This page lists documentaries about human history before 400 A.D. It includes DVDs on ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, and Egypt.
The Age of Pericles
DF227 .M35 2004 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age
DF234 .M35 2000 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Ancient Empires before Alexander
D80 .D57 2009 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Ancient Greek Civilization
DF77 .M35 1998 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
The Archaeology of Jerusalem from David to Jesus
DS109 .A7 2007 DVD
74 minutes
A video jouney through Jerusalem's archaeological past with Biblical Archaeology Review editor Hershel Shanks.
Books That Have Made History
Z1035 .A1 F437 2005 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Includes lectures on Homer's Iliad, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, the Bhagavad Gita, Gilgamesh, Aeschylus' Oresteia and Prometheus Bound, Euripides' Bacchae, Plato's Phaedo and Republic, Vergil's Aeneid, Pericles Oration, Confucius' The Analects, Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and Cicero's On Moral Duties.
Byzantium: The Lost Empire
DR481 .B99 2007 DVD
208 minutes
A Learning Channel documentary on the Byzantine Empire, shot on location in nine countries.
Civilisation: A Personal View by Lord Clark
CB203 .C48 2006 DVD
13 (30 minute) programs; released 1969.
Art historian Sir Kenneth Clark examines the breadth of Western European culture, defining what he considers to be the crucial phases of its development. This lavish series was hailed as a masterpiece when it was broadcast in 1969. Directed by Michael Gill and Peter Montagnon.
Classical Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Rome
DE3 .C537 2006 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Emperors of Rome
DG201 .F343 2007 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Experiencing Rome: A Visual Exploration of Antiquity's Greatest Empire
DG77 .T834 2009 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Famous Romans
DG203 .F43 2001 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Foundations of Western Civilization
CB245 .N62 2002 DVD
48 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History
DS734.95 .H36 2004 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor
DR431 .H37 2001 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Great Battles of the Ancient World
D431 .F343 2005 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Greece and Rome
DE86 .G74 2008 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
The Greeks
DF78 .G747 2000 DVD
165 minutes; mini-series released 2001.
The story of ancient Greece's Golden Age as told through the lives of some of its most prominent figures, including Cleisthenes, Themistocles, Pericles, and Socrates. Narrated by Liam Neeson. Directed by Cassian Harrison.
Herodotus: The Father of History
D56.52 .H45 V36 2002 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
A History of Britain
DA1 .H57 2002 DVD
900 minutes; released 2000-2002.
Written and hosted by historian Simon Schama, this mini-series enlivens British history from its ancient beginnings to the 20th Century, highlighting the epic themes and towering figures that transformed an island "at the edge of the world" into an empire. Directed by Ian Bremner.
The History of Ancient Egypt
DT83 .B75 2003 DVD
48 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
The History of Ancient Rome
DG213 .F34 1999 DVD
48 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
The Iliad of Homer
PA4157 .A2 V36 1999 DVD
12 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
DF234 .I5 2004 DVD
240 minutes
British journalist Michael Wood follows the path of Alexander the Great and his army from Macedonia to the Himalayas and beyond in the fourth century B.C.
An Introduction to Greek Philosophy
B108 .R66 2002 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation
D121 .N635 2008 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Masters of Greek Thought: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle
B175 .B378 2008 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
The Odyssey of Homer
PA4167 .V36 1999 DVD
12 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Pyramid
DT63 .P9 1995 VHS
60 minutes
An introduction to the Egyptian pyramid showing how it was constructed and used. Hosted by David Macaulay
Rome and the Barbarians
DG270 .H37 2004 DVD
36 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.
Roman City
TA80 .R6 R65 2006 DVD
60 minutes
The construction of a fictional but representative Roman city in Gaul, showing how the city acted as both a commercial and political unit. Hosted by David Macaulay.
The World of Byzantium
DF552 .H37 2001 DVD
24 (30 minute) lectures
Course description.