Summary: Could Ethiopia have been founded by the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba? In this program art historian Gus Casely-Hayford searches for the facts behind the legend by traveling to several important religious sites: Gondar, with its stunning icons; Lalibela, a cluster of 11 churches carved from single blocks of stone; remote Debre Damo monastery; Axum, allegedly home to the Ark of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
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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: 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
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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
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Summary: The fine loess soil of the Yellow River basin quickly established that region as the home of China's earliest recorded dynasty. This program focuses primarily on Bronze Age China and the contributions of the Yin (or Shang) dynasty, with a tangential emphasis on the reign of the Qins. Commentary by Tang Jigen, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and other experts; archival film of the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Shrouded in mystery, the details of the Indus Valley civilization are slowly being extracted from the archaeological record. In this program, Richard Meadow, of Harvard University; R. S. Bisht, of the Archaeological Survey of India; linguist Asko H. S. Parpola; and other experts investigate the language, customs, and beliefs of the inhabitants of Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Were Egypt's pyramids really built by slaves to be the tombs of the pharaohs? Most scholars believed so-until the excavation of a workers' village and the tomb of High Priest Kai led to some startling conclusions. In this program, Zahi Hawass, of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, and renowned anthropologist Azza Saary el-Din provide support for the "public works" theory of the late...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: Literally "the land between the rivers," Mesopotamia was host to some of the world's earliest and most powerful civilizations. Shot on location, this program seeks to understand how the Sumerian city-states, cradled by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, built a vibrant agricultural economy-and why, after centuries, the wheat crop suddenly failed. Commentary by Asli Ozdogan, of Istanbul...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
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Summary: At the height of its power and influence, the Etruscan civilization extended from the Po Valley to Campania, and its merchant fleet was the master of the Mediterranean. This program documents the salvaging of the first Etruscan ship ever found: a spectacular wreck off the coast of southern France with a perfectly preserved lower hull and laden with hundreds of amphorae. What artifacts are...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: The construction of a high-speed train line in eastern France quickly turned into the start of a major archaeological dig when a Celtic necropolis was discovered. Who were the Celts, a people that dominated broad stretches of Europe for more than 500 years? In this program, archaeologists, paleoanthropologists, and other team members follow the migratory trail of the Celts across Europe,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: Hidden beneath the modern city of Alexandria is the ancient one. How was that Alexandria laid out? Where are its legendary signature structures located? And how is renowned archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur to gather the information he needs when rapidly encroaching construction projects and a proposed breakwater in the harbor force him to do in months what rightly should be done over years?...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
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Summary: When ground was broken for a luxury hotel in modern-day Hammamet, Tunisia, no one was expecting to find what has turned out to be the largest Roman necropolis in North Africa. In this program, necropolis expert Marc Griesheimer collaborates with archaeologist Aicha ben Abed and other specialists to piece together fragile clues to the history of the region. Painstaking analysis of the human...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006