The Other Side of History : Daily Life in the Ancient World

What a bum. Another DNF at ~20%. But 20% was nearly 5 hours of my life, and it was just a slog. My mind would wander almost as soon as I hit “play”. Bad sign. Man, do I even like books? Do I even like reading? Learning? I'M NOT SURE. IT'S BEEN TWO DID-NOT-FINISHES IN A ROW, PEOPLE. TIMES ARE BAD. OH JEEZ.

I had a good time with this one, though I wouldn't recommend trying to go through all 48 lectures in a row. It's super informative and quite entertaining, but the delivery can get a bit monotone over time. I ended up listening to it in chunks, mixing it with other books, and that worked much better. I think this series is best treated more like a podcast you dip in and out of than something you binge all at once, but to each their own. 

What I really liked was how it focused on the lives of regular people instead of just the kings and generals we usually hear about. You get to imagine what it was like to be a farmer in ancient Egypt, a Roman gladiator, or even just a regular Athenian dealing with old age. Garland does a great job at humanizing history and pointing out the things that haven't really changed that much—our need for community, our struggles, our beliefs.

That said, the later chapters on the medieval period didn't feel as strong. Garland is clearly more comfortable with the ancient world, and it shows. Some of his takes on medieval life, religion, and events like the Crusades felt a bit off or oversimplified. Still, those sections are a small part of the whole. If you're curious about how people actually lived day to day in different eras, this is a solid and often fun listen. Just don't expect a deep dive into medieval history, and you'll probably enjoy it a lot.