Episode 1
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Uncovering Near Eastern Civilization
Egypt, Greece and Rome may be better known to the public; more written evidence survives from Mesopotamia; embarking on a journey through over 3,000 years of history; learning why Mesopotamia's rediscovery is so valuable.
Details
Episode 2
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Natufian Villagers and Early Settlements
The enormous value of plant and animal domestication; the theories about the transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture; the challenges that farming presents; a perspective on the cultural sophistication of pre-agrarian peoples.
Details
Episode 3
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Neolithic Farming, Trading, and Pottery
Travel is dangerous but people transport valuable goods, perhaps via chains of merchants; daily life in Neolithic Mesopotamia, where homes and villages reflect a simple society; evidence of intricate pottery shows that people care about aesthetics.
Details
Episode 4
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Eridu and Other Towns in the Ubaid Period
The Ubaid people construct monumental buildings, standardize some measurements and must have some sort of formal leadership to care for and control their populations; the people of the Ubaid coordinate their efforts to develop irrigation systems.
Details
Episode 5
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Uruk, the World's Biggest City
Witnessing the rise of urban civilization 5,500 years ago, a mere 200 generations before modern times; discovering how and why the first writing system develops; examining the earliest-known evidence of warfare.
Details
Episode 6
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Mesopotamia's First Kings and the Military
Learning why the people accept the rule of monarchs; the world of the first kings, including their numerous important duties, from conducting diplomacy to levying taxes; exploring how they believe that the gods support and choose them.
Details
Episode 7
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Early Dynastic Workers and Worshipers
Gods are believed to be the cause of and the solution to instability in life; evidence found in tombs suggests a belief in the afterlife; discovering just how large a workforce is employed by the grand temples where the gods are believed to live.
Details
Episode 8
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Lugalzagesi of Umma and Sargon of Akkad
King Lugalzagesi controls several city-states in southern Mesopotamia; his much more powerful successor, Sargon, has a mysterious origin; Sargon builds an empire and expands trade over a wider region than ever before.
Details
Episode 9
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Akkadian Empire Arts and Gods
The Akkadian Empire is a high point for artistic achievement in Mesopotamia; Professor Podany shows how the many gods have differing roles and powers and are as much a part of everyday life as one's family; examining an emotional hymn by a priestess.
Details
Episode 10
Aired Apr 27, 2018
The Fall of Akkad and Gudea of Lagash
The theories behind the fall of the Akkadian Empire; major kings during this time include Naram-Sin, one of the few Mesopotamian kings who claims to be a god; Gudea, a pious and benevolent king who may serve as a model for later leaders.
Details
Episode 11
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Ur III Households, Accounts, and Ziggurats
Rulers during this period attempt to create a cult of kings; local leaders, merchants and especially households perform essential roles in society; cuneiform records reveal a remarkable level of organization, from taxes to diplomacy.
Details
Episode 12
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Migrants and Old Assyrian Merchants
An influx of immigrants greatly enriches the Mesopotamian region; this is a time of frequent warfare but also of increased literacy and private enterprise; merchants on their 800-mile caravans deliver tin and textiles in exchange for silver.
Details
Episode 13
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Royalty and Palace Intrigue at Mari
The lives of royal families in the middle of the 2nd millennium B.C., from diplomatic marriages, extravagant gifts and family squabbles; archival letters show how royal women serve as informants for their fathers; dealing with abusive husbands.
Details
Episode 14
Aired Apr 27, 2018
War and Society in Hammurabi's Time
King Hammurabi rules for 43 years; discovering how the family can be viewed as a microcosm for Mesopotamian society, with each member playing an important role; delving into the daily lives of families and the laws governing their behavior.
Details
Episode 15
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Justice in the Old Babylonian Period
The Babylonians have a sophisticated legal system; two trials provide a look into the workings of this system; what court records reveal about the types of crimes prosecuted; the people's most pressing concerns regarding family and finance.
Details
Episode 16
Aired Apr 27, 2018
The Hana Kingdom and Clues to a Dark Age
The kingdom of Hana and an intriguing Kassite text provide clues to a mysterious dark age, which may have lasted for 100 years; few records survive from this period; Professor Podany illuminates historians' detective work to fill in the gaps.
Details
Episode 17
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Princess Tadu-Hepa, Diplomacy, and Marriage
Discovering how the kingdom of Mittani maintains a peaceful relationship with Egypt through the power of diplomacy; letters between King Tushratta and the pharaoh demonstrate the roles of envoys in transporting letters and gifts over several miles.
Details
Episode 18
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Land Grants and Royal Favor in Mittani
In a world before mass media, learning how Mittanian kings maintain visibility and control across vast distances and large populations without much need for force; the story of a gold statue reveals the decline of Mittani's golden era.
Details
Episode 19
Aired Apr 27, 2018
The Late Bronze Age and the End of Peace
The end of a period of peace and stability between great powers as a result of possible natural disasters, attacks on cities and movements of the mysterious Sea Peoples; the era that follows is one of smaller kingdoms that leaves few written records.
Details
Episode 20
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Assyria Ascending
Learning about the grand state of Assyria and its huge palaces and iconic winged lion sculptures; the long and stable dynasty of Assyrian kings always longs to expand the boundaries of the empire; their kings effectively administer a growing empire.
Details
Episode 21
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Ashurbanipal's Library and Gilgamesh
Discovering the intellectual King Ashurbanipal whose library is one of the first in recorded history; in it, finding clay tablets recording omens from the gods; one of the world's oldest epic poems, "The Epic of Gilgamesh".
Details
Episode 22
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Neo-Assyrian Empire, Warfare, and Collapse
The Assyrian empire is restructured by Tiglath-Pileser III; the Assyrians struggle to keep Babylonia within their empire; the mysterious hanging gardens sit magically on roofs; the fall of the Assyrian Empire at the hands of angry enemies.
Details
Episode 23
Aired Apr 27, 2018
Babylon and the New Year's Festival
The Babylonian creation story involving Marduk and the evil goddess Tiamat; through ancient records, exploring the 12-day Akitu religious festival that involves priests, singers, artisans, musicians and the king; the ritual humiliation of the king.
Details
Episode 24
Aired Apr 27, 2018
End of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
The end of the independence of Mesopotamia with the conquest of the Neo-Babylonian empire by the forces of the powerful Persian king, Cyrus the Great; religious changes that place across the Near East; Mesopotamian culture gradually dies out.
Details
Continue with Google
>
