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Good morning! Today is the final day of fun blogs for December before I go on a blog vacation. Then I start with January 2025! Time has blown by quickly. Anyway, what’s more fun than a documentary on coffee? The run time for this documentary is 48:59. It is part of a series about Great Inventions and is simply called coffee.
Coffee is the world’s most popular drink, it is the second most sought-after commodity. It has transformed societies around the world. Café culture has boomed. Over two billion cups have been drunk every day. The history of the world has been transformed by this drink. We could not imagine a time without coffee. However, coffee’s beginnings are surrounded by mystery and legend. So what is the story behind coffee? In Europe, 2.5 million tons of coffee are consumed annually. Café culture has boomed in Europe. It seems that nobody can miss the caffeine fix. The documentary begins with people’s confessions and how they love coffee, with one man admitting that he drinks three cups a day. How was coffee discovered? Legend has it that it was discovered by goats who were full of energy after eating a red berry off some shrubs in Ethiopia. The goat herder tried the fruit himself and had a similar energy. Eventually, the fruit was given to some monks who found themselves full of energy as well. In the middle of the 15th Century when coffee drinking was first documented in the Middle East. It would have been drunk to stay awake for religious ceremonies. Coffee drinking would eventually spread through the Middle East and North Africa. It was introduced to Italy through trade. However, coffee was controversial. It was called Satan’s Brew. When a pope tried it out, he declared the drink good and it soon spread throughout Europe. A café culture would grow in Europe. In Turkey, drinking coffee in public was so dangerous it could be punished. So coffee drinking was done in private. In England, coffee was replacing beer or wine as the choice for breakfast. Coffee houses would spring up in England and these houses would be places where men could talk and debate. The coffee house was a creative space. Both the rich and poor could be found in the coffeehouse learning from each other. So where does coffee come from? What beans are used? Coffee comes from both the arabica and robusta. It prefers a wet habitat with sub-tropical temperatures. It is produced in eighty countries primarily in South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. A coffee bean is a seed that would grow into a woody bush if not processed. Coffee is planted in the wet season. It takes three to four years before the plants are ready for harvest. In some communities, whole families come together to handpick the beans. Coffee is a fruit that has two beans in the fruit. The fruit is known as a cherry and after they are picked, they are processed to extract the beans. Eventually, beans are roasted. Beans are roasted at different lengths of time to produce different coffee flavors. Then the coffee is packed and shipped all around the world. The fact that we love coffee is down to an ingredient: caffeine and the documentary talks about the effects of caffeine. It helps give us a boost and perks us up at the start of the day. Eventually, the documentary transitions into energy drinks and how they provides a boost to people. I really did not care too much for this section because I thought the documentary was more about coffee. I really did not think that this was necessary. Eventually, the documentary transitions back into the history of coffee and the coffeehouse. Then there is a discussion on how the Boston Tea Party was born in a coffeehouse. After the events of the tea party, Americans would start drinking coffee. So how else did coffee impact the history of the world? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out! I have to say that like the drink, this documentary was a high-energy and fast-flowing documentary. It was enjoyable to watch. It was very good and I would show this documentary to a history class as well as a food class. Good morning! Today David Adams is following the story of Sinbad the Sailor and he is going down to Zanzibar. This is part of the Journeys to the Ends of the Earth Series. This is going to be part of my fun and frivolous December series, even though I could foresee it being part of a literature class because it was a show about myths and legends. This episode has a runtime of 50:19. It is called Swahili Sinbads.
Sinbad is a legendary mariner who came from Baghdad. His story appears in One Thousand and One Nights stories. He was an extraordinary character, seaman, merchant, and warrior. He encountered many lands and many different creatures. David Adams will follow in the footsteps of this legend. He will not only learn about this man but also learn about the trading that had gone on along the Kenyan Coast. Adams will begin his journey in Lamu and then go to Kipini. He travels further south to Mombasa and goes to Pemba and the Zanzibar Islands. He is going to be traveling with the modern Sinbads of the day. These are sailors who make their way along the West African Coast. They make their way by sail, by the skies, and do not use GPS. First things first is to drag tons of teak down to the beach to await the tide. For thousands of years, these strong boats would have carried men and goods along the coast. Adams walks the streets of Lamu where he begins to follow the story of Sinbad. However, since he is an outsider he will have to have a formal introduction to a captain. He will have to be careful with these negotiations. After he secures passage on a ship, David Adams gathers some trade goods to recreate the journeys of Sinbad. He makes several purchases and with his goods, he makes his way down to the ship. After loading the ship, Adams and the crew set sail and Adams already feels the thrill of adventure like Sinbad. The ship sails gently south. He throws himself into proving himself to the captain. The captain is a bit skeptical about this outsider, but Adams is making an effort to pull the ropes and climb the mast. The Captain thinks that David is nuts for climbing the mast to get a picture. The ships glides across the sea. Eventually, the ship arrives at Kipini. Further back in time, this village would have been exploited by the slave trade. A white sail would have struck fear into these villagers in the past. Now the locals welcome the ship. David makes several trades with his goods. After these trades, the boat makes its way further south. The sailors on these boats have to step lively, as they sail through shark-invested waters. One slip and a sailor will be going for a swim. David then introduces the other sailors on this trip. Which was a very interesting and funny section. You almost wondered what these men were thinking with this man taking a trip on their boat. Sure, he was trying to help out where he could. David does some fishing to help supplement the boat’s food. Here he introduces the cook, who is cooking over an open flame in a wooden boat. However, the cook is very relaxed when it comes to cooking. Day one concludes with the boat tucking into a safe place for the night. What will the second day of David’s travels bring? Will he make money with his purchases? Or will he lose money? What else does David learn about Sinbad? Tune into the rest of the episode to discover more. I was not as impressed with this episode as I have been with other episodes from the Journeys to the Ends of the Earth series. There was something up with this episode and I could not put my finger on it. Anyway, it was interesting to see his journey and David working on the boat. That said, I know I said that this could have potential application for an English class. However upon further review, I would not show this documentary to a history or an English class. Good morning! It is time for a fun and frivolous documentary, these are documentaries that do not necessarily fit into a curriculum. Today I am going to do a documentary on King Constantine II, he was the last King of Greece and passed away in 2023. The run time for this episode is 47:55.
This is a documentary about a king in exile. King Constantine II reflects on his life in exile, his life in London, and his interactions with other royal families. His abdication from the Greek throne would change Greece from a monarchy to a democracy. He also worked to secure the Olympic Games for Greece in 2004. King Constantine’s story begins in London, where he and his family are celebrating the wedding of his son the Crown Prince of Greece. This was a cool section to see because there was a video clip of the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II. The scene with the pictures was very interesting and it is always cool to see those royal group photos. The story transitions to King Constantine's home where he lived in a North London Suburb. He lived at the house with Queen Anne-Marie. The house is filled with artifacts of a former life. He shows off the photos of his ancestors and reflects on the history of these ancestors. The photos were very interesting to see. He even shows off paintings done by King Charles III. Constantine points out the “evolution of the painter.” Then the story goes back to the wedding of Constantine and Anne Marie. Their wedding was widely celebrated in Greece. At the time the future would have been seen as bright. Constantine was a hero after winning a gold medal for Greece in sailing. However, the fairy tale would go wrong and the Greek monarchy would be ended after one hundred years. Then the documentary transitions into Constantine’s trip to the Olympics. His Olympic teammates reflect on their experience at the Olympics. This was a very good section, they wanted to do well and not humiliate Greece. The gold medal was completely unexpected and they were thrilled with getting the gold. For a majority of his life, King Constantine was not welcomed to Greece, unlike the boat he won the gold medal with. However, he was eventually welcomed back and visited the boat he won a gold medal in. However, things would change with a coup and he would be thrown out of the country. King Constantine visited his former palace and discovered that it was in rough shape. His abdication was the result of a coup. The military was in fear of losing their power as the result of a general election in which the election was going to go in favor of the left-wing government. King Constantine reflects on this time and he talks about being determined not to see Greek blood spilled. However, his tactics would backfire and he would eventually be thrown out of the country. He seemed sincere in his talk about this period and his desire to avoid a Civil War. He seemed to be naïve about what was going on. Greek politics were very complicated during this time and I wonder what would have happened if he did not support the military coup. King Constantine would flee into exile with his family and they would land in Rome. They only carried a few possessions. Eventually they would make their way to London and it was there they would spend their exile. The Greek Family would have to try to find ways to survive. Eventually they would find ways to survive. Anne Marie and Constantine would be in exile with their three oldest children and they would add two more children to their brood in exile. To learn more about a king’s life in exile, continue to watch the rest of this episode. It was very good and nice to see the King speak and the other participants in the documentary. I know this was a documentary that focused on King Constantine’s exile, I would have liked to have heard the story behind his engagement to Queen Anne Marie. That said, I would use this for research purposes as well as show this to a history class. Good morning! It is time for a fun and frivolous documentary. This time, I am going to look at the Last Persian Shah. I am a little nervous about reviewing this documentary, so I hope this documentary goes well. The run time for this documentary is 52:47. It is called the Last Persian Shah.
In 1979 a revolution toppled Shah Mohammad Reza and turned Iran into an Islamic nation. At 21 years old, the new shah would become the leader of Iran during World War II. At the same time another young man was growing up and he was going to be on a very different path. The two would clash and be on the opposite sides of history. This documentary is their story and how the Revolution would happen in Iran. The story begins in World War II and the old shah resigned because he had sympathies for the Nazis. The Allies demanded that he give up his throne in favor of his son Mohammad Reza. However growing up, Mohammad’s father controlled his life from the very beginning. His playmates were chosen for him and eventually, he was sent to the Western world to further his education. Another young man was also growing up during this period and his name was Ruhhollah Khomeini. He was the youngest of six children and his father was murdered under suspicious circumstances. He would hold the Shah personally responsible for his father's death. They grew into men. Shah Mohammad Reza worked to find a balance between the Islamic clerics and modernization. However, Khomeini disagreed and worked to teach the young people about Islamic Law. There would be an assassination attempt on Shah Reza, however, despite this, he continued to look west. He went to the United States and would look to American ideas and technology to try to modernize Iran. However ordinary people were suspicious about these ideas. Economic circumstances started to tear Iran apart. The communist party started to rise and the Shah fled into exile. Khomeini quietly went about his work and met followers. He would not say anything about what he was thinking and neither did his followers. The Shah also practiced Islam and tried to work with the clergy. He thought religion was a way to keep the Communists at bay. However, the clergy were anti-monarchists so this may cause trouble later. There were celebrations in commemoration of the Shah’s marriage to Farah Dibi. She would become an influential woman in her own right and would accompany the Shah to America. The Shah was working with President Kennedy to build a strong Iranian army. A strong military would try to be a counter to the Soviet Union. He also worked to end feudalism in Iran and worked on land reform. The clergy worked against him in these land reforms. Women’s rights would be strengthened and they would become political candidates. He would also work to further education among the Iranian people. However many of these policies were seen as pro-Western and Khomeini would rise in power. Eventually, demonstrations and counter-demonstrations would rise in Iran. Khomeini would eventually be exiled. However, the land reforms would prove to be a challenge to the rural populations. These populations would eventually move into the city. Unfortunately, the cities were not prepared for the influx in population. Eventually, the two visions of how Iran would be ruled would collide and one leader would emerge. To learn more about the revolution, continue to watch the rest of this episode. This documentary brought a memory back, I remember my sixth-grade teacher being sad that Persia’s name was changed to Iran. She thought Persia was a beautiful name and Iran was such an ugly name. I vaguely remember touching on this part of history in sixth grade but I do not remember much about it. Anyway, now I am done with that trip down memory lane. Overall, I found this documentary very well done and it was very well-paced. The interviews were very well done and some of the interviewees were very insightful. The narrator was also very good. The documentary went better than I thought it was and provided both sides of the men. I would consider showing this to a history class. Good morning! It is time for a fun and frivolous documentary. Today is a documentary on Juan Carlos. The run time for this documentary is 1:28:31. It is called Juan Carlos: From Francoism to Democracy. It is produced by a Spanish Television station with English Translations.
For decades Juan Carlos de Bourbon ruled in Spain. In this documentary, he reflects on his life. He started his life in Exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. His childhood was very uncertain. Eventually, he would find himself being educated by the dictator Francisco Franco. Juan Carlos was selected as the next head of state bypassing his father. He would be expected to continue Franco’s authoritarian ways, however, Juan Carlos introduced reforms to introduce democracy to Spain. However, he abdicated under a shadow, this is the story of Juan Carlos. Before his abdication, Juan Carlos sat down to give an interview about his life and reign. Juan Carlos’ story begins as a young man being surrounded by an old man coming back to Spain. He was coming back from exile after the Second Spanish Republic was declared. His father and Franciso Franco negotiated for Juan Carlos’ return to Spain. His father had hoped that Juan Carlos would pave the way for the monarchy to come back. Franco wanted to polish the image of the dictatorship. Here he would receive an education benefiting the future monarch. Juan Carlos recalls this school where he was all alone from time to time. For the most part, he was a hostage of Franco. Then Juan Carlos’ reflects on the death of his brother and going to university in Spain under the reign of Franco. He was an eligible bachelor and needed to find a spouse of his rank. Eventually, he would settle on Princess Sophia, the oldest daughter of the King of Greece. They met on a cruise, baptisms, and funerals. Eventually, the pair would get married and it would draw the highest of Europe’s high society. As a result of this marriage, Juan Carlos would seize control of his destiny. He returned to Spain with Sophia for the monarchy to have a chance. Franco hinted that for there to be a monarchy, it would be Juan Carlos as king and not his father. He would begin to travel across Spain to learn more about the country. It was a sort of grand tour; however, this tour was met with indifference. Juan Carlos realized that he could not count on the support of the people and that he needed to count on Franco. Juan Carlos had to navigate choppy waters when it came to Franco. There were times when his succession was in doubt. The Spanish continued to suffer under Franco and he would double down on his policies. Demonstrations and terrorist attacks would rock through Spain. Eventually, with Franco’s death, he would become the Spanish King. However, he would not rule in a way Franco would have liked. Juan Carlos brought democracy to Spain. Juan Carlos reflects on the changes that were made and how there were demonstrations for and against democracy in Spain. There would be challenges to implementing democracy. He was determined to press on with the fight to bring democracy to Spain. He would travel through Spain again and this time he would find support for his democratic reforms. The Franco supporters would no easily give up their power and would fight against democracy. They would try to overthrow Juan Carlos. To learn more about how Juan Carlos navigated the changes, continue to watch the episode to find more. This was a very interesting look at King Juan Carlos, especially in comparison to the documentary on Franco that was done earlier this year. It was kind of cool to see the King look back and reflect on his life and watching the videos. At the start of his reign was a man with firm convictions that he had to keep under wraps. I know that Juan Carlos does not have the best reputation in the world, especially towards the end. This gave a good insight into the man himself and how he navigated those changes. I would highly recommend this for a history class as well as for research on a biography on Juan Carlos. Good morning, now for something fun and frivolous. Documentaries that do not fit into the curriculum are to be shown to a class for fun. Burma had a royal family and this is a documentary about that Royal Family. The run time for this episode is 54:25 and is called Burma’s Lost Royals.
The British Army invaded Burma in 1885 and deposed the King. The King ended up in exile where he died ending a thousand-year-old tradition of monarchy. The royal family vanished and Burma was plunged into civil war. The military established a dictatorship and ruled the country for decades. After a century of silence, the royal family is back in Burma and they are returning to Burma. This documentary was filmed over three years. The documentary kicks off with Soe Winn, the descendant of the last King of Burma. When the king was overthrown he and his family were exiled in India. He died there and was buried there. Even today he remains buried in India because the government has not granted permission to bring him back to Burma. All Soe Winn wants is to work for Myanmar, aka Burma. He would be the King of Burma if history treated his family kindlier. He then tours the Golden Palace. The palace was rebuilt because the original one was destroyed during World War II. Touring the palace brings back bad memories for Soe Winn. Currently, the palace is used by the military forces. Growing up, his friends teased him about taking back the palace because he was a descendant of the last King of Burma. He felt embarrassed by the teasing and the attention. The filmmaker discusses what happened to the royal family as a result of the British overthrow. The monarch in Burma was regarded as demigods. They ate out of gold bowls and used gold forks. It was an institution that lasted for centuries. The East India Company would stomp down on Burma and the royal family. The king was thrown out and cartoons showed him as a drunk. One of the authors reflects on the British invasion and how it would have been a shock for the Burmese Royal Family. There is also a short discussion on the King’s life in exile and how the British refused to let the Queen bring the King back to Burma. The exiled king was put in a permanent tomb. The Queen was brought back to Burma to be buried. The Queen’s tomb is visited by a descendant of the royal family. This descendant talks about her duty to the country, but she longs to speak as a princess. She still has a serious sense of duty and would like to be known as the Green Princess. She talks about protecting the environment. Additionally, she talks about monarchy and how the present generation does not know about the King and Queen. Soe Winn works to bring the body of the last King of Burma home, however, there are other descendants who disagree with that prospect. However, the process is more complicated than meets the eye. Then there is a nice little section on school children being asked about who the last King of Burma was and where he was buried. A lot of history is being lost. One author talks about how history has become politicized and that impacts how it is being taught. For decades, the royal family was kept out of schools by Burma’s leaders. However, things have changed, and the leaders are slowly relaxing the rules when it comes to the royal family. The Royal Family gathers to celebrate the last granddaughter and grandson of the King of Burma. To learn about her life, I would watch this section closely because she was a fascinating lady. She certainly had spunk at her age. For decades the royal family meeting would have attracted unwanted attention. How does this reunion go? How does an exiled royal family proceed in the modern world? Tune into the rest of this episode to learn more about the Burma Royal Family. This was a pretty interesting watch. The darling little old granddaughter of the exiled king was fantastic. I would show this one in geography class as part of a lesson on Asia. For a history class, it would be something for a fun and frivolous history day. Good morning! 2024 is officially winding down and now it is time for the year-end review! I will finish up December with some fun and frivolous blogs and then I will go on a week blog vacation. January 2025 here we come. This year, was a little different, instead of searching through YouTube for a documentary I just let the algorithm show me documentaries, created a Doc Review playlist, and added those documentaries to the playlist. This helped me out in finding documentaries to review and it stopped my writer’s block. I also started doing documentaries about American History this year too.
As a result of finding more blogs, I had to do some housekeeping for the blog. I was able to make changes to the drop-down menu to help teachers find a topic to find a documentary on. Ancient World documentaries had to be pulled out and then divided into separate categories in a side menu. Time Team also had to be divided into separate sections. I also ended up doing a History Meets section separate from the YouTube section. In January I tried to focus on the ancient world and I expanded my ancient world section as well as added a documentary to the History Meets Science category. Towards the end of the month, I started switching over to the Middle Ages, but then I found that documentary on the Lisbon Earthquake. Then in February, I did the fantastic documentary series History of Africa. The stories that Zenab Badawi presented were very well done. I felt like the episodes could have been longer and other stories could have been longer making the series have more episodes. I hope that she does another History of Africa series with other stories from Africa’s history. I hope that she will be joined by Gus Casley-Hayford because that pairing would be dynamite in the narration department. In March, I focused on documentary biographies of women in history. These documentaries were a definite change of pace for the blog and I went beyond the typical Elizabeth I, Elizabeth II, Cleopatra, and other women who had come down to history. One day I hope that there can be a well-produced documentary on Queen Isabel I of Spain. There was a fantastic show on Spanish TV that lasted four seasons about Queen Isabel and now it is time for a GOOD documentary about her. This documentary can be done by Spanish Producers, as long as Michelle Jenner and Rodolfo Sancho, the actors who portrayed Isabel and Ferdinand respectively do the voices in the documentary. I would also go for Irene Escolar’s participation in the documentary as well, she played Queen Juana in the Isabel TV series. April and May came around and I just did a variety of documentaries from different time periods. I found it challenging to try to follow a historical timeline. I did a unique documentary on the history of the Workhouse which was an older documentary I was sitting on but never wrote about until this time. I also did an incredibly boring documentary on Napoleon, so I would appreciate an updated documentary on him. Summer I went to a three-day blogging schedule and kicked off the summer with Tony Robinson and his walks. Eventually, I shifted to the Great Canal Journeys with Timothy West and Pru Scales. It was something I intended on doing but never did until this summer. August I closed the summer out with recommendations for the upcoming school year. This had to spill into September because a lot of my sections have been expanded in the past year and a half. September I continued to feature a variety of blogs before discovering a blog on Fransico Franco which was very interesting to watch and proved to be a good change of pace for the blog. October featured more Time Team blogs, including some of the new Time Teams. I still wish for a Tony Robinson and Gus Casley Hayford cohosted Time Team. November I then did my World War I and World War II blogs. In December I did my typical year-end review and then fun and frivolous blogs. It has been an interesting year and I hope that YouTube keeps supplying me with documentaries for use in the classroom! Hello, as the year winds down I realize that I had done a lot of Time Team episodes over the past few years. Today’s blog will feature the Top Time Team episodes that I have featured over the years on this blog. However, instead of doing a Top 10 List for the Time Team, since there were quite a few episodes, I will be doing a Top 30 List for 2024. Today’s blog will conclude with my final Top 10 Time Team episodes. I will be featuring the Time Team episodes from 2021-2024.
Now for my usual disclaimer, these episodes are my opinion only and should only be used as a guide to help a teacher prepare the lesson plan. These blogs are my opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt. Top 10 Time Team Episodes 10) Something for the Weekend - YouTube (47:44) 9) Birthplace of the Confessor - YouTube (47:41) 8) No Stone Unturned - YouTube (47:14) 7) Oxfordshire Villa Episode 1 (32:05) Episode 2 (31:57) Episode 3 (34:25) 6) Dig by Wire - YouTube (46:50) 5) The House that's Back to Front - YouTube (47:51) 4) A Saintly Site - YouTube (46:48) 3) The Guerilla Base of the King - YouTube (50:29) 2) Return to Turkdean - YouTube (50:30) 1) An Incredible Discovery in Turkdean - YouTube (50:42) Top 10 Time Team Episodes 10) Oxfordshire Villa Episode 1 (32:05) Episode 2 (31:57) Episode 3 (34:25) For dig number two the new Time Team finds themselves in Oxfordshire and the Broughton Castle Estate. The Time Team is going to excavate a Roman villa that may be the size of Buckingham Palace. In the 1960s, a Romano-British Lady was found buried in a lead line coffin on the site. Was this turnip field the site of a huge Roman villa? What will the Time Team find out about the sit? What will this villa tell us about Roman Britain? *Recommended for research purposes.* 9) Dig by Wire - YouTube (46:50) Time Team is heading on over to Gateholm Island. This island is off the coast of Pembrokeshire and a handful of objects have been found over the years. It is one of the most dangerous and inaccessible places Time Team has ever excavated. Tony Robinson will have to zipline over to the island. Did the original inhabitants have an easier way to get to the island? What will the Time Team discover about the island? Gateholm is managed by the National Trust and hopes that Time Team will unlock the secrets of the island. *Recommended for an archeology class.* 8) The House that's Back to Front - YouTube (47:51) Time Team is investigating a manor house that is built from back to front. In 1534, Henry VIII visited a manor house. Later during her reign, Queen Elizabeth visited the house. This home was owned by the Earl of Bedford. The homeowner transformed his home into a palace. What remains of the house is smaller. So where is the rest of the house? Time Team has three days to find out. *Highly recommended for an architecture class as well as archeology.* 7) A Saintly Site - YouTube (46:48) They are investigating some lumps and bumps in a potential chapel site. Locals had been investigating the area for several years and then decided to bring Time Team in for help. This site will prove to be a challenge for Time Team because it is on a rocky outcropping, with rocks on top of a wall. Will the Time Team find a chapel underneath all the rubble? Watch this episode to find out! Mick is really in his element in this episode. *Highly recommended for research purposes.* 6) Roman's Panic - YouTube (49:05) The Time Team is investigating Ancaster, in Lincolnshire. This village lies on a major Roman road called Armine Street. It had been built by the Roman forces when they invaded Britain. However the only Roman remains that are visible are some massive earth banks and ditches. The locals had been making finds over the years. This settlement has largely been ignored by archaeologists, until the Time Team has come in. What will they find about the site? Why was it suddenly abandoned? Will the rain stop? *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for a history class.* 5) The Guerilla Base of the King - YouTube (50:29) Our first episode of Time Team comes from Season 1, Episode 1. Tony Robinson is younger and has long hair. The Time Team goes to Somerset County and explores the base of King Alfred the Great. King Alfred the Great was fleeing from the Danes. The site they excavate was the base of King Alfred the Great. They are not sure what they will find on the field. Did Alfred the Great have a base on this Somerset Land? *Highly recommended for research purposes.* 4)Return to Turkdean - YouTube (50:30) The Time Team is back at Turkdean. When they originally visited Turkdean, they found a range of buildings. However, geophysics threw everyone for a loop and found more buildings on the site. Eighteen months later, the Time Team is back to excavate this new site on Turkdean. The ground showed a network of rooms that were strung together. Trench after trench got bigger and bigger during the original dig. What will the Time Team find out about the new site? *Highly recommended for a history classroom in both middle school and high school. Highly recommended for independent study students.* 3) An Incredible Discovery in Turkdean - YouTube (50:42) Time Team is called to explore the origins of some lines in the ground in a farm field. The farmer and amateur archeologists seem to hint that it is a site of a Roman villa. Who built it? Why did they build it? The team tackles this assignment by land and by air. The team digs in and discovers that the site is home to the biggest Roman villa discovered in England. *Highly recommended for a history classroom in both middle school and high school. Highly recommended for independent study students.* 2) Digging Band of Brothers - YouTube (1:36:55) The Time Team is investigating the US 101st Airborne Division in Britain. They have been invited by Operation Nightingale to Albourne, Wiltshire. They will be working alongside service men and women from the US and the UK to learn more about the iconic Band of Brothers. It is the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the Time Team is going to help investigate Easy Company. Easy Company was stationed in Albourne before the D-Day Invasion. What will the Time Team find to further the Band of Brother’s story. *Highly recommended for both a world history and American history class.* 1) The Monastery and the Mansion - YouTube (49:58) Nether Poppleton villagers has called the Time Team to investigate some mysterious mounds that surround a Yorkshire village. The villagers have bought the land to protect them. English Heritage thinks that this mound came from the Medieval Times. However, the villagers believe that the mound dates back even earlier. Could these be the remains of an Anglo-Saxon nunnery? Or could these be part of an Anglo-Saxon Village? The Time Team have three days to investigate. *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for a history class.* Hello, as the year winds down I realize that I had done a lot of Time Team episodes over the past few years. Today’s blog will feature the Top Time Team episodes that I have featured over the years on this blog. However, instead of doing a Top 10 List for the Time Team, since there were quite a few episodes, I will be doing a Top 30 List for 2024. Today’s blog will kick off the Top 20 with the Top 20-11 episodes of the Time Team. I will be featuring the Time Team episodes from 2021-2024.
Now for my usual disclaimer, these episodes are my opinion only and should only be used as a guide to help a teacher prepare the lesson plan. These blogs are my opinion and should be taken with a grain of salt. Top 20-11 Time Team Episodes 20) Henry VIII's Lost Armory and Jousting Yard - YouTube (48:50) 19) Animal Farm - YouTube (48:35) 18) The Island Fortress of an Ancient King - YouTube (50:00) 17) All About Westminster Abbey - YouTube (47:09) 16) King John's Lost Palace - YouTube (46:47) 15) Hunting for King Harold - YouTube (47:10) 14) In the Shadow of Tor - YouTube (47:32) 13) The Abbey Habit - YouTube (46:57) 12) The Romans Recycle - YouTube (46:59) 11) Fogou in Cornwall - Episode 1 (27:39) Episode 2 (30:00) Episode 3 (32:32) Top 20-11 Time Team Episodes 20) The Island Fortress of an Ancient King - YouTube (50:00) A king wanted to demonstrate his power and he built an island in the middle of the lake. Then he put a palace on the island. The Time Team puts together a game plan to explore the island. The island had been excavated before so the team has a good head start on the excavation. The Time Team will also be creating a replica of a log boat that was found. Why was this island built? Who built the island? Who lived in the surrounding area? *Recommended for independent study students.* 19) All About Westminster Abbey - YouTube (47:09) Westminster Abbey was the vision of King Henry VIII. It was the place where coronations were held. King, Queens, Princes, and Princesses were buried there. Prime Ministers too were buried there as well. Royal weddings took place in the Abbey as well. Westminster Abbey played a significant role in British History. There is one piece of the abbey that is missing: a sacristy. The sacristy allegedly held the biggest hoard of treasure this side of the Alps. This building vanished without a trace. *Highly recommended for a history class and for independent study students.* 18) Hunting for King Harold - YouTube (47:10) King Harold was history’s biggest loser, he lost the battle of Hastings. The site where he set up court, was never excavated. Then the locals banded together and organized a petition to have the site excavated. The site on Harold’s Field was a scheduled site, which banned digging from taking place. However, with the petition, the Time Team was allowed to dig. What will the Time Team find on the site? Is it even connected to King Harold? *Recommended for a history class and for independent study students.* 17) Fogou in Cornwall - Episode 1 (27:39) Episode 2 (30:00) Episode 3 (32:32) The Time Team kicks off this episode in Cornwall. New and old faces have come together for this first episode. This site was voted on by the fans and it is a Fogou. This Fogou was rediscovered twenty-five years ago by a local farmer. A Fogou is a series of underground tunnels and chambers. The fogou was believed to have been built in the Iron Age. What will the Time Team find out about this fogou? Watch this episode to find out more. *Highly recommended for both history and STEM classrooms.* 16) The Abbey Habit - YouTube (46:57) The Time Team travels to the Welsh border in search of an abbey. This abbey was occupied by Cistercian monks. It has been lost for centuries. Local archeologists have found evidence of a chapel, but no abbey. There are large earthworks on the site that the locals believe is the abbey. Will the Time Team have more success in finding the abbey? *Recommended for a history class for a fun day.* 15) Something for the Weekend - YouTube (47:44) Tregruk Castle is one of the biggest castles in Britain. It is also the most mysterious castle in Britain. Why was this castle so big? There are no buildings in the castle. It is found in the Welsh marshes and was built to keep the Welsh in check. The owner of the castle wants to learn more about the castle. He had worked on clearing the forest in the castle and it changed the atmosphere of the site. What will the Time Team find out about the castle? *Recommended for a Middle School History classes and high school history classes.* 14) Birthplace of the Confessor - YouTube (47:41) Islip has a claim to fame. It is said that it was the birthplace of Edward the Confessor. The Time Team needs to find the chapel that was built in his honor as well as the palace where he grew up. The problem is that the town has never been dug before. It will be a tall order for the Time Team and they have three days to solve this mystery. Is Islip the birthplace of Edward the Confessor? *Recommended for an English history class and for independent study students.* 13) The Wedding Present - YouTube (48:48) A pair of archeologists are getting married, and what does the soon to be husband gets his soon to be wife? He buys her a wreck of a castle for a wedding present. Over the years, the surviving remains of the castle the gatehouse were lovingly restored. The castle is located in the wilds of County Durham, formerly owned by the Scargill family. The husband and wife team have done what they can with learning about the history of the castle. Now Time Team is going to excavate the castle for three days. *Recommended for a history and a science class.* 12) Nuns in Northumbria - YouTube (49:51) The Time Team arrives at the Headland at Hartlepool, a place that is rain and wind-swept. They have three days to find out the location of a monastery. This monastery was built 1,200 years old and was a thriving community. This community was overseen by Saint Hilda, the founding abbess of this monastery. She was an important figure in the history of Anglo-Saxon Europe. Where was this monastery? Who was Saint Hilda? *Highly recommended for both a science and history class.* 11) No Stone Unturned - YouTube (47:14) This time the Time Team arrives at a field in Cheshire where metal detectorists have made some fascinating finds. The finds may hint that the field may have been home to an active Roman settlement. However as the Time Team digs, they are not having any luck in making discoveries. What were these metal detectorists discovering in the field? What will the Time Team find on this dig? Or will this be the first dig where the Time Team finds nothing? What will happen in three days is anyone’s guess. *Recommended to be shown on April Fool's Day.* |
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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. |