Good morning, we are officially done with January 2024 blogs! Times fly when you are having fun watching and reviewing documentaries. February, I am going to go through a series The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi found on the BBC Africa YouTube Channel. I am going to give you guys a slight hint: it has been one fantastic series to go through. I will admit that I was going back and forth between writing January and February blogs. Normally I would be working on Time Team blogs because I can always find a Time Team to write on when I get stuck.
Anyway, now that is off my mind, I am going to finish up the two-part series of the Magna Carta. How far do the ideas of the Magna Carta spread? Where do the ideas of the Magna Carta show up? How does Manga Carta continue to impact the modern age? This episode has a run time of 50:07. The documentary kicks off with the impact of technology and how people are communicating widely with each other. Not only common people are communicating with each other but governments are using technology to spy on people. This seems to be paralleling William the Conqueror and the Domesday Book that was mentioned in the first episode. Then the documentary reviews how the Magna Carta came about as well as the legend of Robin Hood. It then goes through the ideals of the Magna Carta. Magna Carta was revolutionary at the time. Although it was organized by the barons to benefit them, ordinary men started demanding their freedoms too. It was a documentary that echoed through the generations. Then there is a good discussion on how the Manga Carta impacted ordinary English life. Its ideals were challenged by James I, who believed in divine right. This would cause an intrepid group of people to leave England and form new colonies in America. The Colonists would have had Magna Carta in their minds. The colonists had to figure out to put together a civilization because the King was miles away. However, the King still would try to impose taxes on the colonies. The colonists would rebel against this thought. The Americans would declare independence and would create a constitution. A Bill of Rights was created and this Bill of Rights was a direct reflection of the Magna Carta. There is a discussion on America and the freedom that the people had in America. Adam Smith was also discussed in this section as how freedom of trade builds prosperity. It was rather interesting to hear how the Magna Carta impacted The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. Adam Smith would predict that greater freedom would create wealth. Eventually, the Industrial Revolution started. There were new ways of working and new products made. There were also new ideas that started spreading around the world. Well, I suppose that the Magna Carta would have an impact on the Industrial Revolution too. People were mobile and did not have to get sucked into one place in their life. People moved to the city. Even a traveling salesman could become a wealthy man. Who would have thought that Magna Carta would have had a big impact on explosive economic growth? How do the ideas of the Magna Carta continue to impact people? What is the challenge of the Magna Carta? Is the Magna Carta in danger? To learn more about the impact of the Magna Carta on the modern world, watch the rest of this episode to find out. The narration at the beginning does seem slightly condescending regarding the Old Dead Language the Magna Carta is written in. The writer could have phrased that better. The first part of the documentary was really well-paced and provided a good summary of the Magna Carta. Then there was a shift to the American Colonies. It was also very nice to see that this episode was divided into chapters which can help make things easier to divide it for easy viewing. Anyway, the second episode would be better for research proposes with clips being used for lectures. The flow at the start may be a challenge to follow, so, therefore, this would be an episode to use in a lecture.
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Top of the morning to you blog readers. This time we are going to go back in time and learn about the Magna Carta in this short two-part documentary which is narrated by Hugh Bonneville. It is called The Secrets of the Magna Carta. The run time for this documentary is 50:21.
The Magna Carta was a legendary document that changed the course of history. It is known as the Great Charter and was an agreement between two warring parties. It was a document that highlighted what freedoms the ordinary man had. It legitimized property rights. This document dates back to the time of Robin Hood and is a highly valued document. It is sometimes called the most important document in world history. This series covers the history of the Magna Carta. The episode starts with a trip to the auction house in New York City. A piece of paper is one auction. The document sells for nineteen million dollars. The story of the Magna Carta has its roots in the Robin Hood legend. Robin Hood would symbolize the freedom fighters who waged war against the government officials bent on imposing their will on the ordinary people. However, to further understand how Manga Carta came about one has to go back in time to the Time of William the Conqueror. He had defeated and subjugated the native Anglo-Saxons. He would impose a French-style rule where the King had absolute power. He ruthlessly taxed the people. It was interesting to hear the Domesday Book is described as a mechanism for spying on the people only to tax them. I also found it interesting to hear William the Conqueror being described as a dictator, which past documentaries never really touched. I really did not know what to expect and at the end of this section, I was pleasantly surprised. The people lived under ruthless Kings who thought of England as their hunting grounds and not a country to be ruled. England was described at the time “as a cow, meant to be milked.” By the time King John came to the throne, the people were fed up with their rulers. This was symbolized in the legends of Robin Hood who would rob the government officials and give back to the people. There was a particularly nasty government official, of whom the Sheriff of Nottingham was based, called Philip Mark. He was an unpleasant individual. Eventually, King John is defeated and loses his domain in France. He is forced to live in England. It would be the first time an English King would have to live in England. That was surprising to hear and I wonder how much of it was true. King John was known as a murderer and starved a woman to death. King John wanted to get his French domains back and would raise money off the backs of the people. Everything the people did or did not do was taxed. Justice was sold to the highest bidder. The barons and the people hated him with a passion. King John continued to amass money and he was going to get his French possessions back. However, his expedition back into France was for naught. He had a devasting defeat and was sent back to England with his tail between his legs. The Barons rebelled against a defeated King. King John eventually is forced to agree to the barons’ terms. The Magna Carta is born. Then there is an examination of an original copy of the document. It was fascinating to hear the process by which the document was formed. King John would not have signed the document himself, he would have affixed his seal. It was interesting to discover that he could not write. For the most part English Kings at the time would not have written out their names, they would have just affixed their great seal on the document. How did this document impact the King? How did this document impact the people? To learn more about the Magna Carta continue to watch this episode. I was nervous about doing this documentary about the Magna Carta. I really did not know what to expect while watching this documentary. It was a fascinating watch, especially with all the old film clips that were used. I missed the historians saying that King John was so bad even the Pope excommunicated him. Overall it was a very interesting documentary on the Magna Carta and I would use it for research purposes. Good morning, time is flying by and it is now time for another documentary suggestion. Now I am going further into time and looking at the Earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755. The run time for this documentary is 49:15. The documentary is called 1755: The Lisbon Earthquake.
In 1755 an earthquake struck Lisbon and it would become known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake. It was the first natural disaster to strike the heart of a large European city. The earthquake began on November 1, 1755, at 9:40 AM. It was an estimated 8.5 on the Richter scale and caused widespread destruction throughout Lisbon. It also triggered a tsunami. About 60,000-100,000 people died as a result of the earthquake and tsunami which would impact Portugal as a whole. How does this earthquake continue to resonate with people today? Lisbon was a great port on the Atlantic Ocean however very few of the buildings are over 200 years old. The earthquake was centered in the Atlantic Ocean about 200 miles away from Lisbon, Portugal. Although Lisbon bore the brunt of the earthquake, its impacts were felt as far as Finland. Water levels would change in the Azores as well. Today a team of marine scientists is searching for evidence of the 1755 Earthquake. They go to a place where three continental plates come together where they are looking, it is a highly active place in the Atlantic. This area makes Europe vulnerable. There have been documented tsunamis in the Mediterranean Sea. November 1 began like an ordinary day. The King attended mass and had a picnic for the elite of Portugal. People attend mass. Merchants did their trading. The people were celebrating All Saints Day, so things were taking longer. A brand-new opera house opens and it is the latest in technology. Lisbon was considered one of the most beautiful cities in all of Europe and if you haven’t seen Lisbon, you have not seen anything. Back in the present day, scientists are carefully scanning the ocean floor. They send sounding devices down to the ocean floor. These devices monitor movement and sound on the ocean floor or in the water. Thirteen devices will be sent down in an area known for its earthquakes. The sea floor is also drilled for core samples and these samples show the history of the ocean. These samples provide a record of undersea earthquakes and those earthquakes cause landslides. The landslides will create layers showing different periods of earthquakes. The citizens of 1755 Lisbon would have been setting up the All Saints Day Market. However, the animals are panicking in the marketplace. Then all of a sudden, the houses started to shake. The people do nothing, losing valuable time. All of a sudden, every church bell rings on its own. Walls and ceilings start to collapse. Everyone heads outside and out of danger. 17,000 houses are destroyed. Most earthquake victims are found in churches. Earthquake tremors are felt as far as Africa. You really felt the build-up to the earthquake in the film. Then there is a discussion on what causes earthquakes. One scientist talks about how a huge release of energy was behind the 1755 Earthquake. It was surprising to hear that only four earthquakes actually damage buildings over the hundreds of earthquakes around the world. Then there is a demonstration of the shaking table, it is a table that can replicate the conditions for an earthquake. So what would have happened to the people in 1755? Why was the 1755 Earthquake so destructive? How would Lisbon rebuild? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out. You never really think of tsunamis on the Atlantic Ocean, you would think that it was more of a Pacific Ocean phenomenon. It was also rather interesting that scientists take cores from the sea floor, and that they provide a record of Earth’s history like ice cores do. The dramatizations were very well done. I would show it to a science class because the investigation is being done to try to understand the 1755 Earthquake. This was a very well-done documentary, going back and forth between the recreations and the modern science. It could have been a little big longer, but I am not going to quibble over that. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on when you are checking out this blog. GetFactual is taking its sweet time in uploading more of the Silk Road documentary series. I am checking out a different YouTube Channel called Tracks to review a David Adams documentary. Tracks YouTube channel seems to be a historic travel channel. It is from his series Journeys to the Ends of the Earth and this episode is called The People of the Flame. The run time for this episode is 50:23.
David Adams explores Iran. It is considered Earth’s final frontier. Iran does not receive many visitors from Western travelers and has been at the center of world affairs. Adams takes a peek behind the veil and discovers a complex culture. He discovers incredibly hospitalized people in Iran. He starts in Tehran and goes through the Valley of the Assassins, learning about Marco Polo’s trip. Then he journeys into the land of the Fire Worshipers of Yazd. Tehran is David Adams’ first stop and discovers extreme jaywalking. Everyone seems to ignore both the police and traffic signals. Will he manage to get across the street without serious injury? The best way to cross the streets in Tehran is to show extreme bravery and confidence when it comes to extreme jaywalking. David continues to take in the sights of Tehran and stops in front of the former American embassy. He talks about the Islamic Revolution. After this stop at the former American Embassy, he explores the Zoroastrian faith. The fire was the center of this religion. Adams is learning about Zoroastrians and that eternal fire. His next stop after Tehran is Elburz. He wants to catch a bus deeper into the mountains. In the meantime, he is talking with his translator and English teacher in Tehran. He used to be a bodyguard for the past president of Iran. They got to a bus station and meet a blind bus station manager. The man knows his way around the bus station terminal. Adams and the Translator are going to have a long wait for the bus. Cue the funny montage of Adams waiting for the bus with the translator. Finally, a truck driver shows up and gives Adams and his translator a ride. He takes in the sites along the road on the back of a truck. They are heading into the mountains. The mountains were a sanctuary for people who wanted to hide and wanted to remain independent. It is here that David will engage in mountain climbing. Gear checked, and they start heading towards the mountain. Even with modern equipment, the mountains are a challenge to climb. They make their way up a peak and settle in for the night in a cave. They make a fire and sing into the night. Singing, legend has it, keeps the ghosts away. The next day, David Adams travels on his own to continue to learn more about the Zoroastrian faith. He goes to a place called Solomon’s Throne. It was here that legend Solomon struck a stone and carved a lake in the mountains. It is here that he sees the ruins of a Zoroastrian temple. As he continues to travel around Iran, he stumbles onto a village carved from rock. Adams is surprised at what he sees before him. He stops and takes some photographs of what he sees. The village is pretty quiet and legend has it that the river that watered the Garden of Eden flowed from this village. Where else does David Adams’ travels take time in Iran? What else does he learn about Zoroastrians? Does he find the place of the eternal fire? Tune into the rest of this episode to learn more about Iran. David Adams’ travels continue to interest the viewer. He tells an excellent story and shares his experiences along the way. I enjoy hearing his narration and his attempt at singing. He really engages with what he sees. He must have been cold on that motorcycle as he continued his travels. He also comes off as sincere in his learning. This would be something I would show to a geography class and not a history class. It is more of a travel show instead of a history show. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on when you are reading this. Today I am moving forward in time and looking at a documentary on the Mongols. I am checking out a Free Documentary Channel. This is from the series The Rise of Great Powers and is the third episode in the series. This episode is called Empire of the Mongols and has a run time of 48:12.
Mongols had built a large empire that claimed half the world in under a century. This empire spanned from the Korean Peninsula to Europe. It began with 100,000 men. The Mongol invasion of Europe began with the fall of Kyiv and struck panic into the people. How could such a small group of men bring Europe to its knees? What technology was available at the time to enable such an expansion? Who was the leader of the Mongols? This documentary looks at the rise of the Mongol Empire. Is it 1240 and a horde of cavalry is launching an attack on Kyiv? Despite the citizens’ best efforts, Kyiv fell to these hordes. They had never seen such a cavalry nor such weapons. This horde continues to move forward, making its way into Central Europe. Central Europe is on notice and in panic. They had never seen this horde before. This calvary splits up into two groups, one group heading north and the other heading south. It was in the Middle Ages, and Europe was poor. Nobody invaded them before, however after Kyiv fell, things started to change with the refugees. Panic began to spread as horror stories spread about these invaders. Krakow, Poland still commemorates the Mongol attack. A trumpeter blows a warning over the city, but he never gets to the end of the tune symbolizing that the original trumpeter was killed. It took less than a month for Krakow to fall. After Krakow, the Mongols headed toward Germany. Henry II Duke of Silesia lead his troops against the Mongols; however, these troops would be annihilated. The Hungarians would try different tactics; however, they too would be defeated. It shocked the people and showed that knights could not defend the kingdom. The Mongols would burn and loot their way through Hungary. Would anyone be able to stop the Mongol invasion? What made the Mongols such fierce warriors? How could they be stopped? What were the secrets of the Mongols? The Mongols would destroy the city, rape the women and kill all the men. There were also exaggerated stories that fueled the nightmares. Some people believed that they were sent by God as a punishment. The Mongols themselves continued to fuel those rumors wanting to break the spirit of the people. Vienna and Paris were going to be in the crosshairs. However, the Mongols never invaded. The Great Khan died and so the Mongols had to return to Mongolia. The warriors had to go back and vote for the newest leader. The European rulers were relieved that the Mongol invasion had stopped. However, they had to take stock of how the Mongols were able to invade without being challenged. The Hapsburg Army managed to capture a Mongol officer. To the army’s great surprise, the captured man was an English man. He apparently had gone to Mongolia after fleeing England. The Mongols brought on soldiers from the lands they conquered and they used siege weapons from China. They were quick to adopt Chinese military technology. Baghdad would fall in ten days employing a variety of tactics and technology. They would adopt Arabian technology too in their fighting. Was adapting new technology the Mongols’ secret? What other tactics did the Mongols adapt in their fighting? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more about the rise of the Mongols! This was a very well-produced and well-done documentary. The graphics were pretty interesting and it was interesting to see the weapons that were used by the Mongols. It reminded me of the Secrets of the Dead: Amazon Warrior Woman episode and the discussion on the bow that the Mongols used. It was rather interesting to learn that there was an Englishman discovered in the Mongol Army. The information was rather good, interesting, and surprising to this would be something I would show to a history class. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this. Today, I am heading to China and watching a documentary on the Hanging Coffins of Sichuan Province. The run time for this documentary is 52:31 and is called The Mysterious Hanging Coffins of China.
Sichuan Province in China has thousands of ancient wooden coffins hanging off cliff faces in the mountains. Some experts believe that the coffins were placed thousands of years ago to protect them from animals. Others believe that it was to put the dead within reach of the gods. Who placed the dead on the mountains? Why did they place them? When did this tradition start? What happened to the people? This documentary looks to follow the scientists who want to understand and preserve the coffins. On the other side of a ravine is where this mystery starts. They were placed on the cliff face by the Bo people. How did the Bo people get these coffins on the cliff wall? Wong How Man is one man looking at the mystery of the hanging coffins. The Bo people left no written records. They were massacred. Did anyone survive the massacre? Are there survivors of the Bo that live today? An expedition is planned to look at a spectacular coffin site. Due to the location and lack of funding, very few researchers have undertaken such an expedition. However, things have changed and now there is a group of researchers who are looking to be the first people to research coffins. However, the route to the coffins is challenging, especially for climbers with modern-day equipment. One loose rock could mean the climber’s death. How did the Bo people manage to climb the coffins carrying a 500-pound coffin? The expedition abandons this site and goes deeper into the mountains to find an alternative site. While the scientists look for alternative sites, there is a group of experts recreating a Bo coffin. They would have been made from one piece of wood which would have made them very heavy to carry. How could they have heaved that weight up a cliff? Legends say that Bo waited until the rivers were high enough and they could float them up the cliff. Other legends say that they could fly. However, the most likely tools they used included a chisel and rope. It can be assumed that the Bo carefully handled and took care of their dead. It is in this section that there is a recreation of a potential funerary procession. The participants are clothed in Bo clothing that was found in easily reached coffins. They would have cared for the dead as if they had just moved on to the next world. It seemed that there were grave goods discovered that would have helped the dead live their daily lives in the next world. One researcher hints that the different regions had different methods of getting the coffins up the cliffs. One method included pegs that could be used as stairs. These pegs were stabbed into the mountain side and the coffin was brought up. The other method includes a rope and pulley system that would have allowed Bo to hoist the coffin up the mountain. There was one village that tested out one theory and it took twelve men three days to do the recreation. This may explain how some of the coffins were placed on the cliffs, but for the others, there may be a different method used. In the meantime, the expedition has reached a place where there are easily reachable coffins. There had been rumors of hanging coffins in this one valley and now the expedition is going to explore this valley. This expedition group will be the first to go into the caves where the coffins are located. If these coffins are untouched, they will reveal new insights into the Bo people. What will this expedition find in this valley? Will this valley reveal the secrets of the Bo people? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out! This is a really well-done documentary and the information was really interesting. I can see the potential to have a part two about these hanging coffins. This would be something I would show to a science and history classroom. Good morning, we are working through an exploration of the Silk Road in a documentary about the treasures that were found. While I wait for the next episode of the Silk Road series I started yesterday to get posted, I will do another documentary that was on my list on the Silk Road. The run time for this documentary is 50:31.
It was thought that the Chinese Middle Empire had developed independently of the West. Mighty mountains and deserts seemed to be impossible barriers to cross. However, there have been archeological discoveries that may dispute that theory. Mummies from the Bronze Age have been discovered and extraordinarily well preserved in the desert. What shocked the archeological world was that these mummies did not come from China. Who were they? How much did Western civilization influence China? The episode kicks off with a police patrol. It is January 2009 and the police see a minivan parked alongside the road. Was this the result of an accident? Are they victims of a crime? The police open up the fan and make a gruesome discovery. Two dead men are found in the van. The bodies are uninjured but covered in dirt. Where did this dirt come from? A specialist is called to the scene and he realizes that this dirt has come from a nearby quarry. Over the years, locals have made some discoveries and called it the “Place of the Immortals.” Over the years, there were legends of the place. To determine what made this spot so special police and archeologists come together. The men that were discovered, were illegally digging this site. The police and archeologists go to the site and discover many tunnels and the researchers discover a complex. There are many funerary objects discovered. Among the finds were a set of twelve bronze bells and an engraving of who was buried at the site. It was a grave of an emperor from the Han Dynasty. It was said that the Han Kingdom was developed independently, without any outside influence. However, inside the grave, there was a silver box discovered. It was a small but significant find. The pattern on the bowl does not match typical Chinese artwork of the period. Where did this box come from? Upon closer examination, it seems that the silver bowl was from the Persian world. How did it end up in China? Who created the bowl? The bowl is just a small step in rewriting Chinese history. One man was convinced was Greek influence spread far and wide. This influence would have found its way into China. Kaiser Wilhelm II was convinced of this and sponsored an expedition to China to learn more about this influence. The first expedition went off to China and to the Taklamakan Desert. The Silk Road passed through this desert. It was thought to be impossible to cross and it was the site of some strange discoveries. The locals speak of a temple and a library on the site. Are the rumors about the library true? The discoveries made on this initial expedition hint that not only were trade goods transported but ideas were transported too. Another discovery was found accidentally t in the desert. It was a mummy and it was so perfectly preserved the world was surprised. The mummy’s face looks very European but the find was forgotten. A modern-day expedition goes out to find these mummies once again. Archeologists think they may have found where the mummies were found, however, the desert is proving to be a challenge. No matter what, the archeologists press on, and after a night in the desert, they find the mummies. In this section, you can feel the build-up to when the mummies were found. The end result, this modern expedition discovered forty mummies, a veritable graveyard in the desert. So what does this graveyard tell us about the Silk Road? How do these mummies rewrite Chinese history? How will the Chinese scientist react? How do other archeologists react? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. This documentary was very enjoyable to watch. The discoveries make you really think about history and how history changes with new discoveries. It was also fascinating to contemplate that people moved around more than you would think in the ancient world. As a result, this would be an excellent documentary to show to a history class. The only downside to this documentary was that it was too short. Good morning, I am going to move forward in time and look at the documentary on the Silk Road. This is coming from the Get Factual channel. This documentary has a run time of 52:14. The documentary is called How The Silk Road Made the World.
For thousands of years, people traveled the trade route known as the Silk Road. The distance is as daunting now as it was in the past. It was a profitable trade route. The Silk Road helped make and break empires. Goods were exchanged. Technology flowed across the road. Ideas traveled along the Silk Road. Conquering armies would use the road to conquer and explore. It brought the East and West together. It was a source of conflict. So how did the Silk Road make the world? This is the first episode of the series, and it is called War. Two thousand years ago, Rome ruled the world. Europe was conquered and Roman armies were being sent into the Middle East. However, the Roman Empire would not go unchallenged. The Roman Army would a formidable force at Carrhae. It was an army of Parthians and it seemed that the Romans would win the day. However, the Parthian army did not fight on foot – they fought on horse and were expert bowmen. The Romans would fight from a fixed position and the Parthians went around the Roman Legions. The Roman legions did not have a chance against the Parthian Army and it was one of Rome’s worse military defeats. Roman historians would blame the dazzling silk banners of the Parthians instead on superior tactics. Long before this battle was fought, trade already had an impact on people’s lives. The Parthian style of warfare that had evolved over the years. A transportation revolution developed along the Silk Road. The people of the Silk Road were using horses for transportation. When horses were domesticated, they were used for warfare. Soldiers used horses with chariots which would eventually lead to cavalry warfare. One historian comments that he was confused over chariot warfare developing before cavalry warfare. Tune into this section to discover why cavalry warfare developed after the chariot. This section reminded me of the Secrets of the Dead the Amazon Warrior Women episode. The recurve bow was developed by the people of the Silk Road. A military historian talks about what it took to make the recurve bow. This section was very interesting to watch because of all the pieces that were required to make a bow. Who knew the bladder of the sturgeon fish had such an impact on bow-making? The military historian that did the presentation was very good and very enthusiastic about his presentation too. I would watch this documentary for him because he was really into his presentation. Additional to this discussion on the development of the bow, there was a good discussion on the development of the arrowhead. It was surprising to hear that there was a mold used to create the arrowhead. It reminded me of Secrets of the Castle and how Ruth gathered all the materials to get a bolt created for a crossbow. The development of both a bow and arrow would have a huge impact on the world and a big impact on warfare. Anyway, the arrowheads would have been traded over thousands of miles. Thousands of arrowheads were discovered in graves. The grave good arrowheads hint that the arrows were mass-produced. The Chinese were also pushing their empire’s borders. However, they would encounter mounted soldiers who would challenge them. It is at this section that Agnes from the Tomb series I did makes an appearance. She does a good job in this section talking about the mounted warriors from the Asian steppes. How would the Chinese handle these riding warriors? In what other ways did the Silk War impact warfare? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. I did not know how this documentary would go, however, the information was very well presented. The military historian was cool and very informative about the military technology available. I also enjoyed seeing Agnes in this type of thing rather than on location. So far so good with this documentary and I would put it into a potentially show to a history class column. Good morning, now we are looking at the technology behind archeology. I am sure you have seen a few episodes of the Time Team and how they deploy the technology. Now this documentary is about technology and its impact on archeology. The run time for this documentary is 42:25. This documentary is called Archeology 2.0: Exploring the Past with Technology.
In this age, archaeology works hand in hand with digital technology. Geophysics offers a range of techniques to further explore the past. Geomagnetism used to have military applications but now has an application in archeology. Digital technology is often employed on shipwreck sites to help create virtual models of shipwrecks. Other forms of digital technology are used to scan ancient sites with the idea to recreate them. Technology has evolved over the years and you would be surprised to discover how much these developments have impacted archeology. Archeology works hand and hand with technology to help discover new sites and determine where to dig. This documentary kicks off with a trip to an Irish church. A group of German and Irish archeology is working to document this site. This church is in the heart of an ancient landscape. The next clip shows a digital recreation of the graves that were discovered in this area. Archeologists use sensors on the landscape to check out what lies beneath. Using scanners and magnetometers are gathering data to help archeologist to plan for the dig. With these devices, archeologists can cover more acres than if they would dig the site right away. Archeologists are looking for evidence of ancient lives before they even put a shovel in the ground. Once the data is collected and a computer maps out what is in the ground. I am missing John Gater in this section. Then we go to Berlin to check out another form of technical archeology. It is in the gaming studio where archeological finds are scanned and digitized into images. Kay Kohlmeyer talks about how technology has had an impact on technology. Using technology to help further the study of archeology is proving to be a major shock to archeologists. It is here, that a recreation of a site at Aleppo has been made. The computer models allow for changing conditions to give the archaeologists a different look at the site. Unfortunately, the sites at Aleppo are gone but by a stroke of luck, the site went under a 3D Scan. With these scans, archeologists were able to recreate the temple sites in Aleppo. The images that were scanned are often clearer than those on the site itself. The next trip we take is to the bottom of the sea. Technology has had a big impact on marine archeology as well. In the past, only extraordinary shipwrecks were brought up and restored. With technology, ships are able to be scanned and recreated in 3D models. These models show how the ships were built and how they would have been sailed. There is a ship that was not recoverable, so archeologists have scanned the ship. The wood has been perfectly preserved other than erosion. One artifact in the Berlin Museum, a wooden dome from the Alhambra Palace is being scanned to recreate it. This will enable people to look at the dome in a different light and more people can view the recreations as well. How else has technology had an impact on archeology? What other segments of archeology benefit from the application of technology? How do archeologists feel about technology creeping in on archeology? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more! I enjoyed how the filmmakers broke down the documentary into different areas of archeology. It would have been nice if the channel would have broken this up into chapters for easier viewing. That said, you can tell the different segments apart even without the chapters segmented out. This would be a good compliment to the Time Team series because it discusses the different technology used in archeology. I would have enjoyed more of a discussion on changing archeologists’ minds about technology though. Overall, this was an excellent watch and would be something I would show to both a history class and a technology class. Good morning, now I am taking a tour of the ancient world by taking a trip to Jordan. There is a Stone Age settlement that archeologists were working on. Here, a grave was discovered towards the end of the archeology season. The run time for this episode is 42:26 and is called They Called Her Jamila: The Mystery of Stone Age Ba’ja.
A mysterious grave in Jordan has been discovered and it shocked the archeological world. The grave was 9,000 years old and contained a girl. The girl was found in a house of a Stone Age settlement and buried with high-quality and very expensive grave goods. Who was this girl? Why she was buried in a house? What happened to this girl? What does the grave reveal about the settlement she lived in? What else do the archeologists discover about the Ba’ja site? When the grave was discovered, the archeologists called her Jamila. There were many beautiful things found in her grave including a necklace. This necklace was carefully restored and will be put on display in a museum in Jordan. This quick little section seems like it was out of order in the documentary and could have been shown later. The archeologists return to the site to continue excavating the gravesite and Ba’ja. However, getting to the site is a challenge so the archeologists take only what they need. The site is deep in a gorge and was discovered by a mountaineer. He found Stone Age artifacts at the site. Since the discovery, archeologists go to the site to learn more about the Stone Age area that is called the gorge home. Archeologists worked on the site during the season and have slowly uncovered the village. It is one of the oldest villages discovered. Marion Benz, an archeologist, was the one who discovered the grave. She continues to work on the site and make discoveries. She mentioned that she learned about how structures were built on the site. It would have been nice to hear more about what she learned about digging the grave. Then there is a discussion on the settlements along the Jordan River and how the climate changed for the residents of the area. The climate allowed settlements to form and populations to grow. Instead of nomads, these people became farmers. How did the people who lived in Ba’ja gain access to water? There is no evidence of springs nearby. What were their secrets? A lady who is both an artist and archaeologist talks about water. They had enough water to grow crops and raise cattle. This would have increased the population in the area. However, the area was constricted, so why would the Stone Age people settle in this tight gorge? One archeologist talks about how remote the area was which would have led to fewer territorial disputes. The dwellings would have been built close together and could have been two stories tall. The rooms were small and there was little daylight allowed in. Perhaps they were used for food storage and preparation. The settlement was very densely constructed, there were no roads so people would have lived their lives on their roofs. Why? How did the people get along with each other? What rules were established? How were the people related to each other? Bones are found at the site and they will have to be reconstructed in the lab. The bones are very fragile and have to be taken care of very carefully. One surprise about this site is that the burials are found in the houses. The dead and living were side by side in the village. Marion talks about the discovery of Jamila. It was initially thought that the grave was empty, however, the beads were discovered. There were so many beads that it took time and a variety of methods to document and recover them. How are beads preserved? What do the beads tell us about the girl inside the grave? What else do the archeologists learn about this site? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out. Well, it was not great, but it was good. I think there could have been more information provided about the site. Still, it would not stop me from showing this to a history classroom. |
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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. |