The Documentary Thread
PostPosted:Sun Mar 30, 2014 4:14 pm
For your enjoyment, four documentaries and documentary series:
The Ascent of Money (4h) - This one follows the history of money in the modern era, and compares it to how it works today in contemporary society. This documentary covers various sections of the economy, shows the recent economic crashes - and compares them to economic crashes throughout modern history, dating back to the later middle ages. It is a very well organized documentary, and is interesting for anyone who has an interest in history or economics and the modern economy.
When the Moors ruled Europe (1h40m) - A Bettany Hughes documentary. If you like this one, check out her documentaries on the classical and bronze ages. This documentary covers the European portion of the Arabic Empire, part of what was perhaps the most successful Empire in history; as it had a golden age which lasted hundreds of years, much longer than that the Romans; and in a larger Empire than the Romans. It's also the place where all of that wealth, knowledge, and technology that 'mysteriously' entered Europe in the late middle ages came from. To draw a gaming analogy: this is the era Skies of Arcadia is loosely based on.
Magical Egypt (8h) - John Anthony West's documentary series based around decades of work. He is the initial proponent of the modern theory of a pre-Neolithic Egyptian civilization; as a result, this documentary does tend to drift into the speculative hypothetical realm, but for the most part dwells in established theory. It is a very interesting watch, particularly in light of the very recent discoveries of pre-neolithic monumental structures (The 12,000 year old temple complex at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey being the most important so far). Even if you do not buy his theories and hypotheses, this documentary series is still arguably the best on Ancient Egypt. If this one interests you, I recommend getting into Graham Hancock's work. Note, this is just part 1 of 8:
Secrets of the Aegean Apocalypse (45m) - This is a short one compared to the others, but definitely worth a watch. It explores the still yet to be determined reason for the Bronze Age collapse - a period when the vast Hittite Empire, the Kingdom of Troy/Illium, the Achaeans/Mycenaean Greeks, the Middle Assyrian Empire, and the Egyptian New Kingdom suddenly collapsed. The archaeological evidence shows that many of the cities of these Empires were destroyed; one theory suggests natural disasters - but the evidence suggests that it may have been a league of powerful invaders which ancient writings only record as 'the Sea Peoples' and invaders from the sea. To date, we do not know who they were. This documentary sheds some light:
Is anyone else here a fan of documentaries? If so, please share/discuss some of those you find interesting.
The Ascent of Money (4h) - This one follows the history of money in the modern era, and compares it to how it works today in contemporary society. This documentary covers various sections of the economy, shows the recent economic crashes - and compares them to economic crashes throughout modern history, dating back to the later middle ages. It is a very well organized documentary, and is interesting for anyone who has an interest in history or economics and the modern economy.
When the Moors ruled Europe (1h40m) - A Bettany Hughes documentary. If you like this one, check out her documentaries on the classical and bronze ages. This documentary covers the European portion of the Arabic Empire, part of what was perhaps the most successful Empire in history; as it had a golden age which lasted hundreds of years, much longer than that the Romans; and in a larger Empire than the Romans. It's also the place where all of that wealth, knowledge, and technology that 'mysteriously' entered Europe in the late middle ages came from. To draw a gaming analogy: this is the era Skies of Arcadia is loosely based on.
Magical Egypt (8h) - John Anthony West's documentary series based around decades of work. He is the initial proponent of the modern theory of a pre-Neolithic Egyptian civilization; as a result, this documentary does tend to drift into the speculative hypothetical realm, but for the most part dwells in established theory. It is a very interesting watch, particularly in light of the very recent discoveries of pre-neolithic monumental structures (The 12,000 year old temple complex at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey being the most important so far). Even if you do not buy his theories and hypotheses, this documentary series is still arguably the best on Ancient Egypt. If this one interests you, I recommend getting into Graham Hancock's work. Note, this is just part 1 of 8:
Secrets of the Aegean Apocalypse (45m) - This is a short one compared to the others, but definitely worth a watch. It explores the still yet to be determined reason for the Bronze Age collapse - a period when the vast Hittite Empire, the Kingdom of Troy/Illium, the Achaeans/Mycenaean Greeks, the Middle Assyrian Empire, and the Egyptian New Kingdom suddenly collapsed. The archaeological evidence shows that many of the cities of these Empires were destroyed; one theory suggests natural disasters - but the evidence suggests that it may have been a league of powerful invaders which ancient writings only record as 'the Sea Peoples' and invaders from the sea. To date, we do not know who they were. This documentary sheds some light:
Is anyone else here a fan of documentaries? If so, please share/discuss some of those you find interesting.