World History to 1500 - HIST 111 Resource Guide

This series provides an immersion in each civilization by combining precise historical overviews with detailed glimpses of everyday life. Scholars provide commentary on each culture, including such topics as the role of women, religion, education, the military, and politics, while readings from contemporary sources and 3-D architectural reconstructions allow students to virtually visit these ancient worlds.

Bringing 70,000 years of human history to life, this epic eight-part series travels through time to the big stories of history. It is a human story populated with big characters in the places where the big events really happened. It is the story of civilizations, cultures, successes and crashing failures, a story that charts progress and development through the centuries.

The Ottoman Empire, from the sacking of Constantinople to the end of the 16th century, encompassed Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Spain, and Turkey. This program examines the structure of this empire, from the family to religion and bureaucracy.

The Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala, reached the peak of its power and influence around the sixth century A.D. The Maya excelled at agriculture, pottery, hieroglyph writing, calendar-making and mathematics, and left behind an astonishing amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork.

Despite the towering reputation of Egypt's Great Pyramids at Giza, the Americas actually contain more pyramid structures than the rest of the planet combined. Civilizations like the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Inca all built pyramids to house their deities, as well as to bury their kings.

The origins of the great civilization known as the Byzantine Empire can be traced to 330 A.D., when the Roman emperor Constantine I dedicated a "new Rome" on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium.

On a unique planet, a unique species takes its first steps: Mankind begins. But it's a world full of danger. Threatened by extinction, we innovate to survive--discovering fire and farming; building cities and pyramids; inventing trade--and mastering the art of war. From humble beginnings, we become the dominant creature on the planet.