Good morning, let us continue my foray into the ancient world and look at Tenochtitlan. Here we go, this is a very old-school documentary like it was meant for a Spanish language class. We will see how this documentary goes, hopefully, this documentary will go well. The run time for this episode is 45:49.
Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec Empire. It would grow from humble roots in present-day Mexico. They would eventually build great temples dedicated to their gods. Tenochtitlan would grow into a grand city in the Ancient American world. Unfortunately, the ancient city is lost beneath the streets of Mexico City. However, what was the wider Aztec Empire like? What were its secrets? How did the Aztec Empire operate? When the Aztecs went to establish their capital city, the gods said they had to look for an eagle perched on a cactus, which reminded me of a Wishbone episode talking about this particular legend. The Aztecs built their capital on this site and it grew from these humble beginnings. Before Tenochtitlan was established, there was another grand city: Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan would dominate central Mexico, only forty-five kilometers away from the Aztec Capital. It was one of the largest cities in the Ancient American World at 600 AD. Teotihuacan’s ruins are impressive and cover over thirteen square kilometers. At the center were palaces and pyramids. A five-kilometer “street of the dead” leads to the city. The historian who talked about Teotihuacan was very monotone but it could have been the quality of the recording for the documentary. I wonder what an updated documentary on both Teotihuacan and Tenochtitlan would look like. Teotihuacan ruins show the importance of religion to the people who lived in the city. There were many paintings that were discovered on the site. The sound quality in this section in which the historian talks about the paintings was slightly better, but I was not impressed with it. I have a feeling this was meant for a Spanish class because the historian spoke Spanish and there was no translation, there was not even an option for translation with subtitles. Which was a shame, because the historian seemed really proud of the work he had done on the site. Teotihuacan was eventually overthrown. However, the city was used because of its religious importance. There was a very nicely done (for the time) recreation of the temple sites at Teotihuacan. Even the last Emperor of the Aztecs would still make pilgrimages to Teotihuacan. After the overthrow of the Teotihuacan, there were smaller tribes. Eventually one of the tribes, the Aztecs would come to dominate the central Mexico plain. Then the documentary talks about legends that grew up around the Aztec people. One historian talks about the Aztecs and human sacrifice. The friars documented Aztecs and human sacrifice and how it was the most important gift that the Aztecs could give to the gods. It was thought that without the blood of humans, the sun would stop in the sky. Honestly, it felt like the documentary spent a long time talking about human sacrifice and the Aztecs. I really wish I could have an updated version of a documentary on the Aztecs. Finally, Tenochtitlan is discussed. The narrator talks about some of the discoveries that were made and the impact on interest in Aztecs. Then there was a discussion on the great temple of the Aztecs and how thousands of human sacrifices were made at this temple. I feel like this section was a little thin on the archeological discoveries. To learn more about Tenochtitlan continue to follow along with this documentary. Yeah, it is very old school because I typically pull my summary within the first few minutes of the documentary. Unfortunately, the narrator really did not sum up what the documentary was about at the beginning. The narration was nicely done. I wish they would have actually put the names of the historians who spoke because announcing the names was not good enough for me. I would rather show this to a Spanish class over a history class. However, the information needs to be updated and refreshed so I would skip showing this documentary to any classroom anyway.
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Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you read this blog. Time has been flying by fast. I will finish up Scorpus’ story. The run time for this episode is 50:13 and it is the second episode of this documentary.
Coming from the countryside, Scorpus would have been astonished at what he would find. There was nothing like Rome in Europe at that time. It would have been noisy. There would have been large buildings where people lived. Scorpus would have encountered people who spoke different languages. There would have been entertainment available as well. However, it was a very grubby and messy city. Even though it was a dirty city, he would have been stunned by the sight of the Circus Maximus. The Circus Maximus was the place where the Charioteer could become a hero. Chariot racing was a hit and it was one of Rome’s exports. Traces of chariot racing can be found throughout the Roman World. In Carthage, there is an excavation of a circus site. It was the biggest circus outside of Rome. Among the finds on the site are souvenirs and other rubbish that was left behind after the races. One of those objects was a dice that could have been used between the races when there was a lull in the action. There was also a figurine that could have been the charioteer. People would have wanted memorabilia from their day at the races. The chariot races brought a lot of money into Rome. Near the Circus Maximus, there was a shopping area that would have been opened during the races. One historian talks about the infrastructure that was organized around the races. However, there was a dark side to these races. At night the seedier portions would come out and fleece naïve tourists. This would be one section to skip if you are showing this to a history classroom. After this seedy section, the documentary transitions to a recreation of how the charioteers trained. Agents would have sent the charioteers to train. Each charioteer would have had to prove himself. It was a highly competitive and physically demanding environment. Emperor Domitian loved chariot racing and would check out the latest recruits. The charioteers would have loved to have caught the emperor’s eye. Scorpus caught the emperor’s eye. In Ancient Rome there would have been four stables and each was represented with a different color: reds, greens, blues, and whites. These stables controlled chariot racing and would put together the chariot races. Each color had a patron god and stood for the four seasons. The colors were worn by the charioteers and their fans. In fact, the stables would eventually have a political factor in Roman society. Then there is a discussion on the personnel that would have been involved in taking care of the stables. There were veterinarians, stable hands, and stable managers. The chariot races were big business in the Roman World. The stables otherwise known as factions could charge whatever they wanted and one promoter did not like how much they were charging. In fact, he was threatening to run dogs instead of horses. The promoter went to the Emperor to get the money to put on the races. The Emperor could not be seen to fail in getting these races done. It was a blackmail scheme that worked according to the recreation. Scorpus would have ended up with the Greens. They knew how to put together races and were a highly successful stable. Mike Loades talks about the horses that were used in chariot races and how the horses were used. I appreciate his enthusiasm for his subject. He even jumps into a chariot to discover how the charioteers raced. The Romans were passionate about their horses and knew the horses' names that the charioteers raced. How does he fair in his first race? So how does Scorpus’ career continue to skyrocket? What about the races in the Circus Maximus? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. I was thrilled that Mike Loades was in the documentary, he does bring a lot of enthusiasm for the subject. Over all this would still be a documentary I would consider showing to a history class because of the subject and that it is different from other Ancient Rome documentaries. Woah, I cannot believe how fast the school year has gone by. I am winding things down for the school year and then I will be switching to summer mode, blogging three days a week instead of five. I try to keep things light and fun for the summer and will be exploring a Tony Robinson series Walking Through History Series at the start of June. Today’s documentary will feature Scorpus, one of Rome’s successful charioteers, and this is not your typical documentary on Ancient Rome. It is a two-part series called The Greatest Race. The run time for this documentary is 50:01.
Young Scorpus was a former slave who would become one of the most famous characters in Ancient Roman History. He practiced his craft in the Circus Maximus and it was a racing stadium that held more than 150,000 spectators. Chariot racers were as popular as race car drivers. They were an important part of society and everyone identified with them. So who were the charioteers? How did they gain such popularity in Rome? Domitian is the current Roman Emperor and he was planning a renovation of Rome. He is deeply disliked by the Roman Senate and the Elite. The common people adored their emperor. He hosts yearly spectacles at Rome and these games are to keep the masses entertained. The greatest spectacles were the chariot races. There were grand celebrations that led up to the races. It was a day that fathers took their sons out to talk about how to become good charioteers. Domitian wanted to be seen as popular and by giving them the entertainment they wanted he was able to do that. The Circus Maximus, the race course was the biggest building that was built in Ancient Rome and it was where the chariots would race. It was three times the size of the Olympic stadium in Berlin. Romans loved their charioteers. They would have packed the Circus Maximus and it would have been a noisy stadium. The recreations done in this section were very well done. It is now that we are introduced to Scorpus. He was already a legend in his lifetime. A piece of evidence is discovered in a museum and it gives a hint to the greatness of Scorpus. The monument was small and dedicated to a local government worker. His wife had Scorpus engraved on this tablet. It was highly unusual for this government worker to have a celebrity engraved on their monuments. One historian believes that Scorpus was carved on this monument as some sort of good luck charm for the afterlife. The charioteers were huge superstars and the people adored them. Scorpus was a slave, as high-born Romans could not become charioteers. It would have been improper for a high-born Roman to participate in the races. Slaves were in the lowest position in Roman Society. An American archeologist examines a book about the background of the charioteers. It hints that charioteers would have begun as young as thirteen years old. Another description fighter in the book talks about how Scorpus was a championship charioteer. As a slave he would have been working on a farm, however this farm also had a stable of horses. Horses meant racing which meant charioteers and Scorpus would have encountered this at his placement. So how would this slave rise up to Rome’s greatest charioteer? Who would make him a charioteer? What struggles would he have along the way? Tune into the rest of this documentary to find out more! First things first, I wish this documentary would have been divided into chapters in order to enable easy viewing and pulling clips for lectures. It was nice to do a different documentary about the Roman Empire. I never really watched a documentary on more common individuals of the Roman Empire, it mainly dealt with the emperors and the empire itself. It was really neat to see how a Roman chariot was recreated as well. On top of the chariot recreation, the people's recreations were very well done as well. If you want something different to show to a class about Roman History, I would put this documentary on my list. I would also recommend it for research purposes. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this and doing your planning for the school day. Let’s do something different, the school year is winding down and I am sure all of you teachers are making preparations for the summer. I’m going to do a documentary on pirates. This documentary has a run time of 59:23 and is part of Britian’s Outlaws Series. I may have to dig into the other two episodes of this series later.
Pirates were the most pursued. They were hunted down on the high seas. Pirates such as William Kidd, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack. Their names would go beyond the seas. The government came down hard on the pirates. Historian Sam Wills explores the story of piracy and its impact on colonial expansion. So who were the pirates? What was their mission? What were the laws governing pirates? The story of piracy begins with Captain Kidd. He never really thought he was going to be a pirate, and was a highly experienced sailor. He sought to gain a fortune as a privateer. Privateers were mercenaries who would rob ships that belonged to enemy nations. Captain Kidd was granted a privateering commission by the King himself. Privateers had to turn over a part of their plunder to the government. However, Captain Kidd’s privateering career would begin badly. As Kidd’s ship went by the Royal Yacht, he refused to give the royal salute. A scuffle ensued and Captain Kidd’s best men were press-ganged into the Royal Navy. With his skeleton crew, Kidd would make his way to Madagascar and would try to plunder the Indian Ocean trade routes. However, he would lose more of his crew to cholera. He could only recruit former pirates. Kidd would travel to the Red Sea to try for plunder, this switch in location would announce to the world that he had turned to piracy. However, he would eventually get caught and put on trial. He was hanged. He tried to avoid the noose by bribing the British Government with his treasure. However, he still was hanged. His legacy was that of the pirates’ treasure. Privateers were eventually shut down because they were interfering with trade and damaging the British Empire. Kidd’s exploits did help the fascination with pirates. The people then wondered what happened with Henry Avery another famous pirate. Rumors abounded about the infamous pirate. He had seized big prizes and just vanished. There were plays and songs written about him. There were rumors that Avery wrote his own ballad. Ballads were very dangerous, they appealed to the lower classes and could sew discontentment in the crowd. Sam sings and plays guitar in this section and he does very well. Sam then shows off a book that was published in this period. It would have talked about the pirates of the golden age and their golden age. It was called the General Histories of the Pirates. The public loved this book and it tapped into the market for criminal biographies. It was written by Captain Johnson and it was thought he was a retired sea captain. However, it could have been a pseudonym for a real pirate. Sam then transitions into Pirates Code, where if you watched the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies, you would know about how this code governed the pirates. It went beyond governance and even put a price on how much a pirate would be paid if they lost certain limbs. So how do the islands of Nassau and the Bahamas fit into the picture of pirates? Who else turned to piracy? What about the pirate flags? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. As you know, I get really nervous when I try other historians, but I found myself enjoying Sam’s narration. It was rather amusing to learn that if you lost an arm you got paid a hundred pieces of eight, while other limbs were less valued. It was a good primer on pirates and piracy. The information was well presented and the narration was well done. I like that Sam would go to the places to learn more about pirates. I would consider showing this to a history classroom and would use it for research purposes. Well, I am dipping into documentaries from the Chronicle YouTube Channel. It has been a while since I dug into the Mongols, so I will check out a documentary on Genghis Khan. Is looks like it is part of a series called Line of Fire. The run time for this documentary is 49:45.
Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes and led the people on a path of conquest. This conquest spanned a century. Genghis Khan goes down in history as a monster who killed millions. However, what is his true legacy? He was strategic and utilized psychological warfare and battlefield tactics to help the Mongols conquer much of Asia. The Mongols would eventually make their way to Europe and the Hordes would terrorize Europe. So who was the real Genghis Khan? The documentary begins with Genghis Khan’s birth. He was the nephew of the previous Khan, which would give him noble roots. The family was exiled from their homeland and it was in exile he met his wife. Eventually, a tribal leader took Genghis Khan under his wing and together they would defeat a neighboring tribe. He would rise in power and neighboring tribes would pledge their loyalty to him. One historian says his success was due to his ability to conquer and the ability to reward his supporters. In 1206, the majority of the Mongol tribes were united under Genghis Khan. It was the first time that the Mongols could say they were independent. Eventually, he would set his sights on further conquest. Genghis Khan would turn his eye to China. It would have been considered a suicide mission, but China was facing its own difficulties. The people were divided and Genghis Khan could conquer China. One by one the cities in China fell. Eventually, the emperor’s daughter was compelled to be the wife of Genghis Khan. The key to the Khan’s success in China was a very well-disciplined army. The horse was also a key to the Mongol Success. Children at a young age were taught to ride. There were saddles and stirrups which provided a stable platform for the Mongols to fight on. Horse thieves were executed. They also had a variety of arrows that could be used depending on the situation. It was shocking to find out that silk was protective against arrows. The Mongol warrior was also equipped with a shield, javelin, and daggers. Terror was a psychological weapon. The battle was already won by the Mongols if they met the enemy in the fields. This was a key to Genghis Khan’s strategy. A fearful enemy was already defeated. The enemy generals also could not anticipate Genghis Khan’s strategies. Genghis Khan would eventually turn his attention to Afghanistan and he would eventually conquer Afghanistan. The Afghans and the Shah were caught off guard by Mongol tactics. The army was torn apart and the Shah fled from the battle. Genghis Khan’s death was suddenly mentioned and there was a quick discussion on how the Mongol empire was expanded. I wonder why the filmmaker mentioned his death at this point because it really did not seem appropriate to mention it when there were still 26 minutes of the documentary left. The filmmakers should have continued discussing Genghis Khan’s conquests instead of talking about his death. The historians talked about how other smaller conquests helped set up Mongols for success in Europe. This section was very confusing to me. Will the Mongols make their way to Europe? How will European leaders react to this sudden invasion? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out. This documentary almost feels like it is a Secrets of the Dead episode and it also feels very old school. I cannot tell whether this was produced through official channels or it was independently produced. Although it does not have all the bells and whistles of more modern documentaries, I found it well done. Even though it was very well done, I did find myself drifting away from the documentary from time to time. There also needed to be clarification in the section on the death of Genghis Khan. I would use this for research purposes and for lectures but not for a substitute teacher to show in a classroom. Good morning, I am going to finish up with the Secrets from the Clink. The run time for this episode is 46:11.
This episode continues with how crimes were punished in Victorian Britain. Daisy McAndrews, Len Goodman, and Michelle Collins learn about rough justice during the Victorian Period. Jails were organized under the Victorians where prisoners were treated the same. The system continued to evolve. Hanging, transportation and debtor’s prison were still active. Michelle Collins learned about her ancestor Thomas Bridger and how he ended up in debtor’s prison for London and Middlesex. There were 30,000 debtors in prison at the start of Queen Victoria’s Reign. London alone had ten debtors' prisons and the phrase “Stone broke” came from the name of one of these prisons. Collins meets with historian Sarah Wise and together they walk the street where Collins’ ancestors lived. He would have lived above his shop with his family. Thomas ran an umbrella-making shop. However, the location of the shop was not the best. The economy would eventually go bad and it would impact Thomas’ business. He would eventually go into debt and would end up in prison. The 1840s was a decade where personal insolvency went up. Debtors could be thrown into jail without trial. Then we come back to Len’s story and how his ancestors conducted himself under hard labor. Henry had moved to Dorset. Dorset was at the edge of a stone quarry, but it was a tough prison. He would have had the chance at early release. Len takes a look at Henry’s prison record and discovers that he is behaving well in prison. If he behaved well, he could potentially get released early, much like modern prison release. The Victorians thought of early prison release as a way to keep the prison populations down. Would Henry be granted early release? However, there were times when he broke the prison rules and Len learned about his ancestor's misdeeds in prison. Henry would have been locked in a dark cell and Henry would have to earn his freedom through hard work. Daisy McAndrews learns about her ancestor Mary who was transported to Australia. It was a joke in the family that they had a criminal ancestor. Mary was an orphan and had to find work as a servant. Eventually, she would run away disguised as a boy. She was discovered on a horse and said her name was James Borrow. She would have been accused of horse theft, which proved the McAndrews family legend about why Mary was transported. Horse theft was a capital crime and she could have been hanged for stealing the horse. Mary was a fourteen-year-old girl. Would she be executed? Or would she be transported? The series returns to Len Goodman and he learns that his ancestor could have been sent to Australia. Instead, Henry was sentenced to hard labor in the quarry, where he would have hand-cut stone. The stone would have been used in buildings across Britain and the Empire. Many convicts would have been broken by the work. Diseases and accidents were the challenges of hard labor. Daisy learns about the conditions her ancestor was kept in before she was transported over to Australia. She learns that prisoners died in jail. Michelle learns more about debtors' prison and how whole families could have ended up in the prison. Sometimes they were harassed to get them to pay their debts. Some prisoners were in debtors' prisons for years. What do Michelle, Len, and Daisy learn about their relatives? Was there a way out for these prisoners? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. I still thoroughly enjoy Len narrating his ancestor’s story. I wish he had done more historical documentaries because he is an engaging narrator. The stories were very well done and I particularly liked Daisy’s story about her ancestor being transported. I was reminded of a History of Australia documentary I came across a similar story about a young thief who was transported to Australia. I may have to do some more digging and find a documentary on Australia. Anyway, I still found this documentary very interesting. I would also use this for research purposes. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on when you are reading this and doing your planning. The school year is winding down in some places or perhaps ending in other places. Like last year, I go back to blogging three days of week for the summer and then when September rolls around I blog five days a week. Let’s fast forward through history and look at life behind bars in Victorian Prisons. The run time for this episode is 46:18. The series is called Secrets from the Clink and the first episode is called Grinding Men Good.
This is a two-part program where celebrities take a journal to discover how their ancestors served time in Victorian Prisons. Celebrities Johnny Vegas, Mariella Frostrup, Len Goodman, Michelle Collins and Daisy McAndrews. They discover ancestors who were accused of theft, embezzlement, and assault. They travel to where their ancestors were put on trial and look at original documents to learn about what crimes their ancestors did to land them in prison. The story begins with Johnny Vegas, who talks about how he’s careful of the law. He is proud of being from the north. However, the article about his ancestor Philip Haynes proves that he has southern roots. His ancestor was prosecuted for stealing money and a knife. Petty theft was the most common offense. So how was petty theft punished? Vegas discovers his ancestor was sentenced to hard labor. It was believed that prisoners needed to be shown the value of work and so they were paid to pick rope. In the later Victorian period, the punishments grew stricter. The crank and the treadmill were introduced as basically pointless labor. Philip Haynes served his hard labor sentence in the local jail, however, the Victorian period saw the building of larger prisons. Len Goodman learns about his ancestor’s crime. His ancestor Henry Blackhall. He was accused of assaulting his own father. Len reads an article about the attack. His father survived the attack and was able to testify at his son’s trial. Henry Blackhall upon his arrest attacked the jail wardens as well. Len comments that Henry was not a pleasant person. Had Henry murdered his father, he would have been hanged for his crime. Len Goodman participated in Who Do You Think You Are, and this section reminded me of that episode as well as his narration for Dancing Check to Cheek with Lucy Goodman. Mariella Frostrup, a journalist learns about how her ancestor embezzled funds and goods. He had moved from the estate that he worked at and had taken more than what he was entitled to. He ended up having a fit of paralysis in the courtroom. Would this paralysis stop the trial? Len learns about Henry’s time in prison. He was isolated from other prisons and had to work in his cell. The only voice he could hear was from the Prison chapel. He was not allowed to communicate with other prisoners and could not see other prisoners. It was completely isolated to the prisoners. Many prisoners were driven insane. Prisoners would try to commit suicide. Johnny Vegas’ ancestors turned to crime out of desperation. His family lived in the poorest part of Bristol. His four-time great-grandfather was imprisoned and never committed a crime again. Johnny is surprised to learn that his four-time great-grandmother also committed a crime. The press would have demonized women who committed crimes. The press called her a drunkard who kept showing up before the judge. She kept going to jail and getting out of jail. Drunkenness was a crime in the Victorian Period. What else do Len, Mariella, and Johnny learn about their ancestors? Would any of their ancestors be reformed? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. First things first, the Timeline description for the series was not all that accurate. It made it seem that only two famous people, but there were more stories that were told in the episode. Despite this inaccuracy, I enjoyed watching this episode. It reminded me of the Secrets of the Workhouse. The stories were good and the pace was excellent. I would consider showing this to a history classroom and for a history fun day. Well, I am going to do another episode from the Ancient Apocalypse series. Hopefully, I can go three for three when it comes to this series. The run time for this episode is 50:14 and is called The Lost City of Helike.
In the year 373, the Greek city of Helike disappeared. Its destruction was so complete Greek authors could only describe its destruction as a work of the supernatural. Helike’s story parallels another lost city: Atlantis. Alantis was a city that continued to inspire and people sought out where Alantis was. Helike’s location has been a mystery for centuries, but could it be possible that Helike is the lost city of Atlantis? Ancient Greece flourished from the Eighth to the Fourth century and gave the world democracy and philosophy. Its architecture carried through the generations. Its colonials stretched from Spain to Russia. It was made up of city-states, each with its own system of rules. One such city was Helike. It was a trading hub in the Greek World. It was best known for its Poseidon worship. Poseidon was the god of the sea. Poseidon was a moody god who could turn on his worshippers. Helike would vanish from the face of the earth in 373. Its location was lost to time and its mystery would carry down through the years. The story of Atlantis parallels Helike. Are the two cities one in the same? Plato wrote about Atlantis. It ruled over an empire that spanned continents. Its civilization rivaled the Greeks. However, its leaders did not use their power wisely. The gods punished the Atlanteans, destroying their great civilization. Its mystery has confounded even the most famous explorers. No one has found the lost city. Plato wrote Atlantis after Helike was destroyed. Were the cities one and the same? Helike thrived on the Greek coastline. It was mentioned in The Illiad. It was mentioned among the cities that sent soldiers to fight in the Trojan War. Eventually, the war was ended when the Trojan Horse was created and left behind for the Trojans. Troy would fall. Helike’s role in history was well documented and the city was leader of the Aegean League. There was a temple of Poseidon which brought pilgrims from around the Greek World. Helike grew rich. Eventually, it would further step into history when Greece united to fight back against the Persian advance. The Persians were defeated but soon the Greeks turned on each other. Helike kept out of the turmoil because of the Temple of Poseidon. Helike would survive this period of turmoil. Poseidon would not keep Helike safe. It was said that Poseidon was upset that Helike would not share his sacred items with the other Greek City-States. He sent a tidal wave that would completely submerge Helike. Ten Spartan warships were also sent to the sea’s bottom. However, did Helike really exist? German archeologists would purchase a bronze coin that belonged to Helike. Then there was a discovery of a Roman source that talked about Helike’s destruction. In fact, the Roman sources said that the animals were behaving very strangely. Five days before Helike’s destruction, animals ran away from the site. Could an earthquake followed by a tsunami explain Helike’s destruction? However, to prove it, Helike needs to be found. From the ancient writings, the ruins of Helike were visible for years. The remains would eventually disappear and Helike’s location was lost to history. The archeologists looked through the ancient writings again and narrowed Helike’s location down to the Gulf of Corinth. The search was on for Helike and it would take decades of time and technological change in order to discover Helike’s location. With technology, would the ancient city be found? If was found, what could the remains tell us about Helike? Would the remains prove that Helike and Atlantis were the same city? Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more. Well, the build-up to the discovery of Helike did take a little bit longer than I anticipated. Even though it was a slow build-up, this would not stop me from showing this to a history or a science classroom. It was still very well done and well narrated. Although this is not going to be narrated by the lovely Sir Tony Robinson, I will share this documentary on Doggerland today. Time Team did an episode about Doggerland, so I thought I would do this documentary on Doggerland. The run time for this episode is 50:14 and is called Doggerland.
Eight thousand years ago a paradise existed. This paradise connected Britain and mainland Europe. It was known as Doggerland, however, this area no longer exists. It was wiped out by a devastating event. What remains of Doggerland lies hidden underneath the waves of the North Sea. However, slowly the sea is giving up its secrets. Archeologists have slowly been revealing the Mesolithic paradise. How did these people live? Where did they go after their world collapsed? The search for Doggerland begins in the North Sea. The North Sea was created at the end of the Ice Age. It has captured the human imagination and provided fish for the people. For generations, the British would sail from Norfolk to fish. E. Lockwood was trawling the North Sea one day and as he lifted his nets he lifted a peat log from the bottom of the sea. He broke up the log and hit something metal in it. What was inside was a harpoon. How did this harpoon get in the middle of the North Sea? Who would have made it? When was it made? In 1932, Grahame Clark sought those answers. He looked at the harpoon and discovered similarities between the harpoon discovered in the North Sea and other harpoons discovered from the Mesolithic period. Eventually, he would encounter the Godwin couple who would help him date the harpoon. They were developing techniques to examine ancient pollen in order to date objects. What they discovered changed the course of British history. The Godwins, examining the pollen that was found in the peat would date the harpoon back to the Mesolithic era. Eventually, this would lead to questions about a potential land beneath the North Sea. Clement Reed, a botanist, is another character introduced to the story of Doggerland. He theorized that there was a massive landmass that linked Britain to Europe. However, there was scant evidence to prove the land. It would take eighty years to discover more evidence about Doggerland. Byrony Coles, a British archeologist partnered with oil companies to map out the land beneath the North Sea. Eventually, it was concluded that there was a landmass beneath the North Sea. Coles would expand on Reed’s theory that the land had rivers and mountains. However, did this land support life? In Holland, at Zandmotor Beach, beachcombers hunt for treasures and they coordinate their finds with an archeologist. This beach was made by spraying sand from the North Sea. All sorts of objects came to the surface as a result of this beach creation. Many man-made objects were found. Tools and fishhooks were discovered on this beach at Zandmotor. However, these were not the only finds. Finds were discovered in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Great Britain. There was evidence of people living in the North Sea. Eventually, it was decided to see what Doggerland looked like. However, the North Sea would prove to be a challenge and Doggerland would remain hidden. One scientist would eventually come up with an idea to help picture what Doggerland looked like. Scientists would turn to the oil companies who were drilling in the North Sea. They would have collected mapping data over the years. These scientists were looking for 3D seismic maps. Would these maps show a land hidden in the North Sea? It would take months, but the scientist would get those maps. The data was imported into a computer and a map would be created. What would these maps reveal? Yeah, this would have been better narrated by Tony Robinson. Mary-Ann Ochta’s participation was nice, but I would have appreciated Tony’s contribution. There was a good build-up throughout the documentary providing more and more information about Doggerland. I rather enjoyed the cast of characters that helped further Doggerland’s story. Overall, I would consider showing this documentary to both a history classroom and a science classroom. A science classroom would be an option because of the application of the scientific method in Doggerland’s story. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this blog. Well, after the disappointment of yesterday’s review, I hope that today’s documentary will have a nice bounce back. The run time for this documentary is 50:14.
The Maya Civilization thrived for three thousand years in Central America. They were a people united by language and architecture but were independent. They were geniuses at mathematics. They carved a living out of the jungle. They built great cities and often found themselves at odds with each other. By 900 the cities were abandoned. Why did such a thriving civilization collapse? What can archeology tell us about the collapse of the Maya Civilization? The story begins with the arrival of the Spanish in Central America. They were looking for gold and they were looking for converts. They encountered a small group of people known as the Mayas. Bishop de Landa worked to convert to Catholicism. He burned thousands of books that were created by the Mayas. They were tortured. However, he could not destroy the stone cities that were created. In the decades since reports of grand abandoned cities in the jungle made their way to the jungle. People were memorized by the accounts of the cities. The common people thought the ruins belonged to the Ancient Egyptians. Other archeologists thought that these cities belonged to a local population. Stephens and Catherwood, two archeologists set out to test this theory. They made their way to Central America during a highly volatile period. They traveled in the midst of a civil war. The pair were eventually taken hostage overnight before being released the day after. On top of the civil war, the pair had to contend with the terrain and environment. Eventually, they made their way to a city known as Copan. Eventually, the jungle was cleared away and the pair were astonished with what they found. They found stone houses, temples, and other buildings. They continue on their expedition and encounter stone city after stone city. Eventually, their findings were published in a series of books which caused a sensation. However, their books could not answer the question: What happened to these people? Why did this civilization collapse? What caused the Mayan civilization to collapse? The challenge was to translate the Mayan glyphs. A majority of books were destroyed apart from four survivors. The Dresden Codex was one of those survivors and it dealt with the Mayan calendar. Eventually, the calendar was decoded allowing archeologists to date Mayan History. Mary Anne Ochta does a very good job explaining Maya Dates and how they helped crack the Mayan Code. Unfortunately, the calendar was only a small part of the Mayan writing system. It would take decades before the Mayan writing system was decoded. It was decoded by David Stewart and he was a fifteen-year-old schoolboy. He would spend his summers exploring the Mayan ruins. So how would this boy crack the Mayan code? Would the code reveal why the Mayan civilization collapsed? However, there were discoveries that were made along the Pasion River that hinted that something was going on in the Mayan diet. Perhaps the Mayans had over-farmed their lands. The advent of lidar also assisted in the mystery of why the Mayan Civilization collapsed. Would there be other explanations as to why the Mayan civilization collapsed? What else id discover about the Mayan civilization? Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more. Okay, I have to get this out: as someone who despised and struggled to learn math in school: Boo Mayas! Now that you all know about my dislike of math, I can continue on. This was the first time I learned about Stephens and Catherwood who worked to discover the Mayan civilization and I thought that tidbit was interesting. I thought the pacing of the documentary was very well done and I liked the timeline that showed the civilizations in Central America developed. The discussion on lidar was very good and shows how technology has impacted our understanding of history. I would put this on my list of documentaries to show to a history classroom. It was just really well done and the information was very good. |
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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. |