Superbly insightful, beautifully visual hi-tech history
Mike Birman | Brooklyn, New York USA | 04/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This British series examining great historical civilizations and their cultural and artistic artifacts first became known to me through the History Channel, which broadcast several episodes. Intrigued by what I saw, I decided to purchase this box-set labeled volume 3. It contains six 50 minute long episodes (available individually). The episodes included are: Dark Age England, Ancient China, Samurai Japan, Ancient India, The Celts and Empires of the Americas.
The series is superb. Each episode includes analysis by academic experts, beautiful location photography and excellent 3-D computer generated graphics that recreate buildings, works of art or even entire cities that have all vanished into the dust of history. Some of the computer generated images are absolutely stunning: the ancient pagodas of Japan, the great lost cities of the Incas, the intricate art of the Saxons and the Viking longboats that assailed them. The integration of these elements is seamless. The historical analysis is dense enough (in the good sense) to enable multiple viewings without boredom. I found each episode to be both entertaining and informative. If you are interested in ancient history, you might find these programs well worth your while. Each disc is NTSC encoded for Region 1. The films are shot full screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The images are crystal clear. Sound is in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and is excellent. Total running time of the set is 300 minutes.
This is ancient history presented without hype and is not dumbed down (it is a British series). Each episode is extremely informative without being dry. Combining the latest computer graphics with expert commentary, these programs are highly recommended. A nice way to broaden your (ancient) horizons.
Mike Birman"