Video documentaries about history of the world
First Civilizations episode 1 – War – Examine the process of “destructive creation”, the idea that fear, rivalry and conflict strengthen community bonds while stimulating an arms race of technological progress. The result is civilization. Ancient Mesoamerica exemplifies this development. First Civilizations Having lived as mobile foragers for 99 percent of our time on Earth, why did humans […]
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In The Victorians, Jeremy Paxman takes his love of Victorian paintings as the starting point for a journey into Victorian Britain. Such pictures may not be fashionable today, but they are a goldmine of information about the most dynamic age in British history. The Victorians Part 1: Painting The Town He investigates the most dramatic event of Victorian Britain:
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The Medici – Godfathers of the Renaissance: From a small Italian community in 15th-century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. The Medici – Birth of a Dynasty part 1 Europe, 1400: A continent torn apart by war
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Hannibal in the Alps: Hannibal, one of history’s most famous generals, achieved what the Romans thought to be impossible. With a vast army of 30,000 troops, 15,000 horses and 37 war elephants, he crossed the mighty Alps in only 16 days to launch an attack on Rome from the north. For more than 2,000 years, nobody has been able to
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Rosslyn Chapel: A Treasure in Stone: Art historian Helen Rosslyn, whose husband’s ancestor built the chapel over 500 years ago, is the guide on a journey of discovery around this perfect gem of a building – Rosslyn Chapel. Extraordinary carvings of green men, inverted angels and mysterious masonic marks beg the questions of where these images come from
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Alexander the Great: Legendary military leader and conqueror of the ancient world, Alexander the Great is brought to life in this stunning documentary. Alexander the Great Part 1: The Path To Power Born in Macedonia in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father Philip II to the throne at the age of twenty. But the kingdom Alexander inherited was
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The Story of China episode 6 – The Age of Revolution: Between 1850 and 1950, three cataclysmic revolutions shook China to the core, but out of them, today’s China emerged. ‘Revolution’, Michael Wood observes, ‘has been a fact of life in Chinese history’. The film begins in Canton with the meeting of a US missionary and a Chinese
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The Story of China episode 5 – The Last Empire: Michael Wood looks at China’s Qing empire, which lasted from 1644 to 1912. Under the Qing, China doubled in size and became arguably the world’s greatest economy. China’s last empire, the Qing, lasted from 1644 to 1912. It began in violence and war as the Manchus swept down
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The Story of China episode 4 – The Ming: The tale of the Ming dynasty begins with the amazing story of Hongwu, a peasant rebel. Michael Wood explores the history of the world’s newest superpower. The tale of one of China’s most famous dynasties begins with the amazing story of Hongwu, a peasant rebel who founded one
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The Story of China episode 3 – The Golden Age: This episode tells the tale of what’s broadly considered China’s most creative dynasty – the Song (960-1279). Michael Wood heads to the city of Kaifeng, the greatest city in the world before the 19th century. Here in Twin Dragon Alley, locals tell him the legend of the baby
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The Story of China episode 2 – Silk Roads and China Ships: Michael Wood tells the tale of China’s first great international age under the Tang Dynasty (618-907). From the picturesque old city of Luoyang, he travels along the Silk Road to the bazaars of central Asia and into India on the track of the Chinese monk who brought Buddhism
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The Story of China episode 1 – Ancestors: Michael Wood explores the history of the world’s newest superpower, from its ancient past to the present day. Starting in Wuxi, Michael joins the Qin family reunion, when 300 relatives gather to worship their ancestors on Tomb Sweeping Day. ‘Like the nation, the family has been through so much,’ one says. ‘Now
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