This six part series explores the influence on ancient culture on our lives today. Host Michael Wood visits the ancient cities and great ports of India and China, the deserts of Egypt and Iraq, the Mexico of the Inca, Aztec and Mayan peoples, the Greek and Roman monuments of Europe and the jungles of Central America searching for the living legacies of these once great civilizations. The series traces how the institutions that arose with urban civilization...

The West once ruled more than half the world. The religion it exported, Christianity, is still followed by a third of mankind. Above all, the way people live, or aspire to live, are unmistakably an invention of the West. All over the world, more and more humans eat a Western diet, wear Western clothes and live in Western housing. Niall Ferguson explains how by juxtaposing, we can uncover the keys, the six killer applications, of Western ascendancy....

"Astonishingly photographed, and featuring unforgettable, cascading scores by Philip Glass, these are immersive sensory experiences that meditate on the havoc humankind's obsession with technological advancement has wreaked on our world"--Container.

Mongolia. Acclaimed anthropologist and explorer Wade Davis travels to the Central Asian steppes of Mongolia to meet descendants of Genghis Khan. These people are remnants of an ancient nomadic horse culture that thrived in the region's harsh conditions for more than 2,000 years. -- Australia. National Geographic joins Wade Davis on a journey deep into the Australian outback to document the disappearing cultures of Australia's Aborigines, thought...

The Celts were the first European people north of the Alps to rise from anonymity. Wild and ferocious, they were also romantics and mystics, and they shared a family of languages that are now the oldest living tongues of Europe. Their story is one of survival, defiance, and creativity, often in the face of oppression. The story of The Celts is presented in a six-episode set as told by The Celts themselves.

Discover exciting new insights as historian Neil Oliver digs for clues. Travel to archaeological sites in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, where Norsemen launch expeditions and raids. Watch in amazement as the warriors settle Britain, Iceland and Greenland and transform themselves from illiterate pagans into Christian farmers, statesmen and kings; all in less than 200 years.

Disc 1. The lure of the city -- Catalhoyuk, first experiment in urban living -- Jericho and its walls -- Uruk, city of Gilgamesh -- Mysterious Mohenjo-daro -- Kahun, company town in the desert . Disc 2. Work and life at Deir el-Medina -- Amarna, revolutionary capital -- Knossos, palace, city, or temple? -- Akrotiri, Bronze Age Pompeii -- Mycenae, Tiryns, and the mask of Agamemnon -- Athens, civic buildings and civic identity. Disc 3. Athenian domestic...

This course of twenty-four lectures examines the period know as the High Middle Ages (1000-1300). The first eight lectures cover medieval society. Lectures nine through sixteen examine the intellectual and religious history of Europe during this period. The final eight lectures cover the major political developments and events. Lecturer is Philip Daileader from College of William and Mary.

In a world ten years following the collapse of society, the rule of the law has disintegrated and life is cheap. Hardened loner Eric travels the desolate towns and roads of the outback. When a gang of thieves steals his car they leave behind a wounded Rey in their wake. Forcing Rey to help track the gang, Eric will go to any lengths to take back the one possession that still matters to him.

Examines civilizations through the lens of their engineering feats. Traces the rise of antiquity's greatest leaders and presents the architectural marvels and urban planning accomplishments that altered the course of history.