Decisive Battles of the Ancient World (History Channel)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Artist Not ProvidedBrand: A&E HOME ENT.
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 380 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product features:
- They are the moments when history was writ in blood; when armies determined the fate of empires and men became myths. They are the DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. In a groundbreaking four-disc release, THE HISTORY CHANNEL? presents the 13 defining points of ancient warfare-moments that altered the course of history and shaped the modern world. DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD narr
Movie Reviews of Decisive Battles of the Ancient World (History Channel)
Movie Review: High Glory and Major Screwups
Summary: 5 Stars
Might makes right, but might and brains don't always go together and "fortune rules all things; she raises to eminence or buries in oblivion from caprice rather than principle." (Sallust)
If you don't believe that, you should check out Decisive Battles of the Ancient World from the History Channel. This fantastic documentary covers thirteen major battles ranging from Ramses II fighting the Hittites for control of Syria to the Spartans standing off the Persians at Thermopylae to the Gothic invasion of Rome and Boudicca's revolt in Britain. "Chance rules all," according to Virgil, but after watching Decisive Battles, I'd change that to "chance, hubris, ambition, greed and stupidity."
Most of these battles were epochal to one degree or another, shaping the future development of the entire Western world, and the West as we know it might not even exist if they'd turned out differently. So it's unnerving (and comical) to realize how contingent history really is--how much of it is determined by random combinations of personality and circumstance, the fate of nations hanging on the quirks of strutting egos and a roll of the dice.
The video covers each battle in a twenty-minute episode, featuring lots of maps, background material, onsite footage and interviews with classical scholars like Victor Davis Hanson--expert on Hoplite warfare and author of the great book "A War Like No Other," a history of the Peloponnesian War. The battles themselves are presented using a beta version of the video game Rome: Total War, using computer graphics to animate the formations and maneuvers. This is a lot more effective than using re-enactors since it provides an aerial view of the battles and a sense of their scale.
Some of these fights are stories of epic courage like the last stand of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, while others are chaotic and insane--bloody massacres doomed from the start. Some of the commanders were geniuses like Caesar, Paulinus and Alexander the Great. Others were less brilliant, to say the least, marching their armies into death traps like Varus and Crassus. In any case, this is "Big Man" history--a story of High Glory and Major Screwups--and it's mind-boggling how small some of these Big Men really were.
Great stuff. Highly recommended.
Ancient World Review
Summary of Decisive Battles of the Ancient World (History Channel)
They are the moments when history was writ in blood; when armies determined the fate of empires and men became myths. They are the DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. In a groundbreaking four-disc release, THE HISTORY CHANNEL? presents the 13 defining points of ancient warfare-moments that altered the course of history and shaped the modern world. DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD narrates a comprehensive account of the famed leaders that commanded victory and the brilliant military tactics that swayed destiny as it travels the globe to examine every aspect of these legendary encounters. Witness recreations of the crucial battles of Rome and beyond--from Cannae to Marathon to Thermopylae--and follow some of the greatest warriors of all time, including Hannibal, Spartacus, and Attila the Hun. DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD offers the ultimate survey of the colossal conflicts that determined the fate of the Western world. DVD Features: TBD Episodes: Atilla the Hun Birth of the Roman Empire Boudicca: Warrior Queen Cannae Crassus: Rich Man, Poor Man Gaugamela Gothic Invasion of Rome, The Hail Caesar! Herman the German Marathon Ramses II Spartacus ThermopylaeDocumentary DVD Video
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