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Bettany Hughes visits Spain and explores a time when the Moors ruled Europe. 1492, Isabella and Ferdinand celebrate the reconquest of Spain from the Moors. Columbus sets off for the New World once the celebrations are finished. It ended centuries of rule by the Moors in Spain.
They build the Alhambra Palace, one of the most complete Medieval Palaces in the world. It was build according to a mathematical formula. It was based on the laws of proportion. It was one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain when it was occupied. Sea travel was the way the ancient people got around, and it wasn't as much of a barrier as much as it was a highway. The Berbers invaded Europe from Morrocco and swept up the Iberian peninsula but was turned away in Portieres, France. Hughes demonstrates that the Moorish invasion of Spain isn't as straight forward as it seems. Archeology is demonstrating that history isn't as it seems. The Visigoths and Moors made deals during the invasion. The Visigoths gave their land in exchange for protection. Hughes, hints at life in the palaces the Moors built. Walls covered with tapestries. Mechanical thrones, mechanical birds. Pools and spacious courtyards. Bowls of mercury that when the light hit them, reflected light through the palace. The European idea of courtly love perhaps found its roots in the culture. The Moorish rule started to collapse in the 11th Century. Pope Urban called for Holy War and the Catholics in Northern Spain started banding together in order to reconquer Spain. At this point, the Moorish kingdom had broken up into city-states and were no longer united under one king. Now, the Catholics started to conquer each city and expand Spanish control over Iberia. If you want to find out more about this forgotten chapter of European History, then continue to watch the documentary. This is a fantastic documentary from Bettany about when Moors ruled the Spanish peninsula. It would be good for documentary for a sub to show in the classroom or for a teacher to do research for a lecture. For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or google document. You can format it anyway you want to. All questions can fit onto one page. You can access the YouTube video here. Questions:
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Bettany Hughes explores the world of Ancient Athens and uncovers the truth about democracy. She explores the bronze age of Athens and how it lead to the golden age of Athens. She talks about democracy, warts and all. Athens was a place that women did not have a voice or identity, where they constantly voted to go to war and where slaves outnumber citizens.
How did democracy operate in Athens? Hughes explores the interesting machine the helped determined who would serve on the jury. They pressed forward towards war with every other city-state. Sparta found themselves as saviors in the Greek World, they were the ones who saved the Greeks from the tyranny of Athens. She explores the war with Persia and how the Persian Navy was defeated by the Athenian Navy. The Delian League was formed after the war, with Athens leading the league and providing protection for the rest of the city-states since they had a navy. The league was found on the island of Delos, since not only was it a sacred territory but also a neutral territory...at least until Athens started thinking empire. There was evidence of a treasury that was being built but abandoned. The grain is the oil of the ancient world, and whoever controls it can control the world. Athens was desperate for grain and received tribute in grain. They took their tributes and instead of spending them on defense, built the Parthenon. This enraged the people. They rebelled and were punished for it. There was no room for contradictory opinions in Athens. This attitude towards contrary ideas culminated in the suicide of Socrates. He was a man who asked uncomfortable questions. He was the man who questioned everything. It did not endear him to the people. He was finally asked to commit suicide. To learn more continue to watch this documentary. For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or google document. You can format it in any way you want to. All questions can fit onto one page. You can access the YouTube video here. Athens: The Truth About Democracy Questions:
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b. c. Bettany Hughes explores the strange world of Sparta, where equality was enforced, and military discipline was for everyone. These were a group of people who were determined to be as perfect as they could be. However, for all their determination to perfection, they were not the best writers. As well as the fact that there wasn't much left behind by the Spartans. What we know is from other historians as well as what the digs can fine. Even the Greek Ancestors found their civilization shocking.
Hughes starts off her tale of the Spartans with a trip to a burial mound, it is a place where 300 men were buried while fighting the Persians. They were massacred by the invading Persians, but their sacrifice continues to echo through history. The Spartans were famous for frugality and the fighters. They had a spirit of cooperation among the people. They also encouraged individual achievement and competition. Money was outlawed and weak infants were killed. The women were more free. Equality was enforced. It defined the rights and duties of the citizens and helped saved Western Civilization. They participated in the Trojan War. They claimed that their kings were descendants of Hercules. When the Spartans expanded their territory, they didn't colonize, they took over, enslaving the population. They were a people wary, always afraid of slave rebellions. They were the most extreme civilization in the world. Spartan men would just fight or train or hang out with their fellow fighters. All male Spartans had to earn their citizenship. Babies that did not meet Spartan standards of physical perfection, were thrown off the cliff. Boy infants were tossed, and it was the city elders that made the decision and not the parents. Then at the age of 7 they were placed in the training system. An older boy was put in charge of their training and discipline. They were encouraged to supplement of rations by stealing and if they were caught they were flogged for getting caught. There was a legendary secret service brigade, who were like a death squad, roaming the countryside. If you want to find out more about the Spartans, continue to watch the documentary. You can use clips of it for the classroom setting. Bettany Hughes is an excellent narrator and this is one of the top documentaries I've seen on Sparta. For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or google document. You can format it anyway you want to. All questions can fit onto one page. You can access the YouTube video here. The Spartans Questions:
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b. c. Bettany Hughes explores the island of Crete and the world of the Minoans. It was a people who navigated nature through negotiation, rather than domination over nature.
Hughes introduces the Minoans by telling the story of the Labyrinth, and how the myths helped them explain their paths. Crete was home to the Minoans, a civilization just misplaced and not lost. They were rediscovered and given their name. Crete was a place of a thousand stories, such as the King, a Wife and a white bull. Poseidon gave the king a beautiful white bull, expecting the king to sacrifice the bull. However, rather than sacrifice the bull, the king sacrificed another one. Poseidon, unhappy with the arrangement, allowed the queen to fall in love with the bull. The Minotaur was born out of this love and it was placed in the labyrinth. IT was here that the youths of Athens are sacrificed. What this born out of history or just fake news, it served to remind the Athenians of their history. Archeologists slowly started making discoveries on Crete, and discovered Europe's first civilizations. British archeologist, Arthur Evans made his way to Knossos. It was a place that begged to be uncover. They started excavating and kept excavating, kept uncovering more and more fines. An unknown civilization was brought back to life through the archeology. Continued discoveries revealed a complex civilization. They documented everything and lived their lives until something happened. The contradictions of the civilization have been documented. What happened, archeologists could only guess. A human sacrifice was made for some reason, it seems that there was a troubled times and that it was necessary to make the sacrifice. The sea may have triggered the times of troubles which seems to have made the people abandon their female priestesses. They were the ones who worked with nature in order to ensure plenty for all. Their people were heavily invested in their religion, however as the time of troubles continued, the people turned against their religion and attacked the shrines. Bettany Hughes eulogizes the end of the Minoans beautifully. For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or Google Document. You can format it how you like. All questions can fit on one page. You can find the link to the YouTube video here. Island of the Minotaur Questions:
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b. c. Bettany Hughes covers the history of Egypt exploring the Great Pyramids and Ramses II.
Ancient Pharaoh's conjure up images of cruel dictators who built their empires on the backs of slaves. However this may not have been the case at all times. Take the Great Pyramids, Kufu brought the people together and invited them to take part of a grand project to not only ensure his immortality but their immortality as well. The early pyramids were stepped and the smooth sided pyramid was slow to develop. It took a few tries but a small smooth sided pyramid. Kufu wanted to scale up the pyramid and selected a place where his dream could come true. At a plateau in Giza, Kufu assembled his army of builders into one place. A city was built to house them, and they would be able to return to their farms to farm when the Nile was in its low stage. The workers would work while the Nile was flooded and they were unable to work in the fields. He encouraged his workers by saying that they were helping him move into the next world and it would be an honor for them to work on his pyramid. The workers succeeded in finishing the Great Pyramid in time. Ramses II was another great builder Pharaoh as well as a warrior. He was a defender to his people and an excellent propagandist. His father Seti, groomed his son into going out among the people, making the job of Pharaoh more visible to the people. Ramses had to justify his rulership to the people. He still included an ambitious building program as part of his reign, but the religious sites he built allowed ordinary people to take part of religious life. This wasn't enough for Ramses and he went after the Egyptians most deadly enemy: the Hittites. So what happened when he fought the Hittites, find out by watching the documentary. For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom. You can easily format these questions to your specifications. All questions should fit onto one page after formatting. Each student should find at least three things to learn about from the presentation. You can find the link for the YouTube video here. Engineering Ancient Egypt Questions:
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b. c. Bettany Hughes explores the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War. Is the story consigned to the myth status or did a real Helen exist? Hughes demonstrates that archeology can show that myths do carry a kernel of truth to them.
Helen of Troy was originally Helen of Sparta. She was one of the first women who was documented in history and has been part of the imagination for over 2000 years. How should we interpret the story, was it history or was it fiction? Is she a warning? Do men need an excuse to go to war? This is a fascinating look at the history and story of Helen of Troy. The story is timeless, boy meets girl, girl goes off with boy, boys fight to get girl back. Hughes traces the story of Helen at the beginning. Helen was the only woman who is named from the age of Heroes, which allows the human imagination to run wild. Hughes demonstrates how striking a Bronze Age princess would look like, how a princess would be able to attract a Bronze Age Prince. A Bronze Age Princess held a high place in society, a woman who walked between the spirit world and the physical world. Helen was celebrated by Spartans for how she affected people. Helen was given to marriage after a series of trials to the Prince of Sparta. Paris enters the scene after he was asked to judge who was the most beautiful goddess. He chose Aphrodite, and she gave him the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen. He went to Sparta to claim his prize. The Spartans welcomed him with open arms and celebrated him as a honored guest. It was all part of etiquette. Helen acted like the perfect hostess. So who lingered on who's doorstep first? Continue to watch the series to find out. For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom. You can easily format these questions to your specifications. All questions should fit onto one page after formatting. Each student should find at least three things to learn about from the presentation. You can find the link for the YouTube video here. Helen of Troy Questions:
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b. c. Bettany Hughes explores the world of Ancient Alexandria in the first episode of her Ancient World's series. She explores the rise and fall of the greatest city.
Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great and was the place where East and West met. The ancient city is well hidden by the modern city and one has to dig to find the story of Alexandria. It was an ancient city were the people took the best part of a variety of cultures and put them together. The city put a value on wisdom and was determined to collect the world's wisdom into one place. The city was founded in the in between times, between the fall of Greece and the rise of Rome. When Alexander the Great got to the place that would be known as Alexandria, he built a causeway out to Pharos island, implemented city planning and created a harbor which made Alexandria one of the busiest harbors in the world. He won over the Egyptian people by adopting to their culture. The Ptolemy Family eventually take over and then the city fell to Rome. Alexandria emphasized learning and collecting knowledge. There were places that allowed teachers to lecture students. Bettany Hughes introduces the audience to Hypatia on of the last female philosophers that Alexandria produced. She redesigned the Astrolabe. Alexandria was the place where teachers and philosophers could come together, work together and exchange their thoughts. The scale of Alexandria's ambition to collect the world's knowledge was unprecedented and bold. It all came crashing down. With a city where ideas flew, someone was bound to become offended. The Library was destroyed and philosophers were killed. For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom. You can easily format these questions to your specifications. All questions should fit onto one page after formatting. Each student should find at least three things to learn about from the presentation. You can find the link for the YouTube video here. Alexandria Questions:
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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. |
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