Tag: Channel Discovery Channels

Includes Discovery Science and Investigation Discovery Channels

Ancient Warriors Series 3 Episode 17 Shaolin Monks Masters Of Kung Fu

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 17 Shaolin Monks – The Shaolin pattern their martial arts on animal motion. In the year 621 China was ruled by chaos. Warlord fought warlord, no one was safe, not even the emperor. His estates were seized, his subjects murdered, and his son taken hostage. A peasant found the princes imperial seal and took it to a monastery nearby. The monks resolved to find the wicked warlord and rescue the emperors son. For despite their peaceful manner, they knew a hundred ways to kill a man. They were the shaolin masters of the deadly art of kung fu.

MegaStructures Built from Disaster Episode 2 Ships

Megastructures: Built from Disaster explores how accidents throughout the world have influenced the evolution of modern structural engineering. Ships Episode 2 – At seayou don’t get a second chance. Once out of sight of land the only thing you can depend on is your ship, and tragically, for thousands of people, the ship has let them down. But out of every catastrophe comes knowledge, from the Titanic to the Estonia, every disaster at sea has had a radical effect on the design of the ships that followed. Examining the latest in Arctic cruise liners and hi-tech, high speed passenger catamarans, this programme shows how ships have become more technologically advanced than ever before, and by following the building of one of the world’s most advanced and luxurious vessels, Ruby Princess, the design secrets that allow modern passenger ships to operate safely, with thousands of passengers and crew on board will be revealed.

The Most Evil Men and Women in History Rasputin

This series of programs consists of 16 episodes which profile 16 evil men and women throughout history who have used their power to torturekill, maim and eradicate millions of people. A discovery channel/UK channel five series, this is actually a collection of independently produced one off documentaries that were packaged into a series. The list of Most Evil/Women is based on books by Miranda Twiss. Rasputin – He was an uneducated peasant who gained a reputation as a faith healer. His strange behavior and incredible influence over the imperial family made him notorious and his death made him a legend. Gregory Rasputin dominated the final years of imperial Russia. The mysterious monk who enjoyed the favour of the Czar was rumoured to be a Holy Devil, who preached the word of God but practiced every form of corruption.

Blood for the Gods Episode 3 Human Sacrifice

Graphic images contained in this program. Blood for the Gods is the Discovery Channel documentary series that looks at rituals of death and self mutilation throughout history. From fertility sacrifices to death ritualsthese acts of mutilation and death were committed to gain favor with their gods. Through re-enactments, expert analysis and computer graphics, we see the stories behind the bloody acts, and learn why these cultures committed them. Episode 3 Human Sacrifice – For many cultures, human sacrifice was the only thing that would calm an angry, irrational and bloodthirsty god. From the sacrifice of Isaac in the Bible, to the terrifying Viking rite call The Blood Eagle the gods often commanded blood for favors.

Rome Power & Glory Episode 3 Seduction of Power

For over a thousand yearsRome was the center of the known world. One of the most glorious empires in history, she brought to her subjects a common language, shared culture, and for some wealth beyond imagination. But nothing lasts forever. War, barbarian attacks, and moral decay eventually took their toll and the empire slowly began to crumble. This six part series presents the complete history of Rome, from its primitive beginnings, to the height of its glory to its eventual decline, as well as its legacies today. Filmed in 10 countries, Rome Power and Glory combines location footage of ancient monuments, detailed reenactments, period art and writings, and insights from scholars and public figures to bring the ancient world to life. Episode 3 Seduction of Power – The history of Roman politics, from the first representative government through to the the lives of emperors Julius Caesar, Nero and Septimius Severus.

World's Strangest UFO Stories Episode 4 Did Aliens Build The Pyramids?

We’ve all heard the stories of unidentified flying objectsmysterious little green men and alien invasions. They’ve been the subject of endless blockbuster films, science fiction thrillers and television series. But is there any fact behind the science fiction frenzy? Throughout the world there are thousands of reports of real people having witnessed something from another world, or even having been transported to another world, the stories are astonishing. This documentary scours the evidence, tracking down witnesses and victims who claim to have gotten up close and personal with aliens and features interviews with experts, sceptics and extraterrestrial fanatics who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the truth about the biggest, best and most extraordinary alien tales of all time. Episode 4 – Did Aliens Build The Pyramids – Did ancient astronauts build Egypt’s magnificent pyramids Britain’s mystical Stonehenge and the giant “moai” heads on Easter Island? In the absence of man made proof to the contrarysome UFO theorists find this idea very compelling. In addition to these awesome but inanimate objects, this episode also challenges religious and evolutionary doctrine to suggest that humanity itself is the product of alien design.

Ancient Warriors Series 1 Episode 4 The Legions of Rome

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This twenty part documentary series from the Discovery Channel was aimed at the school market so it’s as good an introduction as possible for such a small time period and should not be taken as an exhaustive investigation of the topic. It is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 4 The Legions of Rome – Roman legions destroy Carthage, then conquer Greece. At the end of the first century A.D. the soldier Tiberius Claudius Vitalus crossed the river Danube and reached the end of the world. Trained to obey in the war to come victory would hang on such discipline, the greatest weapon, of the greatest army the world had yet seen.

Dinosaur Revolution Episode 4 End Game

Reign of the Dinosaurs also called Dinosaur Revolution combines the talent of the world’s best dinosaur illustrators and animators with the latest fossil research and the best of Hollywood storytelling to illustrate the extraordinary life of dinosaurs. The series features never before seen intimate behaviors to illustrate the extraordinary life of dinosaurs. Episode 4 End Game – Gigantic and menacingthe Tyrannosaurus Rex is probably the most famous dinosaur that ever lived. However, new discoveries are proving wrong the previous depiction of the T.Rex as dull and slow in fact, he was complex, dynamic and even bird like. We get up a close and personal look at how they lived, from nesting in pairs to caring for their young and how they played together.

Searching for Lost Worlds Machu Picchu Secrets of the Incan Empire

Journey into lush jungle foliage up fog bathed mountains, under flaming desert sands, back in time. How would it feel to be the first one, to be a bold explorer, to make a one of a kind discovery? Return to the golden age of exploration as five men set out into the world to make their names. Episode 2 Machu Picchu Secrets of the Incan Empire – Seeking fame and fortune, Hiram Bingham treks into the mountainous central regions of Peru in search of the Lost City of the Incas. When he emerges, he is an exploration superstar, the recipient of such adulation, he is able to parlay it into a career in the U.S. Senate. Following a trail of rumor and legend, he wanders far into the sacred valleys, where he discovers a series of mountain top sanctuaries used by the Incas to hide from the Spanish Conquerors.

The Lost Tomb Of Jesus

Has the tomb of Jesus Christ been found? Since the 1970shundreds of tombs and thousands of ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) have been discovered in the Jerusalem area. These ossuaries served as coffins in first century Jerusalem. One of these tombs was found to contain ten ossuaries. Six of the ossuaries in this tomb have inscriptions on them. As it turns out, every inscription in this particular tomb relates to the Gospels. This documentary makes a case is made that the 2,000 year old Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.

Ancient Warriors Series 3 Episode 18 The Hawaiians Warriors of Paradise

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 18 The Hawaiians Warriors of Paradise – Kamehameha unites the Hawaiian Islands under one kingdom. Behind it’s peaceful facade this paradise is a battleground. Rival armies flow across the land, no chief rules supreme. One will try, daring to link by force a chain of islands that has never been conquered.

MegaStructures Built from Disaster Episode 3 Tunnels

Megastructures: Built from Disaster explores how accidents throughout the world have influenced the evolution of modern structural engineering. Episode 3 Tunnels – the word evokes mysteryadventure and claustrophobia. They make mountains manageable, connect our cities and can even bring together continents. But every tunnel is an enclosed space – a very dangerous place to be if something goes wrong. This episode looks at how recent catastrophes at the Channel Tunnel, Mont Blanc and Gotthard Tunnels of Europe spawned a revolution in tunnel building technology that is still evolving today. From failsafe evacuation systems through fireproof concrete and radical new approaches to tunnel design itself this programme will see how new tunnel projects are using high tech to keep alive if the worst happens. At the core of the programme is the cutting-edge Marmaray Tunnel in Turkey – this US 4 billion project will connect Europe and Asia with a dual bore rail tunnel running under the Bosphorous Straits. But there is a problem, the Anatolian Fault Line lies 11 miles from the site.

The Most Evil Men and Women in History Stalin

This series of programs consists of 16 episodes which profile 16 evil men and women throughout history who have used their power to torturekill, maim and eradicate millions of people. A discovery channel/UK channel five series, this is actually a collection of independently produced one off documentaries that were packaged into a series. The list of Most Evil/Women is based on books by Miranda Twiss. Joseph Stalin – Perhaps 7 million or more people were shot with a total suppression of about 50 million under uncle Joe Stalin. One of the great tyrant’s of the 20th century and indeed any century.

2057 Life 50 years From Now The Body

What would you see and experience if the clocks rolled forward 50 years? In a unique blend of drama and science this three part series shows you the world of tomorrow. Will we have flying cars? Will advances in medicine help us stay young forever? What about printing custom made vital organs? Episode The Body – Flying ambulances? Intelligent clothing? Custom – built organs from scratch? Robotic surgery? Learn about today’s medical breakthroughs that will extend our lives in 50 years.

Building the Impossible: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Episode 1 Artemis Mausoleum and Zeus

They were built by the ancients in the time before Christ to a scale that is unbelievable. They dared their creators to push engineering to new heights which still astound us today. Architecture and sculpture continue to stand in the shadow of their genius. Now by revealing the secrets of the past we can unlock the mysteries of their construction which earn them the highest distinction as the seven wonders of the ancient world. Episode 1 ArtemisMausoleum and Zeus – Temple of Artemis at Ephesus – The first cranes were used to construct the world’s largest marble temple. It was supported by a forest of fluted columns, 60 feet high. How were the ancients able to achieve such detail while working on an such enormous scale? Mausoleum at Halicarnassus – The most extraordinary building every constructed, it stood the height of a 14 story building, and was covered with statues it has left the word mausoleum. Its style has been copied all over the world from Washington D.C. to the shrine of remembrance in Melbourne, Australia. Statue of Zeus at Olympia – The sculpture who created it used a secret recipe to shape the ivory. But how did he achieve such realism? The originality of it’s design has inspired artists and sculptors to copy it throughout the centuries.

Rome Power & Glory Episode 4 Grasp of an Empire

For over a thousand yearsRome was the center of the known world. One of the most glorious empires in history, she brought to her subjects a common language, shared culture, and for some wealth beyond imagination. But nothing lasts forever. War, barbarian attacks, and moral decay eventually took their toll and the empire slowly began to crumble. This six part series presents the complete history of Rome, from its primitive beginnings, to the height of its glory to its eventual decline, as well as its legacies today. Episode 4 The Grasp of the Empire – How the Romans controlled their vast empire through an alliance of slaves and peasants a system that led to the longest sustained period of peace in their history.

2050 Future Storm

This documentaryproduced in 2002, tells the story of a terrible year in our future. A year when the worlds biggest killer is our climate. Global warming may take millions of lives. Scientists are predicting storms more savage then anything we have yet seen, fire and flood, destruction on a massive scale. In our future global warming could cause up to 30 million deaths in a single year, that year is 2050. This doucmentary begins with an imagined television news broadcast from the future. Good evening this is News Select it is July 122050. The main news today: Scientists are predicting a year of disasters on an unprecedented scale, the reason global warming. predicted effects range from floods to landslides, droughts are forecast too. The death rate from starvation world wide is set to rise to 20,000 a week. In the next 12 months meteorologists are predicting a death toll well into the 10s of millions from weather disasters alone. Directed by Richard Burke Ward.

Ancient Warriors Series 1 Episode 5 The Macedonians

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 5 The Macedonians – Alexander the Great uses his father’s tactics to conquer the Persian Empire. From the day these warriors fought, war would never be the same. They would march farther than any soldiers before them and outfight every army they met. In one afternoon they would defeat the proudest civilization of their day. Led by the greatest general in history they would forge an empire larger than any yet seen and leave their footprints forever on the world.

Discover Magazine Engineering Secrets of Hagia Sophia

For 1500 years the dome atop Haiga Sophia has soared above instanbul. That this wonder of the ancient world still stands is remarkablebut when you consider where it stands it becomes miraculous. At the intersection of two contents is Turkey. Istanbul, once the ancient city of Constantinople, is at ground zero in one of the nmost deadly earthquake zones on earth. Since the beginning of recorded history, 4000 years ago, the city has been periodically hit by a series of massive earthquakes. But while buildings around it have toppled, Haiga Sophia and it’s amazing dome have survived 15 centuries of devastation. Is this by chance or by design. Dr. Amit Chakma of Princeton University is searching every inch of the structure seeking to answer that question.

Secrets of Ancient Empires First Armies

This is your ticket for a remarkable journey back in time. The Secrets of Ancient Empires collection takes you back many thousands of years to the mysterious days of antiquity. Featuring location footagestunning reconstructions and re-creations these programs provide a superb record of the very roots of today’s civilization and society. Episode 4 The First Armies – evolving civilization prompted the creation of organized military forces meant to protect communities. Making the most of available archival materials and artifacts, expert interviews and reenactments of important events, The First Armies re-creates military life as it was in ancient times. It tells the powerful story of the origins of organized warfare.

The Red Queen: A Mayan Mystery

The Tomb of the Red Queen is a burial chamber containing the remains of an unknown noblewoman located inside Temple XIII in the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Palenquenow the Palenque National Park, in the Chiapas state in southern Mexico. It has been dated to between 600 and 700 A.D. The tomb was discovered in 1994 by the Mexican archeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez Cruz. It takes its popular name from the fact that the remains of the noblewoman and the objects in the sarcophagus were covered with bright red cinnabar powder when the tomb was discovered. Discover the secrets of the identity of the Red Queen in this amazing documentary.

Ancient Warriors Series 3 Episode 19 The Ninja Warriors of the Night

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 19 The Ninja Warriors of the Night – History of the Ninja warrior group. A thief is about to steal or die trying. Outside the victims window a gentle rain shower begins to fall. It seams the roof has sprung a leak. False alarm, but the sword is gone, the novice has passed the test and joins an invisible army, Ninjas the warriors of the night.

MegaStructures Built from Disaster Episode 4 Stadiums

Megastructures: Built from Disaster explores how accidents throughout the world have influenced the evolution of modern structural engineering. Stadiums Episode 4 – Sport stadiums are amongst the most iconiceye catching structures of the modern world. Symbols of local and national pride, they play host to huge crowds on a weekly basis. No other structure holds so many people in such close proximity and in such an emotionally charged atmosphere-so when the structures fail, the effects can be catastrophic. Over the past century, more than 1,600 people have died at stadiums across the world. To prevent disasters happening in the stadiums of the future, engineers have had to learn what went wrong in the past.

2057 Life 50 years From Now The World

What would you see and experience if the clocks rolled forward 50 years? In a unique blend of drama and science this three part series shows you the world of tomorrow. Will we have flying cars? Will advances in medicine help us stay young forever? What about printing custom made vital organs? The World – An invisible soldier? A space elevator to the stars? Transmit the inventory of the Library of Congress via laser beam in seconds? What are the real fuel sources of the future? Learn about technological quantum leaps that will shape our planet in 50 years.

Building the Impossible: Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Episode 2 Pyramid,. Gardens, Rhodes, and Lighthouse

They were built by the ancients in the time before Christ to a scale that is unbelievable. They dared their creators to push engineering to new heights which still astound us today. Architecture and sculpture continue to stand in the shadow of their genius. Now by revealing the secrets of the past we can unlock the mysteries of their construction which earn them the highest distinction as the seven wonders of the ancient world. Episode 2 PyramidGardens, Rhodes and Lighthouse – The rough appearance of the great pyramid masks the precision of its construction it remains the most accurately built stone structure on earth. With only geometry and rope to help them it is baffling how they created a perfect square. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built high above ground displaying their color in a middle of a desert. The ancient gardeners had a great knowledge of horticulture but what plants were they able to grow in the hanging gardens? Some scholars doubt whether they could have existed at all. The Island of Rhodes was attacked by Antigones, against all odds the Rhodians defeated Antigones and his huge fleet and celebrated by building a giant bronze statue of their savior, the sun god Helios, the Collosus of Rhodes. The last of the seven ancient wonders was built in Alexandria it was the worlds first metropolis and its world wonder, the Pharos, was the first skyscraper. it was a lighthouse standing over 400 feet high and it expressed the power, control and prestige of the Ptolemic dynasty.

Rome Power & Glory Episode 5 Cult of Order

For over a thousand yearsRome was the center of the known world. One of the most glorious empires in history, she brought to her subjects a common language, shared culture, and for some wealth beyond imagination. But nothing lasts forever. War, barbarian attacks, and moral decay eventually took their toll and the empire slowly began to crumble. This six part series presents the complete history of Rome, from its primitive beginnings, to the height of its glory to its eventual decline, as well as its legacies today. Filmed in 10 countries, Rome Power and Glory combines location footage of ancient monuments, detailed reenactments, period art and writings, and insights from scholars and public figures to bring the ancient world to life. Episode 5 The Cult of Order – The slow disintegration of Rome, the economy falters, citizens turn to religious cults, the Roman Empire becomes divided.

Blood of the Sun God

In 1532Pizarro defeated the great Incan emperor Atahualpa. This is the story of a poor, uneducated swine herdsman whose goal was gold and glory. At the time of the Spanish conquest of what is now Peru, the empire that the Incas had built up was the largest and most sophisticated to be found in the New World. Before Pizarro’s capture of the Inca emperor, Atahualpa, there had been little contact between the new and old worlds of Europe and the Andean region. However, once the contact was made there was no stopping the destruction that quickly followed. November 16th, 1532 With his army of just 180 mercenary soldiers, Spanish captain Francisco de Pizarro conquered the Inca fortress of Cajamarca with its defense force of 30,000 warriors. When the Inca god-King Atahualpa fell into the hands of the conquerors so did his people’s legendary treasure the Inca gold, blood of the Sun God. This documentary follows the history of a conquest that started with Pizarro’s greed for gold and glory and ended with the demise of a great civilization. This is the story of a poor, uneducated swine herdsman whose goal was gold and glory.

Ancient Warriors Series 1 Episode 6 Soldiers of Pharaohs

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 6 Soldiers of the Pharaoh – Hieroglyphics depict Egyptian chariots. In the 17th century B.C. the ancient kingdom of Egypt was suddenly overthrown. Unexpectedly from the region to the east invaders from an obscure race marched in confidence across our land. They burned our cities ruthlessly raised to the ground the temples of the gods and treated all the natives with cruel hostility. Humiliated by the defeat the Egyptian Pharaoh vowed to reclaim his country. Out of the desert sprang an army of warriors burning with vengeance.

Discover Magazine Hidden Temples of Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat one of the wonders of the ancient world rises from the Cambodian jungle. The magnificent temples and gigantic reservoirs built by the Khmer empire have long mystified scientists. What was the purpose behind the vast water system? 25 years of war and killing fields isolated Angkor from the outside world. Archaeologists are turning to a technological breakthrough to solve the mysteries of the ancients. Astonishing views from the space shuttle high tech radar are giving scientists a revolutionary new look at Angkor and changing old ideas about the mysterious temples. Who where the Khmer? How did they eek a living out of this harsh realm. How did they manage to create a city of such splendor and scale.

The Most Evil Men and Women in History Countess Elisabeth Batory

This series of programs consists of 16 episodes which profile 16 evil men and women throughout history who have used their power to torturekill, maim and eradicate millions of people. A discovery channel/UK channel five series, this is actually a collection of independently produced one off documentaries that were packaged into a series. The list of Most Evil/Women is based on books by Miranda Twiss. Countess Elizabeth Bathory – She is considered the most infamous serial killer in Hungarian/Slovak history. Rumours had circulated for years about missing peasant girls, offered well paid work at the castle, they were never seen again. The native form of her name is ecsedi Bathory Erzsebet in Hungarian.

The Spirit Hunters

The Spirit Hunters follows anthropologist Glenn Shepard as he lives with and learns from the Machiguenga Indiansa remote ethnic group that inhabits Peru’s upper Amazon jungle. The core of Machiguenga beliefs center around their view of the rainforest and the spirits that inhabit it. By ingesting the hallucinogen Ayahuasca, the Machiguenga are able to perceive the spirit world of the rainforest that surrounds them. This 60-minute documentary is narrated by James Earl Jones. Written and co-produced by Kim MacQuarrie.

Ancient Warriors Series 3 Episode 20 The Sioux Warriors of the Plains

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 20 The Sioux Warriors of the Plains – Dakota history and warrior tactics, the Dakota battle American settlers, massacre at Wounded Knee. When the American west was still wild, they were its master. On the back of the horse, they swept across the plains. At a river called the Little Big Horn, under a warrior called Crazy Horse, they humbled a nation and won the greatest victory in the wars for the west.

MegaStructures Built from Disaster Episode 6 Skyscrapers

Megastructures: Built from Disaster explores how accidents throughout the world have influenced the evolution of modern structural engineering. Skyscrapers Episode 6 – The titans of city architecture for over a centuryskyscrapers dominate urban landscapes throughout the world. No other building design so readily accommodates the voracious need for space in urban centres, but there can be a high price for this solution to overcrowded city life. Within such high and crowded structures, the consequences of engineering errors can be catastrophic.

The Most Evil Men and Women in History Vlad Tepest

This series of programs consists of 16 episodes which profile 16 evil men and women throughout history who have used their power to torturekill, maim and eradicate millions of people. Vlad the Impaler – Vlad is best known for the legends of the exceedingly cruel punishments he imposed during his reign and for serving as the primary inspiration for the vampire main character in Bram Stoker’s popular Dracula novel.

500 Nations Episode 1 Wounded Knee Legacy & The Ancestors

In September 2004on the last remaining site on the Mall in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian Institution opened the National Museum of the American Indian, inaugurating a new era in the education of all people about Native America. In conjunction with this event, and in response to popular demand 500 nations was broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Episode 1 Wounded Knee Legacy & The Ancestors – Explore three early North American cultures. Tour the 800 room Pueblo Bonito in the arid southwest, view the Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde, and visit Cahokia, the largest city in the U.S. before 1800.

Byzantium Episode 1 Building the Dream

For more than 1,000 years, the Byzantine Empire was the eye of the entire world – the origin of great literature, fine art and modern government. Heir to Greece and Rome, it was the first Christian empire, spanning 11 centuries and three continents. In the end, plundered and sacked by invaders, Byzantium nearly became extinct. Episode 1 Building the Dream – The procession was led by the great Roman Emperor, Constantine. And he brought with him a bunch of priests, pagan and Christian ones, and they were all holding an incredible collection of relics. At the exact moment prescribed by astrologers and Constantine renamed the city Constantinople and claimed it as the capital of his grand new empire.

Rome Power & Glory Episode 6 The Fall of the Roman Empire

For over a thousand yearsRome was the center of the known world. One of the most glorious empires in history, she brought to her subjects a common language, shared culture, and for some wealth beyond imagination. But nothing lasts forever. War, barbarian attacks, and moral decay eventually took their toll and the empire slowly began to crumble. This six part series presents the complete history of Rome, from its primitive beginnings, to the height of its glory to its eventual decline, as well as its legacies today. Filmed in 10 countries, Rome Power and Glory combines location footage of ancient monuments, detailed reenactments, period art and writings, and insights from scholars and public figures to bring the ancient world to life. Episode 6 The Fall – The decline of the Roman Empire, from the reign of Diocletian to the sacking of Rome in 410 AD, due to an arrogant political elite and erosion of cultural identity. Last in series.

Chernobyl Life in the Dead Zone

What would happen if the world were suddenly without people if we vanished off the face of the earth? How would nature react and how swiftly? This program takes place at the site of the world’s worst nuclear accidenthastily abandoned by panic stricken humans 20 years ago when highly radioactive fall out flooded everything within a 32 kilometre radius. Cattle and people were evacuated and only wild animals remained. While humans have made life in this land impossible for themselves, the animals have found a way and they have not just survived, they have thrived.

Ancient Warriors Series 1 Episode 7 The Spartans

Each half hour episode looks at a major fighting people or force and charts the reasons for their rise to dominance and subsequent fall. The show explores the motivations of ancient soldiersas well as how they lived, fought, trained, died, and changed the world. It also uses battle re-enactments and computer graphics to demonstrate military strategy. This series from the Discovery Channel is especially good for the lesser known groups of warriors. Episode 7 The Spartans – Spartan culture is geared to producing the perfect warrior. They were soldiers unlike any others before or since. Their nation was an armed camp, they knew no trade but war. In 480 B.C. in Thermopylae, they met an army 100 times their size and stood their ground. For them the trumpets never sounded retreat. Their name has become a synonym for hardship willingly endured and death stoically faced.

Discover Magazine Secret Lives of Dinosaurs

Dinosaurstheir secrets can be revealed. For the largest creature to walk the earth, was breaking the sound barrier foreplay to mating? Did T-rex stalk the prehistoric jungle with they eyes of a hawk? After all that eating dinosaurs dropped mountains of dung loaded with clues. Unloock secrets from fossilized feces and become a dinosaur detective. Are prehistoric footprints evidence of one dinosaur attacking another? The world of dinosaurs is a mysterious place once wrapped in silence. But now for the first time dinosaurs are breaking their silence. Speaking to humans over millions of years of time. And scientist using the latest computers are listening. From love to death the secret lives of dinosaurs are revealed in this documentary.

The Most Evil Men and Women in History Mary Tudor

This series of programs consists of 16 episodes which profile 16 evil men and women throughout history who have used their power to torturekill, maim and eradicate millions of people. Attila The Hun – Attila was Khan of the Huns. He is remembered as the epitome of cruelty and rapacity. He passed unhindered through Austria and Germany, across the Rhine into Gaul, plundering and devastating all in his path with a ferocity unparalleled in the records of barbarian invasions and compelling those he overcame to augment his mighty army.

Waffen SS Hitlers Elite Fighting Force

As the Nazi Reich staggers toward final extinction desperate resistance continues amidst the rubble of Berlin. Hitler had sent his armies marching and ravaging over a continent and beyond. Throughout all that vast sphere of conflict there was one band of fighting men who were everywhere known. In their brief but extraordinary existence they won a unique reputation for daring elan and unfailing professionalism in combat. Yet if their courage was beyond disputeso too was the fear and loathing which they elicited, even eventually among their own people, and in the regular soldiers alongside whom they fought. In the long period of decline and retreat, despite repeatedly sustaining appalling casualties their discipline remained unbroken, their fighting ardour unimpaired, almost to the very end, and for all their high undoubted bravery they bear a reputation forever shrouded with infamy.

Archaeology Searching for the Neanderthal

John Rhys-Davies hosts this 1991 series that explores various archeological subjects and their link to stories of the past. The show explores the efforts of archaeologists and the methods they use to discover the answers to these mysteries. Episode Searching for the Neanderthal – They roamed Europe’s bleak grasslands braving cave bears mammoths and the freezing winters of the ice age and then they vanished. Their disapearance has stirred debate and speculation for over a century still the mistery lingers. For untold generations the neanderthals had europe to themselves. Then a new modern type of human began developing and spreading from Africa. Why did neanderthals as a group die out and why did modern humans become the only form of humans that around?

Moments In Time Letters from the Roman Front

Rome’s legions met their match in the highlands of Scotland. At the archaeological dig of the Roman garrison at Vindolandacountless artifacts help recreate the life of Roman armies, from their aqueducts to their slaughterhouse Narrated by James Woods. This is the amazing story of one of the most remarkable archaelogical finds of the Roman Empire. Archaeologists examine treasures of letters, lists and notes written on wooden tablets 2,000 years ago by Roman soldiers stationed in Britains northern frontier at their fort at Vindolanda.

The Occult History of the Third Reich Episode Himmler The Mystic

In the early 20th Centurythe young Adolf Hitler was just one of many German-speaking people attracted by a new Germanic mythology that combined ancient legends and esoteric cosmologies with cutting-edge theories of genetic science. In the hands of the Nazis, the result was a new ideology that saw racial purity as the key to human destiny. This was a belief-system of arcane rituals and potent symbols, with the ancient swastika appropriated for the Nazi cause. By the time of the Third Reich, Hitler and the Nazis had evolved an entirely new faith, complete with holy book, venerated relics and a priestly elite in the form of Himmler’s SS. It was a religion based on obedience, power, and the cult of the leader, with Hitler himself conceived in Messianic terms. This series uses rare original footage to tell a story that is as bizarre as it is horrific, and which casts new light on a national movement that came to see evil as a sacred task.

500 Nations Episode 2 Mexico

In September 2004on the last remaining site on the Mall in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian Institution opened the National Museum of the American Indian, inaugurating a new era in the education of all people about Native America. In conjunction with this event, and in response to popular demand 500 nations was broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Episode 2 Mexico – Follow the dramatic and tragic history of the Mexican Indian nations from pre-Colombian times, through the period of European contact and colonization. Witness the rise and fall of the Toltecs and the growth of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec city of an empire.

Byzantium Episode 2 Heaven on Earth

For more than 1,000 years, the Byzantine Empire was the eye of the entire world – the origin of great literature, fine art and modern government. Heir to Greece and Rome, it was the first Christian empire, spanning 11 centuries and three continents. In the end, plundered and sacked by invaders, Byzantium nearly became extinct. Episode 2 Heaven on Earth – You can’t have Jesus king of the world unless he looks like a king. Christians zre getting their iconography from – straight from the pagan faith. But When Christianity took over the Roman Empire, it attacked and swept away all these signs. Now these signs were as old as man himself, and Christianity was pretty poorly supplied with alternatives. After all, it was a language of books and words. But unless it was to fail, it had to develop and develop quickly a whole new set of images for the world.

Royal Secrets Kiss of Death

For a thousand years kings and queens of europe had absolute powerbut absolute power corrupts absolutely. Greed, revenge, sex and madness, witchcraft, murder. Every monarch had their royal secrets. This series explores them. Episode Kiss of Death – Throughout history kings had the power to pick lovers on a whim. Female royals also had the same power. But unfortunately for their men russian Czarina Catherine the Great and French Queen Margarite of Valois both bestowed upon their lovers the kiss of death. See how Anne Boleyn flirted with Henry VIII, only to lose her head, and how Catherine the Great used a lover to gain the throne, then cast him aside. These and many more troubling stories put human faces on history’s monarchs.

Genghis Khan Rise of the Conqueror

Follow the rise to glory of Genghis Kahnthe 13th century Mongol leader whose empire covered four times the area conquered by Alexander the Great. Combining the savagery of a real-life Conan the Barbarian with the sheer tactical genius of Napoleon, Genghis brought his armies from the outermost reaches of eastern Asia to the edge of Europe, uniting the disparate Mongol tribes along the way and establishing an empire that would last until the 17th century. From his humble beginning as an orphaned child in the wilderness to his deathbed plea to his sons to expand his empire to the ends of the earth, learn how Genghis rose to power and maintained his stranglehold on the Asian continent – through a mix of diplomacy, military acumen and brutality.