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Great Rivers That Shaped History

via The Great Courses Plus

Overview

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Throughout history, Earth’s great rivers have lived at the heart of human life. As sources of food, and arteries of transport, trade, irrigation, travel, religious ritual, and more, rivers have not only shaped the landscapes through which they flow, they have also shaped civilization.

In the 24 lectures of Great Rivers That Shaped History, you’ll explore the major rivers of our planet, and the civilizations that thrived on them, as you travel the Middle East’s Nile, Tigris, and Jordan; Asia’s Ganges, Mekong, Yellow, and Yangtze; trace the history and lore of Europe’s Danube, Rhine, Loire, Volga, and other waterways; chart the vast river system of the Amazon, known as “the lungs of the planet”; glimpse Africa’s Niger, Zambezi, and Congo; and, in North America, follow the exploration and development of the Mackenzie, the Yukon, the Hudson, the Columbia, the iconic Mississippi, and others.

In the enthralling presentation of Professor Patrick N. Allitt of Emory University, you’ll travel deeply into these natural wonders that have profoundly influenced human life.

Syllabus

  • Rivers: The Arteries of History
  • The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
  • The Ever-Fertile Nile
  • The Jordan: Real and Symbolic
  • India's Sacred Ganges River
  • The Yellow and Yangtze Rivers
  • Culture and Conflict along the Mekong River
  • The Amazon: Jungle, Empires, and Ecology
  • The Rhine: Romance and Reality
  • The Beautiful Blue Danube
  • The Thames and British Culture
  • Canals around the World
  • Great Rivers of France
  • The Hudson and St. Lawrence Rivers
  • The Mighty Mississippi
  • The Columbia: Once Wild, Now Tame
  • The Colorado: Sacred or Utilitarian?
  • The Yukon and Mackenzie Rivers
  • Russia's Storied Rivers
  • The Niger, Zambezi, and Congo Rivers
  • Rivers Reversed, Diverted, and Disappeared
  • Great River Bridges of the World
  • Rivers in the Arts
  • The Enjoyment of Rivers

Taught by

Patrick N. Allitt

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