19368 - The Kings: From Babylon to Baghdad

Course Overview

Spanning millennia, from Ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day Iraq, this lecture definitively surveys the rulers - both those beloved and those reviled - of this fascinating region. In-depth examinations of Iraq's leaders from Sargon the Great to Saddam Hussein. Dramatic, historically precise reenactments bring history's great kings to life. The region now known as Iraq is a rich territory that sprang the earliest cities and empires, earliest armies, and earliest tyrants. Using dialogue drawn directly from primary sources - original texts of ancient records – this class depicts events in dramatic, living reenactments. In addition, the historical and current relevance of Iraq completes this authoritative portrait of the men who brought this fabled land glory and despair. The class will also offer a thorough, thought-provoking view into the politics, personalities, government, geography, culture and religion of this all-important region.