Secrets of Ancient Empires: The First Civilizations

This program is the first episode in a five volume series that investigates the ancient empires of the world, including those of Babylon, Greece, and Rome. The myriad beliefs and practices of these places of antiquity are presented with archival materials, art, re-enactments, on site visits, and interviews with scholars. This program considers how civilizations were first organized. Humans first lived a nomadic hunter/gatherer life, which later gave way to agrarian communities that enabled people to stay in one place long enough to develop roots and structure. The interdependency of such communities were the starting point for the first civilizations in Africa and Europe.