History Faculty

Journey with Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to Kenya, Egypt and beyond as he discovers the origins of man, the formation of early human societies and the creation of significant cultural and scientific achievements on the African continent.

Historian David Olusoga explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa. From the African Romans who guarded Hadrian's Wall in the 3rd century AD to the black trumpeter of the Tudor courts, David uncovers a history that is as surprising as it is revealing.
[BBC]

Tracing the trials of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, who was shipwrecked off the gulf coast of Texas in 1528 and lived among Indians for eight years, this program reveals how some early Spanish explorers grew to empathize with the plight of Native Americans. Through the writings of Cabeza de Vaca and excerpts of the famous argument of Dominican friar, Bartolomé de las Casas-the first appointed Protector of the Indians by the Spanish crown-in which he debated that "Indians are humans," the program explores the emergence of a new era of acceptance. Cabeza de Vaca became a shaman later in his life. Few stories in history match these for sheer drama, endurance, and transformation as this. Part of the series Conquistadors.

The Maya were a powerful indigenous civilisation who dominated Mexico and Central America for nearly one thousand years. What was the cause of their mysterious disappearance?

Includes seven episodes on "The Maya and The Aztecs" ; "Persians" ; "Rome" ; and more.

Steve Elkins and a team of scientists travel to one of the last unexplored places on Earth.

Horse riding played a key role in human expansion and civilization. But when and how did people first master these animals? Scientists use archeology and genetics to uncover clues about the first horse riders and how they shaped the world.

Mongolia, 12th century. Yesügei, chief of the Qiyat tribe, is poisoned by the Tatars. His son, Temüjin, is not yet old enough to succeed him.
Part of the series Butterfly Effect.

A documentary about the rise and fall of the Hittite empire, which existed about 3500 years ago in what is now central Turkey.

Includes episodes such as "In Search of Genghis Khan" ; "Crusader By Horse to Jerusalem" ; "
The Jason Voyage The Quest for the Golden Fleece" ; "The Sindbad Voyage" ; "The Brendan voyage"

Includes more than 40 episodes with such as "China. I : The Medical Arts Of The Warrior Monks" ; "Peru : Healers Of The Hills" ; "India. II : The Angels Of Maharashtra" ; "South Africa : The Zulus Healers" ; and more.

Historian David Olusoga explores the enduring relationship between Britain and people whose origins lie in Africa. From the African Romans who guarded Hadrian's Wall in the 3rd century AD to the black trumpeter of the Tudor courts, David uncovers a history that is as surprising as it is revealing.
[BBC]

A team of archaeologists are excavating an ancient village in Cambridgeshire, England known as “The British Pompeii,” that has transformed history’s picture of life in Bronze Age Britain. Inside perfectly preserved roundhouses, the team has discovered everything from Britain’s oldest wheel to swords used in battle. The biggest revelation was proof of technology needed to produce cloth which was never before seen in Britain and proved these villagers’ lives were anything but primitive.
[PBS trailer]

Paul Murton of Grand Tours of Scotland takes us on a journey to investigate the mysterious disappearance from history of a forgotten Scottish prince - Henry Fredrick Stuart, the best king Britain never had.

In King Arthur's Lost Kingdom, Professor Roberts excavates a stone palace in Cornwall -believed to be the birthplace of King Arthur. Was he in fact ruler of a prosperous trading village, and defender of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons?

David Dimbleby tells the story of Britain's last 2,000 years through its art and treasure.
[BBC Episode Guide]

Did a daring Chinese admiral sailing the world's largest wooden armada reach America 71 years before Columbus? This program examines the mystery surrounding the sailing exploits of the legendary Admiral Zheng He and his 30-year command of a Ming fleet. Part one discusses his known voyages to Asia and Africa; part two discusses the controversial theory that he rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed on to America.

A look on Wu Zetian, one of China's most controversial rulers and the only female empress in China's history.
49 min.

One of the wonders of the ancient and modern worlds, the Great Wall's history is shrouded in tales of bloodshed, sorrow, and madness. This episode of Modern Marvels seeks de-mystify the building of what is said to be the longest manmade construction on earth.

This program explores Qin Shi Huang’s life and impact on successive generations, with a wealth of CGI animation and dramatic reenactments. It also depicts the ways in which a man whom many regarded as a walking terror could paradoxically qualify as one of China’s greatest benefactors.

[PBS]

Byzantium was the powerful legacy of ancient Greece and Rome, the first Christian empire and the last flowering of classical civilizations before it fell to the plundering armies of the Ottoman Turks. Shot on location in nine countries, these four episodes transports the viewer to a world that history has nearly forgotten.

The dramatic story of the Crusades seen through Arab eyes - from the seizing of Jerusalem under Pope Urban II in 1099 to its recapture by Salah ad-Din, Richard the Lionheart’s efforts to regain the city, and the end of the movement two centuries later.

Focuses on Paris, New York, and London.

The story of a violent, dramatic and compelling age, a critical turning point in Western history.

Episodes on Birth, Marriage, and Death.

This one-hour program is divided into five chapters. Choose any chapter below and select QuickTime or Windows Media Player to begin viewing the video. If you experience difficulty viewing, it may be due to high demand. We regret this and suggest you try back at another time.
[PBS NOVA]

When The Moors Ruled In Europe is a documentary film presented by the English historian Bettany Hughes. It is a two-part series on the contribution the Moors made to Europe during their 700-year reign in Spain and Portugal ending in the 15th century.

Al Jazeera tells the story of the caliphate providing a fascinating insight into past empires and present-day politics.

Over a thousand years ago, the sun-washed land of southern Spain was home to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, living together and flourishing. Their culture and beliefs intertwined, and the knowledge of the ancients was gathered and reborn. Here were the very seeds of the Renaissance.
[PBS]

The dramatic story of the Crusades seen through Arab eyes - from the seizing of Jerusalem under Pope Urban II in 1099 to its recapture by Salah ad-Din, Richard the Lionheart’s efforts to regain the city, and the end of the movement two centuries later.

The Land of Frankincense is a site in Oman on the Incense Road. The site includes frankincense trees, Khor Rori and the remains of a caravan oasis, which were crucial to the medieval incense trade.

Istanbul’s magnificent Hagia Sophia has survived on one of the world’s most active seismic faults, which has inflicted a dozen devastating earthquakes since Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD. As Istanbul braces for the next big quake, a team of architects and engineers is investigating Hagia Sophia’s seismic secrets. NOVA follows the team’s discoveries as they examine the building’s unique structure and other ingenious design strategies that have insured the dome’s survival.
53 min.

Series of documentary travelogues in which Tim Mackintosh Smith follows in the footsteps of 14th Century Moroccan scholar Ibn Battutah, who covered 75,000 miles, 40 countries and three continents in a 30-year odyssey. Beginning in north Africa, Tim visits Battutah's birthplace of Tangier in Morocco, and stumbles on a performance of medieval trance music. In Egypt, he goes to a remote village where Battutah had an astonishing prophetic dream and visits the world's oldest university in Cairo.

Documents the rise and growth of Islam throughout the world, from the birth of Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century through the peak of the Ottoman Empire 1000 years later. Discusses the impact of Islamic civilization on world history and culture.

Jews and Muslims have become the archetype of sworn enemies, of polarised identities leading to an endless conflict. And yet, if you take a close look at history, you will find that the tension is quite recent, starting merely 150 years ago.

This five part documentary explores 4000 years of Jewish history, starting with the origins of the Jewish people in the Middle East right through to present day Judaism.
265 min.

Spanning millennia, from Ancient Mesopotamia to modern-day Iraq, this feature-length special definitively surveys the rulers - both those beloved and those reviled - of this fascinating region.

In three parts, focused on Carthage, Palmyra, and Petra.

More than 2,000 years ago, the thriving city of Petra rose up in the bone-dry desert of what is now Jordan. An oasis of culture and abundance, the city was built by wealthy merchants whose camel caravans transported incense and spices from the Arabian Gulf. They carved spectacular temple-tombs into its soaring cliffs, raised a monumental Great Temple at its heart, and devised an ingenious system that channeled water to vineyards, bathhouses, fountains, and pools. But following a catastrophic earthquake and a slump in its desert trade routes, Petra's unique culture faded and was lost to most of the world for nearly a thousand years.
53 min.
[PBS trailer]

Examining the innovative nature of ancient civilisations, focusing on Muslim contribution to the Western world.

Includes episodes on topics such as ships, medicine, machines, power, and more.

An epic detective story that offers a gripping expose on why the world is so unequal. Professor Jared Diamond traveled the globe for over 30 years trying to answer this question. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book. Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? Diamond dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns.

Where would we be without the world’s alphabets? Writing has played a vital role in the expansion and domination of cultures throughout history. But researchers are only now uncovering the origin story to our own alphabet, which may have gotten its beginnings in a turquoise mine thousands of years ago. From the shape of the letter A to the role of writing in trade and storytelling, discover how the written word shaped civilization itself.
[PBS Trailer]

The history of the first civilizations, including Mesoamerica, the Middle East and the Indus Valley, and how and why early humans created villages, towns, cities and states.
Four 53/54 min. episodes

Our ancient human ancestors once lived only in Africa, in tiny bands of a few thousand hunter-gatherers. Then we moved out of our African cradle, spreading rapidly to every corner of the planet. How did we acquire the skills, technology and talent to thrive in every environment on earth? How did our prehistoric forebears cross the Sahara on foot, survive frigid ice ages, and sail to remote Pacific islands?
113 min
[PBS]

Takes viewers on an exciting and visually stunning journey to the beautiful and important historical places where Christianity was born and grew from a small movement called "The Way" to its place as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Join author and distinguished history professor Jonathan Phillips of Royal Holloway, University of London, as he takes viewers on a captivating adventure to the very places where Christianity began, through four centuries and seven countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.
6 hr

[PBS Trailer]

The Roman emperor Nero is considered one of history's greatest criminals - a cruel, insane, and brutal ruler. Secrets of the Dead: The Nero Files investigates Nero's reign with the help of criminal psychologist Thomas Müller.

The discovery of a rare mass grave with the bones of nearly 60 people outside Luxorsends archaeologists on a quest to find out what was happening in ancient Egypt that would have led to a mass burial.

n verses 157 and 158 of Surah IV, the Qur'an tells the story of the crucifixion of Jesus very differently from the Christian tradition. In it, Jesus is crucified, "or so it appears". Might those who witnessed the scene have been victims of an illusion? Might someone else have been crucified in his place? Did Jesus really die on the cross?