Leaving the dusty history books behind, Engineering an Empire takes to the streets - as well as the sewers, mountaintops, jungles and beyond - to trace the magnificent physical achievements and technologies of past societies. Engineering an Empire circles the globe to re-examine history's most magnificent civilizations by surveying the architectural and engineering triumphs they left behind. CGI graphics and location footage reanimate the ancient streets, while expert interviews trace the rise of each empire and the technological achievements that paved the way for their gravity defying masterpieces. Host Peter Weller, RoboCop actor and lecturer at syracuse University, travels around the world and, assisted by cutting edge computer renderings and note perfect dramatizations, far back in time to chronicle the innovation and architectural brilliance that gave birth to modern civilization. Episode Egypt - Twenty five hundred years before the reign of Julius Caesar, the ancient Egyptians were deftly harnessing the ...

In The Ascent of Money Niall Ferguson traces the evolution of money and demonstrates that financial history is the essential back story behind all history. By learning how societies have continually created and survived financial criseswe can find solid solutions to today's worldwide economic emergency. As he traverses historic financial hot spots around the world, Ferguson illuminates fundamental economic concepts and speaks with leading experts in the financial world. Episode 1 Dreams of Avarice - From Shylock's pound of flesh to the loan sharks of Glasgow, from the promises to pay on Babylonian clay tablets to the Medici banking system. Professor Ferguson explains the origins of credit and debt and why credit networks are indispensable to any civilization ...

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. The Fall of the Maya - Twenty-five years ago, the ancient Mayans were thought to be a mysterious and peaceful people governed by astronomer-priests. Today, researchers reveal stories of Mayan blood sacrifices as they uncover a world so foreign as to defy our understanding of it. also know as Breaking The Ancient Maya Code ...

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. Athens, Daughter of Egypt? - Was Cleopatra black? Was Socrates? Did Egyptian armies conquer ancient Greece, thus setting the cradle of Western civilization in motion? Is this wishful thinking on the part of historical revisionists...or is it a long-suppressed historical fact? ...

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. The Ancients of North America - Southeastern Utah is one of the richest and least disturbed archaeological areas in the Southwest. In 1990, archaeologists in this region discovered a dry cave/rock shelter with human remains. Only a small piece of sandal was removed in order to obtain a date on the site. Amazingly, the date was revealed as 5,490 B.C. Who were the peoples who first conquered North America's southwest? ...

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. Who Were the Israelites? - The tale of the Israelites' conquest of the Promised Land has long been an article of faith wherever the Bible is widely read and respected. But recent discoveries suggest that the military defeat of the Promised Land, as detailed in the Book of Joshua, simply never occurred ...