Summary: Once rivals and even rulers of Ancient Egypt, Nubian kingdoms dominated the eastern Sahara for millennia. In this program art historian Gus Casely-Hayford tours the ruins of Kerma and Meroe, two of Nubia's great capitals, to examine some of the cultural treasures these complex civilizations left behind: the remains of a vast worship center built 4,000 years ago, a temple to the god Amun,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Victorian explorer who discovered the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, with its high, sweeping walls and complex passageways, had no idea who could have built it. The vast stone city remained at the center of debate for decades. In this program art historian Gus Casely-Hayford pieces together the story of the African empire and how it was linked to surrounding kingdoms as part of a medieval gold...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: A collection of extraordinary plaques, seized as loot during the colonial aggression that ended the powerful Benin Empire in 1897, depict life in the African kingdom's royal court at its height. In this program art historian Gus Casely-Hayford travels to legendary Timbuktu, the Great Mosque of Djenn, the Oba Royal Palace, and Dogon country to learn more about how the plaques were made and what...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
View online at AVOD
Summary: Unlike the primarily east-to-west conquest of the Americas, European incursions into sub-Saharan Africa proceeded south-to-north-an approach, climatically speaking, that did not favor the invaders. Cattle and crops failed to thrive, and indigenous diseases decimated the newcomers, yet still that vast region was subdued. How? This program tells a story of colonization and exploitation that shows...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Before there was writing, people remembered-the history of the tribe, how to make tools or placate the gods, who owned what. The growth of commerce required written records. This program traces the development of writing, from the earliest Sumerian cuneiform examples and the almost parallel development of hieroglyphics in Egypt, through the evolution of different concepts and shapes to the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Among scientists, Africa is the undisputed birthplace of humanity. But anthropologists are split into two camps over other questions. How many waves of Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa? Did other highly developed hominid species-such as Homo neanderthalensis-make the same journey? And to what extent did these populations mingle and compete with each other? This classic program presents...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Hidden away in the Butana region of northern Sudan lie the ruins of ancient Nubia, an African civilization that rivaled Egypt for centuries. This film familiarizes students with ongoing excavations that study and preserve the deteriorating remains of the Nubian kingdom of Kush. Interviews with Sudanese, American, and European archaeologists and historians are interwoven with stunning footage...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008