Channel PBS – DocumentaryList.NET

Martin Luther Episode 1 Driven to Defiance

Martin Luther is the epic tale of the great Protestant revolutionary whose belief in his faith would overthrow the all powerful Catholic Church and reshape Medieval Europe. Join Luther as he recalls his life, from his initial crisis of faith in a storm wracked forest that led him to become a monk, to his heady confrontation with the great powers of Europe It is the story of the birth of the modern age, of the collapse of medieval feudalism, and the first shaping of ideals of freedom and liberty that lie at the heart of the 21st century. But this is also an intensely human tale, a story that hurtles from the depths of despair to the heights of triumph and back again. This is the story of a man who ultimately found himself a lightning conductor of history, crackling with forces he could not quite comprehend or control. Driven to Defiance – Few if any men have changed the course of history like Martin Luther. In less than ten years, this fevered German monk plunged a knife into the heart of an empire that had ruled for a thousand years, and set in motion a train of revolution, war and conflict that would reshape Western civilization, and lift it out of the Dark Ages.

The Roman Empire in the First Century Episode 4 Years of Eruption

Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the world was ruled by Rome. Using the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived through this remarkable age, The Roman Empire in the First Century A.D. brings to life the greatest empire the world has ever known. The program uses diaries, poems, private letters and public records to tell the stories of emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians who built the most sophisticated society the world had ever seen. Episode 4 Years of Eruption – Nero’s death in 68 A.D. ended the Augustan dynasty and left Rome without a ruler. The empire descended into civil war as generals fought each other for the throne. Vespasian was one of Rome’s top generals and was fighting Jewish rebels in Judaea. But he realized that he had as much claim to the throne as any other general. Encouraged by his soldiers, he suspended the war and marched on Rome. Rome became a battlefield in which around 50,000 people were killed. At the end, Vespasian was emperor. But he lacked authority. He knew he needed a foreign victory to secure his throne. He turned his attention back to Judaea.

Secrets of Lost Empires Series 2 Episode 4 Roman Bath

In the series, nova crews attempt to ferret out long forgotten secrets of early architects and engineers. How did they design and erect the medieval war machines known as trebuchets? Egyptian obelisks? The Easter Island stone monoliths called moais? Roman baths? The rainbow bridges of ancient China? Roman Bath – The plumbing that brought hot water to the communal baths the Romans enjoyed was highly sophisticated. In this section, watch as nova builds its own Roman bath, then try your hand at constructing a working aqueduct online. Also, learn about the Romans’ water system from a noted scholar, and get a taste of Roman era recipes such as scaloppine pine nut sauce.

Egypt's Golden Empire Episode 3 Last Great Pharaoh

In 1570 BC, Rome was no more than a soggy marsh and the Acropolis was just an empty rock, but Egypt was already 1,000 years old, awaiting its New Kingdom, an empire forged by conquest and remembered for eons. The sophisticated, civilized society that we call the New Kingdom was led by a remarkable succession of kings. Between them, they liberated their country, conquered their neighbors and built. Episode 3 The Last Great Pharaoh – The reign of Ramesses II , known as Ramesses the Great, marked the high point of the New Kingdom and the high point of Egyptian culture. But like any highpoint, it was all downhill as the New Kingdom gradually fell into ruin.

The Greeks Crucible of Civilization Episode 3 Empire Of The Mind

It was perhaps the most spectacular flourishing of imagination and achievement in recorded history. In the Fourth and Fifth Centuries B.C., the Greeks built an empire that stretched across the Mediterranean from Asia to Spain. They laid the foundations of modern science, politics, warfare and philosophy, and architecture. This series, narrated by Liam Neeson, recounts the rise, glory, demise and legacy of the empire that marked the dawn of Western civilization. Told through the lives of heroes of ancient Greece. The latest advances in computer and television technology rebuild the Acropolis, recreate the Battle of Marathon and restore the grandeur of the Academy, where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle forged the foundation of Western thought. Episode 3 Empire of Mind – The final segment describes how Athens, at the height of her glory, engaged in a suicidal conflict with her greatest rival, Sparta. Through the eyes of Socrates, Athens’ first philosopher, viewers see the tragic descent of Athenian democracy into mob rule. The episode opens in 399 B.C., after the great philosopher Socrates has been sentenced to death and Athens lies in ruins after a war with Sparta.

Martin Luther Episode 2 The Reluctant Revolutionary

Martin Luther is the epic tale of the great Protestant revolutionary whose belief in his faith would overthrow the all powerful Catholic Church and reshape Medieval Europe. Join Luther as he recalls his life, from his initial crisis of faith in a storm wracked forest that led him to become a monk, to his heady confrontation with the great powers of Europe It is the story of the birth of the modern age, of the collapse of medieval feudalism, and the first shaping of ideals of freedom and liberty that lie at the heart of the 21st century. But this is also an intensely human tale, a story that hurtles from the depths of despair to the heights of triumph and back again. This is the story of a man who ultimately found himself a lightning conductor of history, crackling with forces he could not quite comprehend or control. The Reluctant Revolutionary – When an obscure monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 Theses – 95 stinging rebukes attacking the mighty Catholic Church, and its head, Pope Leo X to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral he unleashed a tornado. His ideas spread like wildfire, aided by the newly invented printing press. Finally he’s called before the German imperial parliament, in the city of Worms, and told he must recant. Risking torture and execution, Luther nevertheless refused and proclaimed his inalienable right to believe what he wished.

1421 Year China Discovered America?

This fascinating documentary examines the mystery surrounding the sailing exploits of the legendary Admiral Zhen and his 30 year command of a gigantic Ming fleet. The Chinese court burned all records of Admiral Zhen His daring voyages and achievements, and unwittingly created a mystery that tantalizes the world 500 years later. An account of new information uncovered by Gavin Menzies, a former British submarine commander who has spent nine years trying to prove that Zhen reached America decades before Columbus.

Secrets of Lost Empires Series 2 Episode 5 Medieval Siege

In the series, nova crews attempt to ferret out long forgotten secrets of early architects and engineers. How did they design and erect the medieval war machines known as trebuchets? Egyptian obelisks? The Easter Island stone monoliths called moais? Roman baths? The rainbow bridges of ancient China? Medieval Siege – In the Middle Ages, those who attacked castles used trebuchets, military engines capable of firing missiles with frightening force. In this section, view an actual trebuchet nova built, and construct and fire one of your own online. Also, find out what other weapons were used and what daily life was like in a medieval castle.

Ice Mummies Episode 1 The Ice Maiden

Discover the science of the frozen past. Archaeologiests use the latest technology to discover the lives of our human ancestors through their frozen remains. These people were no differrent than you and I biologically. They had the same level of intelligence, and were capable of the same emotions, but they lived in a different time and place. Their values, ideas and technology is explored through the frozen remains of their dead. Episode 1 The Ice Maiden – As the solid block of ice began to melt, the team of archaeologists gazed on the body of a young woman buried more than 2,500 years before. Lying around the Ice Maiden’s ceremonial tomb, were six of her horses especially sacrificed for the occasion. The Ice Maiden had been laid to rest in the “Pastures of Heaven” high in the Altai mountains of Siberia.

The Living Edens Kamchatka: Siberia’s Forbidden Wilderness

The Living Edens uses state of the art cinematography creates an intimate sense of place and captures a world of wonder, transporting viewers to isolated, undisturbed corners of the globe so pure they remind us of how the ancient world once was. Narrators included Peter Coyote and Linda Hunt and it was partially funded by Reader’s Digest in exchange for various marketing rights. Episode 13 Kamchatka Siberia Forbidden Wilderness – Jutting south from the far east of Siberia lies an isolated and mountainous peninsula where volcanoes, geysers and bubbling hot springs create the smoke, steam and fire that prevail in this icy and remote place. This harsh and beautiful land is home to the densest population of grizzly bears in the world and the biggest brown bears in Eurasia. Siberian bighorn sheep, silver foxes, sables, mink and black capped marmots have all adapted to the severe climate. Walruses, northern fur seals, sea lions dot its coastline, and bowhead whales breed in the waters just offshore. Millions of salmon swim in its streams while the world’s largest eagles soar above all that make Kamchatka a living Eden. Narrated by Linda Hunt.

Napoleon Episode 1 To Destiny

Napoleon tells the story of the emperor who was also soldier lover and statesman a towering historical figure riddled with contradictions. The mini series is framed by the grand sweep of history woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself a story of ambition pride conquest and eventually exile and loss. Episode 1 To Destiny – recounts the story of Napoleons extraordinary rise from Corsican obscurity to the victories in Italy that made him a hero to the French people and convinced him that he was destined for greatness. It also tells of his love for Josephine Beauharnais a woman of extravagant habits and tastes who did not at first return his passionate affection.

Bethlehem Steel The People Who Built America

You’ll find it in the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge, the stately U.S. Supreme Court building, New York City’s legendary skyline and the vivid memories of thousands of steelworkers. Bethlehem Steel, The People Who Built America chronicles more than one hundred forty years of this once colossal company’s rich history as seen through the eyes of those who made steel. During the twentieth century in the industrial eastern Pennsylvania city of Bethlehem, generations of immigrant families labored at what they called “The Steel”. The mammoth plant offered decent paying jobs and provided workers and their families with a good quality of life. But changes in technology, the market, and controversial executive decisions proved too much for Bethlehem Steel. In 1998 the company completely closed its original South Bethlehem plant leaving the community stunned. But the demise of Bethlehm Steel gave way to a growing and changing new community – a city that lent its name to the once powerful company which helped change American life in the 20th century.

Secrets Of The Dead Battle for the Bible

Presented by Rod Liddle, explores the life and times of the visionaries who fought a powerful and violent church establishment to publish the Bible in English. Their vocation, tenacity and sacrifice left a lasting impression on the language and literature in the centuries that followed. The inflections, cadences and familiar phrases of the first English Bible set the foundations for the way English has been spoken and written in the five centuries that followed its first publication. Perhaps its most important legacy, though, is the Protestant notion put by Jefferson God hath created the mind free. This underpinned the separation of church and state, the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression and the right to fight for freedom of choice, freedom of conscience and freedom of speech.

Ice Mummies Episode 3 Frozen In Heaven

Discover the science of the frozen past. Archaeologiests use the latest technology to discover the lives of our human ancestors through their frozen remains. These people were no differrent than you and I biologically. They had the same level of intelligence, and were capable of the same emotions, but they lived in a different time and place. Their values, ideas and technology is explored through the frozen remains of their dead. Episode 3 Frozen in Heaven – When the Spanish Conquistadors first conquered the Inca empire five hundred years ago, they wrote of the mysterious ceremony of capa cocha. Parents, they claimed, would voluntarily offer their children to their Inca priests, sending them to the top of the highest peaks for sacrifice to mountain gods. In the past, historians have dismissed this as fanciful European exaggeration. But then archaeologists began to find the children’s bodies.

The Living Edens Manu: Peru’s Hidden Rain Forest

The Living Edens uses state of the art cinematography creates an intimate sense of place and captures a world of wonder, transporting viewers to isolated, undisturbed corners of the globe so pure they remind us of how the ancient world once was. Narrators included Peter Coyote and Linda Hunt and it was partially funded by Reader’s Digest in exchange for various marketing rights. Episode 4 Manu Peru Hidden Rainforest – Along the eastern base of the Peruvian Andes is a great river named Manu, the life blood for one of the world’s great secrets: the Manu Biosphere Reserve. This Eden is the richest Amazonian wilderness on Earth. As mist rises off the great river, howler monkeys issue the wake up call it is morning in the rain forest. Hundreds of parrots form a brilliant kaleidoscope as they feast on the cliff side clay. Giant otters take their first swim in the cool waters while sloths get a slow start to their day beneath the mystical canopy. Discover what the day will bring in this mysterious tropical paradise where 90 per cent of the flora and fauna have yet to be identified.

Napoleon Episode 2 Mastering Luck

Napoleon tells the story of the emperor who was also soldier lover and statesman a towering historical figure riddled with contradictions. The mini series is framed by the grand sweep of history woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself a story of ambition pride conquest and eventually exile and loss. Episode 2 Mastering Luck – charts Napoleons ascent to absolute power from victorious General to first Consul to Emperor of France. It describes his extraordinary achievements from the Napoleonic Code and the Bank of France to bridges roads and canals as well as the tyrannical nature of his rule and the violent opposition of most of Europe.

Magnetic Storm

There’s a region of our planet that no human being has ever visited. No one has ever seen this place, yet what happens here affects every one of us every day of our lives. It’s 2,000 miles beneath our feet, the Earth’s molten core. Here a vast ocean of liquid iron generates an invisible force, the Earth’s magnetic field. It’s what makes our compasses point north. But it does a lot more: it helps to keep the Earth a living planet. Our neighbors, Venus and Mars, have only weak magnetic fields, which means they’re unprotected from the deadly radiation sweeping through the solar system. The Earth, on the other hand, exists within a vast magnetic cocoon, a force field that for billions of years has sheltered us on our journey through space. But now scientists have made a startling discovery. It seems there’s a storm brewing deep within the Earth, a storm that is weakening our vital magnetic shield. Could the Earth really lose its magnetic field? And what will happen if it does?

Secrets Of The Dead Bewitched

The trouble in Salem began during the cold, dark Massachusetts winter, in January of 1692. Eight young girls began to take ill, begining with 9 year old Elizabeth Parris. The girls suffered from delirium, violent convulsions, incomprehensible speech, trance like states, and odd skin sensations. The worried villagers searched desperately for an explanation. Their conclusion, the girls were under a spell, bewitched, and, worse yet, by members of their own pious community. And then the finger pointing began. In the centuries since, scholars and historians have struggled as well to explain the madness that overtook Salem. Was it sexual repression, dietary deficiency, mass hysteria? Or, could a simple fungus have been to blame? This episode is titled Bewitched or Witches Curse.

Japan Memoirs of a Secret Empire Episode 1 The Way of the Samurai

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world. Episode 1 The Way of the Samurai – Tokugawa Ieyasu unifies Japan and establishes a dynasty that will rule Japan for over 250 years.

The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance Episode 1 The Birth of a Dynasty

From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. The Birth of a Dynasty – Europe, 1400 A continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops. No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de’Medici.

Napoleon Episode 3 The Summit of Greatness

Napoleon tells the story of the emperor who was also soldier lover and statesman a towering historical figure riddled with contradictions. The mini series is framed by the grand sweep of history woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself a story of ambition pride conquest and eventually exile and loss. Episode 3 The Summit of Ambition – witnesses Napoleon conquer most of Europe in a series of brilliant triumphs including his legendary victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. To sustain his rule he must keep fighting. But when he invades Spain he has begun to reach too far.

Secrets of Stonehenge

Dated to the late Stone Age, Stonehenge may be the best-known and most mysterious relic of prehistory. Every year, a million visitors are drawn to England to gaze upon the famous circle of stones, but the monument’s meaning has continued to elude us. Now investigations inside and around Stonehenge have kicked off a dramatic new era of discovery and debate over who built Stonehenge and for what purpose. How did prehistoric people quarry, transport, sculpt, and erect these giant stones? Granted exclusive access to the dig site at Bluestonehenge, a prehistoric stone-circle monument recently discovered about a mile from Stonehenge, NOVA cameras join a new generation of researchers finding important clues to this enduring mystery.

Secrets Of The Dead Lost Ships of Rome

In 2009, a team of marine archaeologists carrying out a sonar survey of the seabed around the Italian island of Ventotene made an astonishing discovery. The wrecks of five ancient Roman ships were found in pristine condition. Remarkably, much of the cargo remained exactly as the ancient Roman crews had loaded it. What happened to these ancient ships? What were they carrying and why had they traveled to this remote, rocky island in the first place? Lost Ships of Rome follows the team as they explore the sites in detail, salvage artifacts and piece together the history of the ships and why they were lost at Ventotene two thousand years ago.

Japan Memoirs of a Secret Empire Episode 2 The Will of the Shogun

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world. Episode 2 The Will of the Shogun – The grandson of Ieyasu, Tokugawa Iemitsu, tightens control over Japan’s warlords and expels all foreigners.

The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance Episode 2 The Magnificent Medici

From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. The Magnificient Medici – Florence, August 1466 Lorenzo de’Medici, the 17 year old heir to the dynasty, foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d’etat. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions, picking a useful bride for Lorenzo. Clarice Orsini, a baron’s daughter and cardinal’s niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty. In the workshops of Florence, business has never been better. Under Medici patronage, artists like Sandro Botticelli go on to redefine the Renaisssance itself. For now, Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi confirms his position at the heart of Medici power.