The Big History of Civilizations

The history of human civilization is an astonishing story of migration, innovation, and social development. Over 200,000 years, humans have populated the planet, adapted to environmental challenges, experimented with systems of government, and left such a strong mark on the earth that scientists now refer to our era as the Anthropocene—the era of humanity.

All Lectures:
1. A Tale of Two Ancient Cities
2. The Rise of Humanity
3. Foraging in the Old Stone Age
4. Origins of Agriculture
5. Power, Cities, and States
6. The Era of Agrarian Civilizations
7. Innovations of Mesopotamia
8. The Downfall of Sumer
9. Egypt: Divine Rule in the Black Land
10. Society and Culture of Egypt
11. Early Mediterranean Civilizations
12. Mysteries of the Indus Valley
13. South Asian Civilizations and Beliefs
14. China: Born in Isolation
15. China's Dynasties and Influence
16. The Importance of the Nomads
17. Oxus Civilization and Powerful Persia
18. Greece in Its Golden Age
19. Greek Gods, Philosophy, and Science
20. Alexander's Conquests and Hellenism
21. Building the Roman Republic
22. Triumphs and Flaws of Imperial Rome
23. New Ideas along the Silk Road
24. Chaos and Consolidation in Eurasia
25. Islamic Expansion and Rule
26. Legacy of the Mongols
27. North American Peoples and Tribes
28. Agrarian Civilizations of Mesoamerica
29. Culture and Empire in South America
30. African Kingdoms and Trade
31. Lifeways of Australia and the Pacific
32. The Advent of Global Commerce
33. The Industrial Revolution and Modernity
34. The Transformative 20th and 21st Centuries
35. Civilization, the Biosphere, and Tomorrow
36. Civilizations of the Distant Future