Nuragic Civilization: Did you mean...?

This video takes a quick look at the archaeological site of Çatalhöyük (a.k.a. Catal Huyuk), one of the most impressive and complete Neolithic, or "new stone age" villages ever discovered.

EPISODE 2: GOLDEN AGE The second part recounts the Greeks' heroic victory against the mighty Persian empire through the life of Themistocles, one of Athens' greatest generals.The episode opens in 490 B.C. when tiny Athens prepares to safeguard...

Dr. David Neiman discusses the development of hieroglyphs and the use of papyrus and ink in Egypt. Further, he describes how the Phoenicians revolutionized writing with the invention of the alphabet, and that even though the scribes resisted...

King Hammurabi of Babylon practices the art of diplomacy and war. In the second installment of lecture two, Dr. Neiman reads through the "Year List" which catalogs Hammurabi's accomplishments.

The Predynastic Period in Ancient Egypt is the time before recorded history from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age and on to the rise of the First Dynasty and is generally recognized as spanning the era from c. 6000-3150 BCE (though physical...

EPISODE 3: EMPIRE OF THE 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...

In the fourth part of his lecture, Dr. Neiman explains that writing is invented in the Mesopotamian region of Sumer. He describes that once a writing style is developed, literature flourishes. He then describes the first (probably) literary...

In the fifth part of his lecture, Dr. Neiman explains that as the writing system developed, the Sumerian and Akkadian civilizations start describing their world. The autobiography of the Akkadian King Sargon of Akkad is recounted.

Dr. Neiman continues his nine-part lecture, discussing the agricultural revolution that leads to a sedentary lifestyle for human beings and the growth of the first cities in the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

The Babylonians developed a calendar based on the moon and sun cycles. The Lunar calendar was designed to work in conjunction with the solar cycle by adding leap months known an "intercalary" months.