This set of 4 DVD's contains a collection of 10 programs spanning seven thousand years of history. Below are a list of the titles included and a synopsis of each.
Mesopotamia: Return to Eden
The great world traditions of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths all trace the roots of their civilizations to the river valleys of Mesopotamia's Fertile Crescent. And it is here, amid the arid, wind-swept deserts of modern Iraq and the Arabian Gulf states, that we must search for what may have been the greatest jewel in all the territories of the once-mighty, ancient Mesopotamian empires: the mythic sight of heaven on earth, the Garden of Eden.
Ancient Egypt: Quest for Immortality
The year is 1922. Beneath the desert sands of Egypt, Howard Carter prepares to breach the final barrier between the modern world and the single most coveted prize in archaeology: the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh, intact and untouched for thousands of years.
Aegean: Legacy of Atlantis
The story of Atlantis resonates for us even today with its mythic tale of a once-mighty island empire vanquished by the sea. But what if the accounts passed down to us by the likes of Plato rest not on fantasy but on an actual civilization? One that left undeniable proof of its very real existence among the vital, thriving cultures that lived on after Atlantis disappeared into the mists of legend?
Greece: A Moment of Excellence
Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, small city-states in Greece rose from obscurity to ignite one of the most spectacular explosions of cultural achievement in the history of western civilization. Chief among these fiercely competitive enclaves was a group of warriors dedicated to the goddess Athena. Two thousand years later, the modern world still regards Athens as the intellectual and aesthetic inspiration for the society in which we live today.
China: Dynasties of Power
In the 2nd century BC, China faced harrowing attacks from Mongol hordes on its vast, outlying frontiers. In response, China's leaders would build the most awesome defensive barrier in the history of civilization: the Great Wall of China. Within this 2,600-mile stone cocoon, China nurtured revolutionary achievements from the invention of paper, printing, and the compass—to the development of weaponry, torture, and warfare on an unprecedented scale.
Rome: The Ultimate Empire
From humble beginnings on the banks of Italy's Tiber River, Rome's formidable combination of military prowess and political discipline transformed this small, tribal village into the unassailable military colossus straddling the known world. From the wilds of northern Europe to the spice-rich caravan routes of the Near East, Rome's battle-hardened legions forged a glittering domain that, even to the present day, is regarded as The Ultimate Empire
The Maya: The Blood of Kings
AD 650. Europe languishes in the Dark Ages; London is little more than a pestilent jumble of wooden shacks. But half a world away, rising from the mists of Central America like a fabulous dream, the soaring stone pyramids, teeming plazas, painted ball courts, and majestic temples of the ancient Maya bear witness to a civilization of dazzling power and sophistication.
The Inca: Secrets of the Ancestors
While dominating a kingdom challenged by the harshest environmental conditions known to man, legendary Inca emperors ruled with great splendor and ritual, marking the stunning climax of 3,000 years of South American cultural evolution. Now, you can learn the mysteries behind their remarkable rise to power and unearth the Secrets of the Ancestors.
Africa: A History Denied
Cloaked in darkness since the medieval times, the spectacular ruins of the once-dazzling southern African kingdom of Great Zimbabwe posed a thorny dilemma for white settlers who claimed to have "discovered" the region a mere hundred years before. Refusing to believe the massive, finely hewn stone walls could be the product of a native culture, white "experts" eager to claim the land for Europeans credited the ancient city to everyone from wandering Phoenicians to the biblical Queen of Sheba. In so doing, they began a long, insidious European tradition of willful misinterpretation of Africa's past until, in the ultimate irony, the place where human history began would become a place with no history of its own.
Tibet: The End of Time
Isolated within the towering sanctuary of the Himalayas, Tibet developed a culture unique in the history of world civilization. Steeped in the mystical ideals of Buddhism, the Tibetans centered their lives on selfless altruism and the perception of the world as an endlessly repeating cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Now, journey to the roof of the world as this real-life Shangri-La collides head-on with the ruthless realities of modern age. And encounter a civilization that today is not yet lost, but balanced on the verge of collapse, facing what may literally be The End of Time.