After the disappearance of Tartessos, other Iberian locales rose to prominence and flourished-until their successes drew the unwanted attention of rival civilizations. This program tracks the history of Iberia during the era of Carthaginian and Roman expansion. Paintings, dramatizations, and maps reconstruct the course of the Punic Wars. In addition, the characteristics and cultures of these embattled regions are examined through re-creations of everyday...

In Roman times, London's population numbered 50,000; by the year 1000, the number was down to 20,000. St. Paul had become the city's patron saint, and the language of the Angles and Saxons had become the Vulgate, the language in which William issued the first charter of the city. The signs of the times point backwards-sheriffs replaced consuls-and forwards, with separate law courts for separate causes. This program covers the rebuilding of Westminster...

The tale of Kibworth village reaches the dramatic events of Henry VIII's Reformation and the battles of the English Civil War. Michael Wood tracks Kibworth's 17th century dissenters, travel on the Grand Union Canal, and tells us about an 18th century feminist writer from Kibworth who was a pioneer of children's books. The story of a young highwayman transported to Australia comes alive as his living descendents come back to the village to uncover...

In Part 2 of the BBC series "In Search for the Trojan War," historian Michael Woods introduces three new archaeologists who join Heinrich Schliemann in the search for Troy: German architect Wilhelm Dörpfeld who uncovered the walls of Troy partially destroyed by Schliemann's excavations at Hisarlik; Sir Arthur John Evans who declared the Minoan Theory of Bronze Age dominance after excavating Knossos; and American Carl Blegen who found Mycenaean tablets...

Is Ancient Greek art just a collection of elegant works of marble, framed by a love of democracy and enlightened reasoning? Far from it. Art critic and journalist Alastair Sooke demonstrates it is in fact far more diverse and surprising - a multi-cultural mix of styles, techniques and materials that left no subject matter unexplored. Considered, thoughtful and enthralling, this series offers a fresh understanding and new perspective on an incredible...

Around the turn of the third century, Roman art began to move away from classical traditions. Some say the change indicates a civilization in decline, but in this program Alistair Sooke shows that the imperial style was actually invigorated at this time by ideas from the provinces. Sooke explores the site of Leptis Magna in Libya, where the Gladiator Mosaic raises an old art form to new heights, and admires indigenous influences in Roman British silver...

This program studies cultural transformations that began in the fifth century BC as Greek art discarded religious functions and moved toward human-centered concerns. Views of Cycladic sculpture and Koiros statues demonstrate an evolving realism, leading to stunning examples of the idealized human figure: the Kritios boy, the Temple of Zeus pediments, Praxiteles' Hermes, and others. With additional focus on the Olympic games, their architecture, and...