About
Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture, demography, government, economics, and art. A visual feast of over 2,700 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays key events that shaped the development of Western thought, culture, and tradition.
Seasons
Episodes
Season 1
The Dawn of History
The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution.
The Ancient Egyptians
Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.
Mesopotamia
Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.
From Bronze to Iron
Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.
The Rise of Greek Civilization
Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.
Greek Thought
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.
Alexander the Great
Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.
The Hellenistic Age
Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.
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