Good morning or afternoon! I am continuing the Documentary Suggestion Series for August. The school year will soon be upon us and I want to help teachers pick documentaries for the classroom, especially when there is a substitute teacher in the classroom. Today’s blog will feature suggestions on the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages.
If I suggest a series, then pick an episode from the series to show in the classroom. I hope that this list helps teachers with their lesson plans for the school year! DARK AGES Search for Alfred the Great: YouTube The Last Journey of the Vikings - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Charlemagne and the Saxons: YouTube Dark Ages: An Age of Light - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 The Guerilla Base of the King - YouTube MIDDLE AGES Secrets of the Castle - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 The Black Prince - YouTube How One Village Survived the Plague: YouTube Arnolfini - YouTube Medieval Lives - A Good Birth, Marriage, Death - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Dark Ages 536 AD: The Year The Sun Disappeared Episode 1 Episode 2 The year 536 AD was the year dubbed the “year without something.” This was an event that terrified the people. The sun went dark and the rain the color of blood poured from the skies. Winter gripped the land for two years. Drought, famine, and plague followed. Whole cities were whipped out and civilization crumbled. What happened? What was going on? This catastrophe affected the people around the world and nobody knew the answers until now. *Highly recommended for a history and a science class.* Dark Ages: An Age of Light - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Was the Dark Ages an Age of Light? What happened when the Roman Empire collapsed? This shocking question is one that historian Waldemar Januszczak will answer. He travels around Europe, Africa, and Asia to discover the hidden secrets of the Dark Ages. Waldemar makes the argument that the Dark Ages were an age of light and artistry. The art never lies, the Dark Ages were not an age of darkness but an age of light. *First episode recommended for art history class and not recommended for a history class.* The Emperor's Lost Harbor - YouTube Istanbul is a city of 17 million people, spread over two peninsulas. Only two bridges and several ferries serve those 17 million people who cross the Bosporus straight. The Turkish Government is looking to build a train under the Bosporus to help with people crossing the straights. The tunnel will have to be put fifty meters under the surface. This would be the deepest tunnel in the world. However, as the tunnel was put into place there have been amazing finds that tell us about the history of the harbor in Istanbul. *Highly recommended for a middle school and high school history classroom.* The Last Journey of the Vikings - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 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.* Charlemagne and the Saxons: YouTube The Germans kick off with the story of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was the first European Empire builder. He conquered the Saxon people and spread Christianity throughout the Frankish Empire. The Saxons challenged him, however, they came to accept his kingship. He built grand buildings to help demonstrate his power. This is an excellent summary of what Charlemagne accomplished during his reign. *Highly recommend for a middle school and high school history classroom.* Middle Ages The Hanseatic League - YouTube Recovering the Traces of the Hanseatic League explored the seas three hundred years before the Portuguese started exploring. Not all ships made it back. Ships, storms, and pirates could sink these ships. The Hanseatic League was founded in the 1200s. They were a trading organization. They were a trading network that had extensive contacts in Europe. They focused on the Baltic Sea and what remains of this league is found on the bottom. What can these wrecks tell us about the Hanseatic League? Secrets of the Castle - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Tom Pinfold, Ruth Goodman, and Peter Ginn explore medieval lives and how to build a castle. This series shows off one of the longest historical experiments in history. Pinfold, Goodman, and Ginn explore a variety of aspects of castle building. They kick off the series by establishing their base and then move on doing building projects. This is a STEM and STEAM-heavy series. *Highly recommend for a middle school and high school history and science classroom.* How One Village Survived the Plague: YouTube Aired as Secrets of the dead on PBS, scientists and historians come together to figure out how one village survived the Black Death. They look at the family stories and genetics of those families. The historians look at the actions of the villagers to stop the plague from spreading in England. What are the implications of surviving the Black Death today? Could genetics prove that people could survive AIDS? *Highly recommended for a history and science classroom.* Arnolfini - YouTube The Arnolfini portrait had a complicated interpretation for decades after it was painted. However, Amber Butchart shows the portrait in a new light: a middle-class couple showing off their wealth. It was considered one of the most complex paintings in Western Art. Capitalism was emerging during this period. Trade was having an impact on what was worn. A merchant class was growing showing social mobility. Amber focuses on the green dress in the portrait. It is a bonus that she loves the color green. *Highly recommended for a history class, Art History, and a home economics class.* The Black Prince - YouTube The Black Prince was the hero to the English and he died young. He was a warrior. He lies in Canterbury Amber Buchart is going to have his cloth armor remade. This cloth armor identified who he was and was worn over metal armor. What will this cloth armor tell us about the Black Prince? Will Ninya be able to come up with a way to recreate this garment? *Highly recommended for a history class and a home economics class. Highly recommended for independent study students.*
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Good morning teachers! Summer is winding down and I’m sure that you are starting to plan for the following school year. So what will show up as a recommended documentary to show for the upcoming school year? This year, I will do the same but this will be a general list of what can be shown in the classroom from Sixth Grade to high school and even college. Also, if appropriate you can show these documentaries in science, agricultural, English, or art classroom. I have published over 400 documentary reviews, so if you disagree with this list then you can check out my other reviews and make other picks.
If I pick a documentary series, then pick an episode to show in the classroom. First, we will look at last year’s list, and then I will put in my recommendations for 2023. 2022 Recommended Documentaries ANCIENT EGYPT Engineering Ancient Egypt - YouTube Egypt's Lost Queens: YouTube Immortal Egypt: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Cleopatra's Lost Tomb - YouTube Ancient Egyptian Afterlife - Episode 1 Episode 2 ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME The Minoans - YouTube Athens: The Truth about Democracy - YouTube Meet the Romans with Mary Beard - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Lost World of Pompeii - YouTube Time Team: Rooting for Romans - YouTube ANCIENT CHINA The Only Empress of China - YouTube The Legendary First Emperor of China - YouTube Confucius - YouTube Diva Mummy - YouTube Bettany Hughes’s Genius of the Ancient World: Confucius (Available on Amazon) 2023 Recommended Documentaries ANCIENT EGYPT *Egypt's Lost Queens: YouTube Professor Joanne Fletcher explores four of Egypt's forgotten queens. Their stories were hidden over the years and now Fletcher brings them into the light, including one Queen that you've never heard of: Arsinoe. She tells the story from the prospective of a mother, a consort, a diplomat and a politician. Fletcher travels to the places where these women lived and shows what they did for Egypt. *Highly recommended for both a middle school and high school classroom.* 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. *Recommend this documentary for middle school and high school classrooms.* Ancient Egyptian Afterlife - Episode 1 Episode 2 In 1906 a group of Egyptologists discovered an intact tomb. Was this the tomb of a king and queen? The objects appeared ordinary. No, it was the tomb of an ordinary couple and their names were Kha and Merit. They were a working-class couple and their tomb gave insight into the lives of ordinary Egyptians. Joanne Fletcher explores the lives of two ordinary Egyptians: Kha and Merit, over two episodes. *Recommend this documentary for middle school and high school classrooms.* Secret City of the Pyramid Builders - YouTube Lost Cities of the Pyramid Builders explores the lives of the people who built the pyramids of Ancient Egypt for decades, their lives have been shrouded and myths and mysteries. New evidence is rewriting the history of the pyramids. Burials have been discovered and these burials are of the people who built the pyramids. How were these pyramids built? Were the pyramids built by slaves? Or was this a community construction project for their Pharaoh? *Recommend this documentary for middle school and high school classrooms.* Metropolis - Ancient Alexandria - YouTube Alexandria was established by Alexander the Great, and it was a port on the Mediterranean Sea. Alexander the Great had just conquered Egypt and wanted to establish a great city in honor of the conquest. Architects designed it on a grid pattern. For a time, it was a construction project. It was home to the great lighthouse at Pharos, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. What was it about this city that made Alexandria so special? *Highly recommended to show in a history classroom.* ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME Rome without Limits with Mary Beard - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 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.* Meet the Romans with Mary Beard - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Mary Beard is back and this time she is introducing the world to the Romans. She explores the lives of everyday Romans. Both the living and the dead are explored, from the poorest to the richest. Beard seeks out the ordinary voices. They were determined that they would be remembered. Their tombstones did not just leave behind the birth and dates of the Roman, but their thoughts and feelings. How did ordinary Romans think? Tune into this documentary to find out. *Highly recommended for a middle school and high school classroom. If you do not have space for all the documentaries, then show clips.* Storm over Europe - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 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.* *The Minoans - YouTube Bettany Hughes explores the Minoan Civilization and its mysterious collapse. She narrates a tale of the archeologists who discovered the site to the discoveries that are being made. Each discovery tells us a bit more about the story of the Minoans. She discusses the Minoan kings. It is a fascinating look on a precursor to the Greeks. This is one civilization that isn't covered in a school classroom when I was in school. *Recommend for a high school classroom.* *Athens: The Truth about Democracy - YouTube Bettany Hughes visits ancient Athens and explores the foundation of democracy. Athens was a radical place because for the first time that the people acted a political agents. The archeology demonstrates that the people took some thoughtful and complex steps to protect their democracy. Hughes presents Athens warts and all. This episode is a good foundation for studying Ancient Greece. *Recommended for a middle school and high school classroom, research purposes, and clips.* ANCIENT CHINA Diva Mummy - YouTube While ordinary people fought in battles, the aristocrats celebrated and grew wealthy. There was a Han aristocrat named Lady Dai. Lady Dai would not ordinarily make history. However, when her tomb was opened the discovery sent shockwaves through the archeological community. Her mummy was the best-preserved mummy in the world. She was known as the perfect mummy. Her lifelike mummy leaves the Egyptian efforts in the dust. *Recommend for teacher and student research purposes. Highly recommended for a history and science classroom.* Mysterious Hanging Coffins - YouTube China's Sichuan Province is home to ancient coffins hanging from the mountains. How did they get there? Who put them there? Why did they bury their dead vertically? Do any of their descendants remain? This mystery has baffled historians for centuries. This documentary documents the efforts to learn about them as well as preserve them for the future. It also attempts to learn more about the descendants of the people who built them. *Recommended for research purposes for independent study students and to use in a lecture.* The Legendary First Emperor of China - YouTube Qin Shi Huangdi was the first Emperor of China. He unified the Chinese people. He built an empire that lasted thousands of years. He left behind a legendary tomb. This documentary explores the man and the legend. It will be a challenge to separate fact from fiction but Professor Jeffrey Reigel takes on that challenge. How did Qin create an empire? How could such a person exist? Why is he such a legendary man? *Recommend for high school classrooms. Highly recommend for independent study students or use for clips.* Confucius - YouTube This docu-drama tells the story of Confucius. His ideas were radical and only adopted after his death by the Emperors. His teachings were the foundation of Chinese education for 2,000 years. He taught obedience, meritocracy, and morality. Rituals and etiquette were tools to unite the people. His ideas still govern everything in China. This documentary is the story of Confucius and his legacy. *Highly recommended for a high school history class or class projects.* Genius of the Ancient World - Amazon Bettany Hughes explores Socrates, Buddha, and Confucius and each of their philosophies throughout three episodes. They were the giants of the ancient world. She kicks off the series in India learning about the life of the Buddha, then explores Socrates and the hemlock cup, and finally concludes with Confucius who looked to the past to solve issues in the present. This series provides a good introduction to the philosophies that shaped the world. *Recommended for both a history and philosophy class.* Good morning teachers! Summer is winding down and I’m sure that you are starting to plan for the following school year. So what will show up as a recommended documentary to show for the upcoming school year? This year, I will do the same but this will be a general list of what can be shown in the classroom from Sixth Grade to high school and even college. Also, if appropriate you can show these documentaries in science, agricultural, English, or art classroom. I have published over 400 documentary reviews, so if you disagree with this list then you can check out my other reviews and make other picks.
If I pick a documentary series, then pick an episode to show in the classroom. First, we will look at last year’s list, and then I will put in my recommendations for 2023. 2022 Documentary List ANCIENT WORLD World of Stonehenge - Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 City of the God-Kings - YouTube Great Zimbabwe - YouTube Face of Britain: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 ANCIENT AMERICAS Breaking the Maya Code - YouTube People of the Clouds - YouTube Kingdom of the Jaguar - YouTube The Mysteries of the Chinchorro Mummies - YouTube The Land Where Time Began - YouTube 2023 Documentary Recommendations ANCIENT WORLD The Forgotten Empire - YouTube Lost Worlds explores the ruins of Persepolis. It was the richest city in the Ancient World. It was the capital of the Persian Empire, until it was destroyed by Alexander the Great. Lost Worlds recreates Persepolis using computer graphics and the archeological records. The Persian Empire was a largely forgotten empire until Iran opened up. Now archeologists have been welcomed and they are learning new things about the Persian Empire. Now they are getting a better picture of what the Persian Empire was like. *Recommended for middle and high school classrooms.* Great Zimbabwe - YouTube Great Zimbabwe was discovered in 1871. A German geologist stumbled upon some splendid ruins. He had no idea who built the stone structure. He assumed that they were not built by Africans. However, that myth has been dispelled. Could Great Zimbabwe be the equivalent of El Dorado? Gus Casely-Hayford travels the length of Africa to discover the secrets of Great Zimbabwe. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.* Nubia - YouTube Gus Casely-Hayford explores the Lost Kingdoms of Africa. His first lost kingdom is Nubia. The history of Africa was not written down all the time. However, the people of Africa preserved their culture through objects. Nubia was the traditional name of Northern Sudan. The civilization dominated the area in the Sahara. For the Egyptians, they were a source of slaves and treasures. For the Romans, the Nubians were barbarian people. The Nubians were ultimately defeated by their environment. *Highly recommended for a history class. Also recommended for independent study students.* *Face of Britain: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 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.* City of the God Kings - YouTube Lost Worlds explores Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was first discovered by a French naturalist on a search for bugs. What he found surprised him. He believed that it rivaled anything Rome and Greece gave to the world. He had discovered the 900-year-old remains of Angkor Wat, the "Holy Temple." Why was it built? Why was it in the middle of a jungle? Who built it? What is its purpose? It is an enigma. There are many theories about its construction. *Highly recommended for both a middle school and history classroom.* ANCIENT AMERICAS The Mysteries of the Chinchorro Mummies - YouTube The Chinchorro Mummies mummies are the oldest in the world and they are found in Chile. They came from a people who believed they could conquer death. The first settlers lived on fishing. In 1993, there was a sensational find in Chile: the bodies of the earliest people. These bodies were well preserved and were the oldest mummies in the world. What can these bodies tell us about the Chinchorro people? How do these mummies compare with the Ancient Egyptians? *This documentary is highly recommended for a South American history class as well as an anthropology class.* The Lost City of Gold - YouTube The Inca ruled South America for years. They were the people of the sun. They built grand cities. Eventually, they would be destroyed by the Spanish in their quest for gold. David Adams is on a search for a lost city of gold. These were cities that were never sacked by the Spanish. Perhaps hidden in these jungles is the legendary “Great Sun Disk of the Incas.” Will David Adams find this lost city, tune into this episode to find out. *Recommended for a high school and middle school history classroom.* Quest for the Lost City - YouTube A set of panels turned up in a private collection. They were created by the Mayans. These panels are a clue to a mystery. The city from where these panels came is lost in the Central American jungles. The quality of the panels hints that the city was huge. They call the site of this missing city Site Q. It is the most lost Mayan city. This is a documentary about the search for this lost city. *Recommended as a bonus documentary for middle school and high school classrooms.* People of the Clouds - YouTube Dr. Jago Cooper explores the ancient kingdoms of South America. For the most part, the Inca dominate the history textbooks. Cooper explores other kingdoms that had an impact on South America. The first kingdom is the “People of the Clouds.” They are a mysterious civilization. He starts off his exploration in Lima to learn more about the People of the Clouds. He goes into the Andes to explore the remnants of the civilization. *Highly recommended for a history class and independent study students.* Kingdom of the Jaguar - YouTube Dr. Jago Cooper explores the Lost Kingdoms of Central America. The first episode in this series is called Kingdom of the Jaguar. Cooper starts off his journey exploring a cave that the people believed was a tunnel to the underworld. This civilization rose out of the marshes of Southern Mexico. They built the first pyramids. They are known as the Olmec. They came before the Mayan People. *Highly recommended for a history class.* |
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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. |