Prof. Aldrete (Humanistic Studies and History) just had a video course published by the Teaching Company/The Great Courses (you might recognize this company from their frequent ads in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Economist). The course consists of 48 lectures and is called “The History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective,” and it explores the story of civilization all around the world from its beginnings up to about 800 AD—basically from Mesopotamia to the Middle Ages. It not only traces the overall development of ancient civilizations in Europe, Asia, India, Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas, but also includes a number of special lectures that directly compare key features of different civilizations. For example, there are lectures that analyze the similarities between Homer’s Iliad and the epic poems of India, or that compare the armies of the Mayans, the Chinese, and the Romans.

You can find more details about the course, or order it, at: http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=3850