It is the end of 2023 and today I will present a Top Ten list of documentary series that was featured on the blog. The rules are simple, they had to be featured in the blog or on my database list over the past two years. This year instead of featuring history based reality TV on this list, I will be featuring history series.
So will my 2023 Top Ten list remain the same as last year? Or will there be a new top documentary series on the list? Follow the rest of this blog to find out! 2022 Top 10 Documentary Series 1. The Last Journey of the Vikings - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 2. Face of Britain: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 3. A Stitch in Time with Amber Butchart 4. Lost Kingdoms of South America 5. Immortal Egypt: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 6. Meet the Romans with Mary Beard - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 7. Lost Kingdoms of Africa 8. The Women Who Made History 9. Victorian Bakers - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 10. 1900 Island - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 2023 Top 10 Documentary List 1. 1491: The Story of North America Before Columbus Episode 1 (47:25) Episode 2 (46:56) Episode 3 (47:29) Episode 4 (47:15) Episode 5 (46:40) Episode 6 (48:40) Episode 7 (47:23) The First Nations crossed oceans and settled on the North American Continent. The First Nations people navigated their world by the stars. They crossed mountains and rivers. They built a variety of trade networks. Their people built civilizations. In 1492 their lives changed with the arrival of Christopher Columbus. So what were the stories of the First Nations before Columbus? *Highly recommended for a high school classroom, certain episodes can also be used in the art classroom as well!* 2. *Face of Britain: Episode 1 (46:59) Episode 2 (46:54) Episode 3 (47:35) Neil Oliver explores the genetic doomsday book geneticists in Britain are creating of Britain to determine where the genetic ancestry of the British come from. Do the British people come from Celts, Vikings, Anglo Saxons, or the Normans? Oliver travels around Britain to talk to the participants of the study. At the end of each episode, they go over the results with the participants of the study. *Highly recommended for a history classroom and a science classroom.* 3. The Last Journey of the Vikings - Episode 1 (49:55) Episode 2 (49:32) Episode 3 (49:52) Episode 4 (49:58) The Last Journey of the Vikings is a docudrama series about the Viking People. They traveled widely and shaped European politics. What is the truth about the Vikings? In the Eighth Century, the Vikings started appearing along the coasts of Europe. With their fierce warriors, they gained a reputation as Europe’s terrorizers. They targeted monasteries because the monks could not defend themselves. Eventually, the Vikings’ strategy changed. They mixed with the powerful. So why did the Vikings become pirates? How did they spread their influence over Europe? Tune into this documentary to find out. *Highly recommended for a middle school and high school classroom. Highly recommended to mine for clips.* 4. Charlemagne - Episode 1 (50:42) Episode 2 (50:14) Episode 3 (51:56) Charlemagne was the most important Emperor of the Middle Ages. The story begins with a monk gathering wood for a fire. He was a scholar in Charlemagne’s court and was his friend. He is the narrator of Charlemagne’s story. He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day. He was the most powerful ruler of his time. Even the pope was intimidated by him. He was superhuman. However, what is a myth, and what is reality? *Recommended for the history classroom and research purposes.* 5. Lost Kingdoms of Africa Gus Casley-Hayford explores lost African Kingdoms. He explores the kingdom of the Zulu, Berbers, West Africa, Great Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Nubia. Gus travels around Africa to learn more about these kingdoms. What was so mysterious about Great Zimbabwe? Is Ethiopia where the Ark of the Covenant is located? Where was the kingdom of gold? This is a fantastic series on African Kingdoms. 6. Immortal Egypt: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Joann Fletcher explores the history of Ancient Egypt over four episodes. She explores the height of Egypt's power, what caused Egypt to decline. She takes us to Egypt's beginnings and weaves a tale of glory followed by despair. She shows off grand monuments and the smallest finds. This is an excellent documentary series to show while students are studying Ancient Egypt. 7. A Stitch in Time with Amber Butchart Amber Butchart explores the history of fashion and how our perceptions of fashion changed. She looks at six pieces of artwork and has them recreated. She looks at the clothing of King Charles II to the common hedge cutter. What was the true story of Marie Antoinette? What can fashion tell us about history? What can fashion tell us about the people? This is an excellent series featuring experimental history. 8. Storm over Europe - Episode 1 (51:17) Episode 2 (50:35) Episode 3 (50:08) Episode 4 (50:19) Barbarians were heading to Rome. What made these barbarians leave their homelands? They left behind beautiful objects in their wake. They were in the search of a new homeland because another tribe was threatening their lives and livelihoods. Eventually, Rome was sacked. These barbarians would be left to pick up the pieces Rome left behind. Who were these invaders? Why were they called barbarians? How did they shape European history? What did they leave behind? *Recommended for a middle school history classroom. Appropriate for independent study students.* 9. Rome without Limits with Mary Beard - Episode 1 (58:34) Episode 2 (59:00) Episode 3 (58:59) Episode 4 (59:00) Mary Beard explores the history of the Roman Empire beginning with the origin myths, the period of the republic, and the Empire. She explores the Roman Empire beyond Rome and travels to a variety of places that were a part of the Empire. She concludes the series with the question why did Rome fall? It is a fascinating dive into the Roman Empire. This documentary is a needed update to what available documentaries. *Highly recommended for a middle school and high school classroom. If you do not have space for all the documentaries, then show clips.* 10. The Women Who Made History This is another German-produced documentary series about the women who made history. There are episodes on Elizabeth I, Queen Louise, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra, Catherine the Great, and Sophie Scholl. This series explores the stories of these women and why they made history. This series covers different eras so a teacher should find something that will fit with their teaching needs. This Series also has English subtitles.
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |