Curated Video
The Parthenon: Symbol of Athenian Democracy
The Parthenon is a renowned symbol of Athenian democracy and a testament to ancient Greek architecture. The structure served as a temple to the goddess Athena for over a millennium before being repurposed as a church and a mosque, among...
Curated Video
The Merits of Dissent
Stanford University classicist and political scientist Josiah Ober describes the vital role public dissent plays in a democracy, forcing us to continually reassess how well we are promoting our values, or even if those values are the...
Curated Video
Democratic Challenges
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) argues that the success of classical Athenian democracy was consistently challenged by aristocratic elites such as Plato or Aristotle.
Curated Video
Against the Iron Law of Oligarchy
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) describes his belief that classical Athens is a counter-example to the so-called “Iron Law of Oligarchy”.
Curated Video
Vietnam's Shadow
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) describes how the experience of the Vietnam War affected his research on classical Athens.
Curated Video
Athenian Inversions
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) describes how his generation of classical Greek historians took a different approach to Athens of the 4th century BCE.
Curated Video
A Two-Way Street
Stanford University classicist and political scientist Josiah Ober relates how the interests of elites and the general population were intertwined in classical Athens, and how we might be able to harness some of those ancient concepts in...
Curated Video
Inhibiting Idealizations
Classicist Richard Janko (Michigan) speculates that our love of Athenian democracy sometimes prevents us from taking a more objective view of their society.
Curated Video
A Notable Exception
Stanford University classicist and political scientist Josiah Ober describes his motivation to use Classical Athens as a counterexample to Robert Michels’ theory of “the iron law of oligarchy” of political organisation.
Curated Video
A Notable Counterexample
Classicist and political theorist Josiah Ober (Stanford) discusses how ancient Athenian democracy has long struck him as an obviously important counterexample to Robert Michel's so-called "Iron Law of Democracy."
Curated Video
Ancient Culture Wars?
Classical scholar Richard Janko, University of Michigan, describes his conviction that the famous trial of Socrates in 399 BCE was hardly a unique event in Classical Athens, but rather one in a series of battles between religious...
Curated Video
What are the Different Forms of Government?
Every country on Earth is run by some form of government – but there are many different kinds, from autocracies and oligarchies to direct and representative democracies.
Jack Rackam
The Republic with No Borders | The Life & Times of Xenophon
The Republic with No Borders | The Life & Times of Xenophon
One Minute History
163 Olympic Games - One Minute History
Records of the first Olympic Games date back to Olympia, Greece in 776 B.C. — where a cook won the only event: a 192-meter race. The Roman Empire then conquered Greece in mid-2nd century B.C., and while the games continued every four...
Curated Video
Greek Direct Democracy
This video will explain the way in which Greece became a direct democracy and the problems that the system created for the Greek people.
Vlogbrothers
On The Melian Dialogue
In which John discusses The Melian Dialogue, a story of Ancient Greece, the Peloponnesian War, the city-state of Athens, the island of Melos, Thucydides, and 21st century human life.
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Act 2 Summary, Analysis and the Theme of Nature
This video is a summary and analysis of Act 2 of William Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. This video primarily addresses the theme of Nature in the play. This is the third video in a series about A Midsummer Night's Dream...
Science360
Hyperlocal mapping within urban heat islands for future forecasting - Science Nation
Researchers lay the groundwork for high resolution “heat maps” to protect residents and improve city planning A quick check on a smartphone will provide you with the day's expected high temperature, but what if you could find out how hot...
TMW Media
Nashville, Tennessee has a replica Parthanon
In this episode of Travel Thru History we visit a city in the Southeastern US that you can hear from miles away. It’s rightfully called Music City but you know it as Nashville, Tennessee. We dig deep into the city’s past and find that...
Mythology & Fiction Explained
Amazons - The Most Feared Warrior Women of Greek Mythology (Greek Mythology Explained)
Mythology & Fiction Explained explores the Greek legend of the Amazons
Curated Video
Public Spaces: The Birth of Nations
Public spaces are places for democracy. Open to everyone, and a space where people can gather, they could form a type of government where the people have ultimate power.
Curated Video
Greece, Delphi Greek Theatre
The ancient theatre at Delphi was built further up the hill from the Temple of Apollo giving spectators a view of the entire sanctuary and the valley below. It was originally built in the 4th century BC but was remodeled on several...
Two Minute Music Theory
Music Culture in Classical Period Greece (Part 1) - Music In History
Greece has a long and diverse history of music, and much of the Western Tradition of music can be traced through the Greece Classical Period. 0:00 Introduction 0:32 The Greek Classical Period 3:56 Music Culture in Ancient Greece 6:38...