1. Adwa (አድዋ)
In 1896, Ethiopia, an African nation, largely armed with spears and knives, defeats a well-equipped and organized Italian military bent on colonization.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
2. 448 BC: Olympiad of Ancient Hellas
Through the eyes of the Narrator and ancient Philosophers of the time, we are taken on a dramatic journey through history; recounting the incredible and exciting dramas, ceremonies, games, and chariot races of the Ancient Greek OLYMPIAD; the Olympic Games of the 5th Century BC.
3. The Bisexual Revolution (La bisexualité: Tout un art?)
Believe it or not, Mick Jagger was not the first bisexual. In fact, 'going both ways' dates back to ancient Greece, when heterosexuality was not the norm. This fascinating documentary, featuring John Cameron Mitchell and French pop star Yelle, explores and uncovers the history and modern-day perceptions of this often misunderstood culture. Interviews with prominent artists, designers, and writers are interspersed with archival footage from around the world.
It has an average vote of 1 on TMDB.
4. The Time Factory (La Fabrique du temps)
Who invented time, who invented the clock? Why 1 hour, why 60 minutes, why 60 seconds? Since prehistoric times, man has sought to measure time, to organize social and religious life, to plan food supply... Today we can surf the Internet, geolocate, pay by credit card… All our daily lives depend on time and the synchronization of clocks. The history of the invention of time and of the ways and instruments to measure it is a long story…
It has an average vote of 8.2 on TMDB.
5. Secrets of the Parthenon
For 25 centuries the Parthenon has been shot at, set on fire, rocked by earthquakes, looted for its sculptures, and disfigured by catastrophic renovations. To save it from collapse, the modern restoration team must uncover the secrets of how the ancient Greeks built this icon of western civilization in less than nine years without anything resembling an architectural plan.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
6. The Battle of Naseby 1645
The Battle of Naseby was a decisive engagement of the English Civil War, fought on 14 June 1645 between the main Royalist army of King Charles I and the Parliamentarian New Model Army, commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell. It was fought near the village of Naseby in Northamptonshire. Fairfax was ordered to lift his siege of Oxford, the Royalist capital, and engage the King's main army. Eager to bring battle to the Royalists, Fairfax set off in pursuit of the Royalist army, which was heading to recover the north. The King, faced with retreating north with Fairfax close behind, or giving battle, decided to give battle, fearing a loss of morale if his army continued retreating. After hard fighting, the Parliamentarian army all but destroyed the Royalist force, which suffered 6,000 casualties out of 7,400 effectives. Charles had lost the bulk of his army. Within a year, Parliament had won the first civil war.
7. Alexandria: The Greatest City
Bettany Hughes goes in search of this lost civilisation, revealing the story of a city founded out of the desert by Alexander the Great in 331 BC to become the world's first global centre of culture. The documentary also looks at the role of astronomer and philosopher Hypatia, and incorporates stunning footage from the feature film 'Agora'.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
8. Out of the Maya Tombs
Over the past 50 years, thousands of exquisitely painted Maya vases, almost all looted from tombs, have flooded into public and private collections. These amazing works of art, filled with humor and mystery, have opened an extraordinary window on the Maya past. But the race to unearth these treasures has destroyed temples and palaces, culminating in the takeover of entire ancient cities by looter armies. OUT OF THE MAYA TOMBS enters the world of the vases to explore the royal life and rich mythology of the Maya, as well as the tangled issues involved in the collection and study of Maya art. The story is told by villagers, looters, archaeologists, scholars, dealers and curators. For each, these vases have a radically different value and meaning.
9. The Minoans
The mysterious island of Crete has always loomed large in imagination, as the home of the Minotaur -- that monstrous creature, half-man half-bull -- imprisoned in Daedalus' labyrinth. Before Crete collapsed in fire and violence, it gave birth to Europe's first civilization nearly 5,000 years ago, and boasted an advanced, prosperous Mediterranean civilization with hinged doors, flush toilets, and magnificent palaces. How did the Minoans live, and what brought this great society to such a sudden, obscure end? Modern archeology offers new insights into the everyday life in Minoan culture, and tantalizing clues about its tragic destiny.
10. Berlin's Treasure Trove (Schatzkammer Berlin)
Berlin’s Museum Island, the cultural center of the German capital on the Spree river, houses a large number of art pieces from all over the globe, from the Stone Age to the present day. A walk through their great institutions to marvel at their masterpieces.
11. Alexander der Große – Kampf und Vision (Alexander der Große – Kampf und Vision)
(Alexander der Große – Kampf und Vision)
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
12. Herod's Lost Tomb
National Geographic follows archaeologist Ehud Natzer in his discovery of the tomb of Herod the Great.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
13. King Tut In Color
The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb is revealed for the first time in color, thanks to colorization of black-and-white newsreel and photographs.
It has an average vote of 6.4 on TMDB.
14. Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed
Benedict Arnold is not the villain of American history most people were taught to believe. New facts and never before presented material illuminate his heroic contributions to the American Revolution and explains his later change of allegiance.
15. The Forgotten Battle of Fort Pillow
On April 12th, 1864, at an insignificant little fort, several hundred black Union soldiers fought a hopeless battle against a Confederate general who was destined to become the first Grand Wizard of the KKK. This battle had a domino effect, trickling down the long road of history. Today, it is just a footnote in most history books; however, no other event of the Civil War has had such a profound impact on the twentieth century, especially on American culture.
16. Petra: Secrets of the Ancient Builders
In the heart of the Jordanian desert, the ancient city of Petra is full of mysteries. How was this architectural wonder created over 2,000 years ago? The technical prowess of Petra, an ancient city in southern Jordan, which was a wonder in the middle of the desert.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
17. China's Megatomb Revealed
Albert Lin and National Geographic Channel unearth the terrible secrets that lie hidden in the tomb of China's first Emperor. The Terracotta Warriors are just the tip of the iceberg in this mausoleum the size of Manhattan, that has gone largely unexcavated…until now. These silent statues guard explosive, macabre findings that rewrite history and paint a very different picture of the ancient world from what we thought we knew.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
18. The Search for Alexander the Great
Friends, contemporaries and even enemies of Alexander the Great gather in a tent to tell his tale through their eyes.
19. Buried Truth of the Maya
Maya legend tells us that there is a hidden underground cave below Chichen Itza, now high tech archaeologists are here to find the buried truth.
It has an average vote of 6.1 on TMDB.
20. Herod the Great: The Child Murderer of Bethlehem (Der Kindermörder von Bethlehem? – Herodes der Große)
An account of the reign of Herod the Great, king of Judea under the rule of the Roman Empire, remembered for having ordered, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the murder of all male infants born in Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Jesus, an unproven event that is not mentioned by Titus Flavius Josephus, the main historian of that period.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
