History Classics: Ancient Discoveries - War in the Ancient World [4 Discs]

"Though many instinctively type the world of antiquity as primitive, classical historians insist that this was not so - arguing that the ancestors of contemporary man demonstrated a cunning, at times fearsome comprehension of engineering and human logistics. This was particularly true in the military sphere, evidenced by the creation of massive, indomitable navies and armies, the origin of the modern tank millennia ago, and much more. The eight History Channel documentaries in this set explore the details belying such innovations. Subtopics include the development of Japanese ninja assassins, the extraordinary career of an Italian man who encoded cryptic messages on the insides of eggs, the employment of early grenades centuries ago, history's first ski commandos, and more. Producers obtained much of the information and reconstruct many of the details through sophisticated archaeological digs and discussions with classical historians."