Western Civilization

The Western world fears attacks from fanatics, fears being left behind by a more dynamic Asian civilization, fears that anonymous bureaucrats control one's destiny.

Traces 1,500 years of history to shed light on the incredible engineering accomplishments of the ancient Greeks—and the leaders who enabled them to happen.

This A&E Special begins at the rat-infested ships that brought the bubonic plague as it tells the story of the Black Death—a scourge that penetrated peasant huts and the papal palace alike.

Roman, Gothic, Baroque, and Rococo religious art, along with Christian iconography, are examined as reflections of the religious and political attitudes of the periods in which they were created.

Cosimo I’s rise to power, propelled by vast ambition and well-founded obsession with his own security; also his connection to Vasari, one of the first art historians, and the relationship that developed between later generations of Medici dukes and the scientific community.

Explains how Britain used extraordinary engineering feats to become an industrial and military titan—and master of an empire that, at its pinnacle, spanned the globe.

Explores the reasons why the Germanic peoples left their homeland, their traditions and beliefs, and illustrates the clashes of arms and of culture that marked the first contacts between Roman and "barbarus".