have, a large presence from Alaska all the way to Greenland. One would think, since many Americans love to picture Canadians in general as arctic "Eskimos" with igloos and dog sleds, that Mr. Barnhart might think them worth mentioning.

He made a solid effort to be respectful and up to date with his terms, but First Nations is the accepted term ONLY for those nations who have been called "Indians". First Peoples is the contemporary term for those who have been called "Eskimos". Aboriginal and Indigenous are terms that can be used to describe all First Nations/First Peoples in Canada.

Last thing: corn can and does grow north of the Dakotas. Even the "tropical" sweet corn is grown all through the Canadian provinces, and is one of our main crops.

Overall an excellent story of the southern US, but definitely not North America as a whole.

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31 people found this helpful

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Required listening

I was worried a little that this would be a white-wash (heh) of indigenous history. Thankfully it was not. While this is coming from a settler perspective, it is far superior to any other takes on indigenous history from a Western perspective I've heard before, and the lecturer seems keenly aware of that.

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10 people found this helpful

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The world needs more REAL stories like this

Great information and a terrific storyteller. Enjoyed every word. Being Canadian, It would be great to hear sililar depth about the east coast Canada first Nations. Thanks for opening my eyes.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Comparatively Disappointing

The information in this lecture series is fascinating. Ancient Civilizations like the Egyptians, Aztecs, Incas, Mayans, Mesopotamians, Indus, and Zhou are well-studied.. and Native American civilizations like those discussed in this course are largely ignored. Archeologist Edwin Barnhart leads an effective discussion on some fascinating little-known history topics that definitely piques interest. Unfortunately, this recording doesn't stand up to the exemplary standards I have come to expect from 'The Great Courses'.

To start with, Barnhart's narration reveals that he's clearly reading directly from his notes. His diction, timbre, and cadence are fine, but he reads too slowly (I found 1.25X was the optimal playback speed) and with a moderately mechanical tone (despite trying to sound conversational, the listener can picture Barnhart huddling over a tablet.. not looking up from his reading).
On top of that, the Production Standards are noticeably different from what I'm used to:
On the good side, the appended PDF is *Fantastic*.. much better than those attached to other courses (including photographs and color emphasis).
On the bad side, they replaced the 'Brandenburg Concerto' musical introductions at the head of each lecture with a modern 'Muzak'-y intro.
The format is fine - it's just not of the same quality we get with other courses.

Altogether, I learned some very interesting information, but this presentation lacks the enjoyable "Lecture Hall" feel of other offerings. It merits 5 stars out of 10. I got the audiobook as part of the 'Plus' initiative (and it was a great edifying option for free), but if they ask for a Credit, you could spend it better elsewhere.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • MTC
  • 2022-07-29

Up to date, perfect delivery, listen here and

Wonderful! Up to date ,perfect delivery. Listen here and again. You will find yourself putting together, in history, bits of knowledge you acquired over the years.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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enjoyable telling of North America History!!!

Edwin Barnhart's historical knowledge of this subject is awesome. The way he explains the possible misunderstanding of some of the past makes the story even better to believe because there are some discrepancies of how the sites were possibly disturbed. He explains why the belief in Christopher Columbus being the first to "discover" the New World is obviously not true.
Anyway, I highly recommend The Great Courses. It makes learning history fun!!!

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1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Not a course on ancient civilizations. But a lecture on tribal history

I read this book to understand civilizations instead I heard about tribes and tribal communities I was really hoping for some indication of other than societies and tribes to learn about civilizations I think the major flaw of this book is that it never really defines what a civilization is

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

You are not new here

this was a great intro to the fact we have been fed a bunch of bunk regarding civiluzation in NA. well worth the time as all these courses are!

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Ancient Civilizations In My Backyard

February 2022 | 4/5
This was fascinating and the author kept the content engaging and easy to digest. I found the companion guide to be incredibly useful in understanding the locations and technologies being discussed - and Holy moly is it thick. Easily a course in its own.

Generally when I'm learning about ancient cultures, the material is focused on sites in Europe or Africa, but this course opens my eyes to ancient civilizations that left their mark on the earth in my own back yard.

Super cool read and listen.

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1 person found this helpful

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  • SD
  • 2022-03-07

Course review

Lots of good information. I liked the professor, he did a great job of presenting the information in an audio performance. I will listen again to pick up more of the content.

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