Ancient Egypt is the only civilization in history to have been eclipsed twice and bounced back to prominence on both occasions. Dynasties XIII through XVII saw the Middle Kingdom's decline, the advent of foreign rule, and finally, the expulsion of the Hyksos by a heroic prince of Thebes and his two sons at the end of Dynasty XVII.

The Rosetta Stone is a large granite stela, carved under Ptolemy V and unearthed by French troops in 1799. With inscriptions of the same text in Greek and Egyptian, it provided the key to deciphering the ancient Egyptian language. Learn the four scripts in which ancient Egyptian can be written, as well as the three ways hieroglyphic signs can be used.

After the fantastic achievements of Dynasty IV, something--no one knows what--changed. Pharaohs stopped building pyramids and seem to have adopted sun worship. Dynasty VI resumed pyramid building on a small scale, but the death of its last king plunged Egypt into chaos.

In this set of 24 lectures, Professor Elizabeth Vandiver, University of Maryland, introduces the student to the primary characters and most important stories of classical Greek and Roman mythology. She also surveys some of the leading theoretical approaches to understanding myth in general and classical myth in particular.

Lectures by Dr. David Zarefsky, Professor of Argumentation and Debate and Professor of Communication Studies, Northwestern University, cover the history of rhetoric and debate as well as analysis of different types of arguments in various situations.

An introduction to Roman history focusing on the lives of great individuals. Examines lives from the Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.) through the Empire during the first and second centuries A.D.

Examines the life and works of Igor Stravinsky.

This course of twenty-four lectures examines the period know as the High Middle Ages (1000-1300). The first eight lectures cover medieval society. Lectures nine through sixteen examine the intellectual and religious history of Europe during this period. The final eight lectures cover the major political developments and events.