BBC Ancient World Series 7 DVD Box Set

BBC Ancient World Series 7 DVD Box Set

This DVD set include the following titles:
ANCIENT ROME

Rome was the centre of one of the most remarkable and influential of all ancient civilizations; where the Forum played host to great affairs of state... where the people flocked to the Colosseum to see gladiators fight to the death in mortal combat. This programme provides a colourful, entertaining and informative guide to the treasures left to us by a truly extraordinary people. Featuring: Computer animated sequences and 3D graphics Vivid, authentic filmed recreations Period imagery New location footage of Rome today Concise comment and analysis from Amanda Claridge, Archaeologist and Author, Dr Janet De Laine, Archaeologist, and Dr Christopher Pelling, Classic Historian.

ANCIENT EGYPT

Think of ancient Egypt and you think of the great Pyramids at Giza - but these incredible structures are not the only treasures left to us by a truly remarkable civilisation. This programme visits, explores and restores such wonders as the Temples at Al Karnak and Luxor, the Temple at Abu Simnel and the Mortuary Temple of Hatsepsut. Featuring: New location footage Stylish period reconstructions Ground-breaking 3D graphics and animation sequences Interpretation and analysis by the world’s leading authorities including Dr Dominic Montserrat of Warwick University, Professor John Baines of the Oriental Faculty, Oxford, Peter Clayton, Egyptologist, and Professor G.A. Gaballa, Cairo University.

ANCIENT GREECE

It is a sad fact that many Grecian achievements were destroyed by those who subsequently conquered the land: however those that survive are a testimony to Greek skill and ideals. ‘Lost Treasures’ takes the viewer on an incredible journey to witness the breathtaking beauty of the Acropolis and The Parthenon - now and as they once were - and the majesty of the remains at Delphi, including the inspiring temple of Zeus.

ANCIENT APOCALYPSE

1. Death on the Nile: The Sphinx and mighty pyramids of Giza are the only lasting evidence of a once-great civilization. So what happened to the Old Kingdom, which flourished until approximately 4,200 BC? Hieroglyphic inscriptions have been discovered describing severe famines and evidence from as far away as Iceland suggests that at the same time another calamity occurred - a mini-ice age.
2. Mystery of the Minoans: A flourishing society of seafarers, the Minoans of Crete were struck by disaster in the 17th Century BC. The massive volcano at nearby Santorini had erupted but recently was thought not to have played a key part in the Minoans' destruction. Now volcanologist Floyd McCoy pieces together evidence of the devastating tidal waves and climate change that set them on the road to ruin.
3. Sodom and Gomorrah: Theologists saw the Biblical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an Old Testament myth - an allegory for God's vengence on Earth for man's excess. When it was discovered that the twin cities actually existed and that they were situated near the Dead Sea, many questions were raised. Was it really fire and brimstone that caused the cities' demise? New research by geological engineer Graham Harris suggests that they were actually razed by a catastrophic earthquake.
4. The Maya collapse: The ancient Mayan culture left behind some of the world's largest pyramids, but the mystery remains unsolved of why the tribe suddenly disappeared around 800AD, with no evidence to suggest what happened to 11 million people. Archaeologist Dick Gill's theories about a cataclysmic drought in the region were frowned upon at first, but now the establishment is taking them very seriously indeed.

The Mayan ruins of Tikal are hidden deep in the rainforests of Guatemala. From the air only a handful of temples and palaces peek through the canopy. The stone carvings are weather-beaten. Huge plazas are covered in moss and giant reservoirs are engulfed by jungle. The only inhabitants are wild animals and birds.

But 1,200 years ago, Tikal was one of the major cities of the vast and magnificent Maya civilisation that stretched across much of what is now southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Tikal was home to perhaps 100,000 people. Thatched farmsteads and fields would have stretched as far as the eye could see.

Their civilization was so stable and established, they even had a word for a 400- year time period.

The Maya thrived for nearly 2,000 years. Without the use of the cartwheel or metal tools, they built massive stone structures. They were accomplished scientists. They tracked a solar year of 365 days and one of the few surviving ancient Maya books contains tables of eclipses. From observatories, like the one at Chichen Itza, they tracked the progress of the war star, Venus.

They developed their own mathematics, using a base number of 20, and had a concept of zero. They also had their own system of writing. Their civilisation was so stable and established, they even had a word for a 400-year time period.

Mayan society was vibrant, but it could also be brutal. It was strictly hierarchical and deeply spiritual. Humans were sacrificed to appease the gods. The elite also tortured themselves - male Maya rulers perforated the foreskins of their penises and the women their tongues, apparently in the hope of providing nourishment for the gods who required human blood.

In the ninth century, the Maya world was turned upside down. Many of the great centres like Tikal were deserted. The sacred temples and palaces briefly became home to a few squatters, who left household rubbish in the once pristine buildings. When they too left, Tikal was abandoned forever, and the Mayan civilisation never recovered. Only a fraction of the Maya people survived to face the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.

For decades, archaeologists have been searching for an explanation of the Maya collapse. Many theories have been put forward, ranging from warfare and invasion to migration, disease and over-farming. Many think the truth may lie with a combination of these and other factors.

But none of the controversional theories wre good enough for Dick Gill. He believed that what had devastated the Maya was drought, however drought as the only explanation of the MAYA collapse was highly controversial.

• Format: NTSC, Plays in US DVD player
• Number of DVD: 7
• Conditions: Brand New sealed in factory box
• Language : English
• menu: English/Chinese
• Audio: English/Chinese (selectable)
• Official foreign release with foreign writing in cover