A Meditation on Empire – Lecture 1
Professor Robert L. Dise Jr.
University of Northern Iowa | Ph.D., University of Michigan
This introductory lecture on the ancient empires before Alexander the Great opens up a chapter of history that existed before the great Macedonian ruler whose name would identify cities around the world (Alexandria in Egypt).
Twelve empires rose, conquered and fell before Alexander, some famous, some nearly anonymous. But they all earned the title of “empire”.
What is empire? It is a subjective term and in this course, means the rule of one ethnic group over other ethnic groups. It does not mean the size of the territory it controls or worse yet, the form of government. In fact, any kind of government can rule an empire. But in the end, there is no one correct definition. Get this course at a discounted price at Great Courses coupons.
The three questions that must be answered are: How do empires start? How are they governed and defended? How do they collapse? Each of these questions could be a course in itself.
This course is a must for any student of the Bible: Jewish, Christian, Muslim; for it presents a lot of background information related to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Isaiah and more.
Professor Dise’s presentation is gripping, like a narrator on the History channel, with some humor thrown in from time to time.
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