Creation Stories of the Ancient World Audiobook By Joseph Lam, The Great Courses cover art

Creation Stories of the Ancient World

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Creation Stories of the Ancient World

By: Joseph Lam, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Joseph Lam
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $9.95

Buy for $9.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Creation stories, found within many ancient cultures, are traditional accounts of the origins of the universe, the earth, and humanity. Often embodied as epic poetry, and told through the acts of divine beings, creation stories illuminate the values, beliefs, and creeds of the earliest civilizations. As such, these stories show us how early cultures made sense of the human condition, in theological, philosophical, and political terms.

These 12 dynamic and thought-provoking lectures offer you a penetrating look at the origin stories of the great civilizations of the Mediterranean. With the richly layered commentary of Professor Lam, you’ll delve into the creation accounts of civilizations ranging from Mesopotamia across the breadth of the ancient Near East to Greece in the West, and encompassing traditions from Egypt, Syria, Anatolia, and ancient Israel. Within the course’s richly detailed inquiry, you’ll explore origin stories in traditions such as:

• Creation Accounts of Ancient Mesopotamia—Take the measure of the Babylonian Creation Epic, Enuma Elish, which portrays the genesis of the world and humanity through a nucleus of deities.

• The Egyptian Creation Traditions—Encounter the pantheon of Egyptian gods related to creation and explore the processes by which creation was said to be accomplished.

• The Hurro-Hittite Kumarbi Cycle—In this important text, witness how universal cosmic order is established through the struggle of two entangled lineages of deities;

• The Theogony of Hesiod—Delve into this great work of Greek epic poetry, portraying the development of the cosmos through generations of divine conflict; and

• The Judeo-Christian Genesis—Chart the contours of the seven days of creation in the biblical Genesis 1 and grasp the contrast between this account and the portrayal of creation in the Garden of Eden story.

In Creation Stories of the Ancient World, you’ll look deeply into an elemental feature of early civilizations.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 The Great Courses (P)2023 The Teaching Company, LLC
Ancient Ancient History Greece Mesopotamia
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Creation Stories of the Ancient World

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    9
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Flawless in Every Way

introductory matters, survey of creation narratives, compare and contrast between them - was all superb!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Dry review of fertile crescent religions.

I was expecting more reading of the text but it was far more explanatory: there is an excess of comparisons between the religions and often it is assumed that you will know or be familiar with the information. This reminds me of a college course where the professor is really familiar with his material but it's hard to follow because of his expertise in the field. This is better for those already familiar with the stories and it is presented in such a way to be very dry.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

It was fine.

Maybe im just not as into Mesopotamia as I thought i could be. Idk it was fine. Not my most fave.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative

Good start to learn about creation myths and the have the same themes, and sometimes the same stories. Good performance and theme.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great survey of Ancient Creation stories

I really love listening to this lecture series. Dr. Joseph Lam does a great job highlighting these ancient myths and their similarities. I really enjoyed the accompanying PDF. As a lecture series, it's a bit dry if you're not interested in ancient mythology. This may not be the best first exposure to these myths, but it is certainly an excellent scholarly presentation and analysis of them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting comparisons between regional stories

The part about the Bible being distinct from other mid East creation stories was worth the listen alone. Brilliant. The rest I think was good but you have to be interested in the topic. Also the origins of Greek myths was brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Horrible audio

Couldn’t get through it.Audio was horrible.also jumped right into the complex stuff straight away.could have eased into it for the lesser informed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful