The Black Sea: A Cradle of Civilization with Dr. Nina Wieda
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The Mediterranean Sea gets all the fame, but its adjacent neighbor, the Black Sea, is even more central to the early chapters of human civilization. Its shores were home to proto-Europeans: people speaking the early language that eventually developed into English and Spanish, among other European languages. Kurgan culture developed in the steppes surrounding the Black Sea. Later in history, Greek colonies on the Black Sea coasts co-existed with local tribes that captured the imagination of early historians: pirates, amazons, and gold-washers of the Colchis kingdom, where Jason came for the Golden Fleece. The English word “slave” also has its origin on the Black Sea Coast.
Home to some of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in human history, the Black Sea is becoming more popular with cruise travelers. With Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Romania, and Bulgaria sharing these shores, the Black Sea has always been the contested geopolitical prize. Most recently, the Crimean Peninsula – changing hands since the beginning of history – was in the news again.
Led by an expert on the area, Dr. Nina Wieda, this Conversation will introduce the fascinating world of the Black Sea to its participants. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with increased knowledge about this ancient region and its role in human civilization.
This conversation is part of a multi-part series on Eurasian Culture with Nina Wieda. Each session is designed to be enjoyed as a stand-alone seminar as well as part of the extended series.
Armenia: Exploring The Cultural Heritage of Eurasia with Nina Wieda
Azerbaijan: At the Crossroads of the Continents with Nina Wieda
The Baltics: An Introduction to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania with Nina Wieda
Georgia: A Nation of Legends with Nina Wieda
Ukraine: Exploring The Cultural Heritage of Eurasia with Dr. Nina Wieda
Exploring Central Asia's Silk Road Treasures with Dr. Nina Wieda
Nina Wieda is a native of the Caucasus living in Chicago, USA. She holds a PhD in Slavic from Northwestern University and an MA in Nationalism Studies from Central European University. She worked as a newspaper journalist in the Caucasus and wrote her Master's thesis about the Northern Caucasus region. She teaches at Northwestern University near Chicago.
This conversation is suitable for all ages.
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
This was one if the most informative Context lectures I’ve watched. It was excellent.
Nina explains the civilizations of Caucasus with ease, but also passion and erudition.
First I want to tell Nin that her Anna Kerenina conversationn was SUPER! I did not get a "Feedback" to tell her how much I loved it. I have signed up for her other conversations - I liked this s my father was working in refineries in Rumania before the 1st world war. We traveled to Romania and Bulgaria in 1961 as well as Georgia etc. So - I wanted to hear a conversation about the area. Thank you.