B---Ancient and Medieval History
| Byzantium : The Lost Empire - Heaven on
Earth DVD 740.229 2120 |
Rome fell in 476, but the empire moved east and lasted another thousand years. Learn how Constantine made Byzantium the glory of the Christian world, and how Byzantine refugees sparked the Renaissance by bringing classic texts back to the West. |
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Beginnings Of Exploration, The 無字幕, 英文發音 EV/900/018B01 V0013075 |
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Barbarians (History Channel)
DVD/ 900 / G226-1 V |
It combines reenactments with expert historians' interviews, pulling the viewer into the past and making it seem like the present. It's pop history. What of it? It gets you interested and encourages you to explore issues that interest the audience. These barbarians were brutalized by their neighboring empires, and had to develop guerrilla tactics to compete successfully. Having Mongols depicted by actors who could have been anything from Hispanic to Caucasian and certainly not "authentic" Asians is relatively horrible, considering there cannot be a dearth of Asian/Asian-American actors who could have portrayed Genghis (or JENgis, as several of the historical experts were calling him in the program) far more realistically. Still, the History Channel did a commendable job of exploring the histories of the Vikings, Huns, Mongols, and Goths in this program. While I cannot verify whether all the information provided is completely accurate, I doubt there are as many hugely glaring errors as other critics would make one believe.-- From Amazon |
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Barbarians 2 (History Channel)
DVD/ 900 / G226-2 V |
This is the second DVD set from the History Channel that focuses on the Barbarian tribes of the Dark Ages. This series includes episodes on the Vandals, Franks, Lombards, and the Saxons. The first Barbarian series was an excellent introduction to a forgotten period in European history and despite some minor flaws, was thoroughly enjoyable. This second set continues to bring this period to life as never before. In the years leading up to and following the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West, hordes of often hungry and warlike barbarians swarmed into Roman lands from the East and North, inundating an already weak Imperial government in Rome. These barbarian tribes were hired as mercenaries and served the Empire as hired muscle against other barbarians. This series focuses on some of the most famous of these groups, two of which went on to become extremely important in post- Imperial Europe. The Franks, under the ruthless, but powerful, King Clovis, would found a great kingdom of their own and lay the foundations for the Holy Roman Empire. The Saxons, surging west from Germania, would launch an invasion of Britain, claiming lands vacated by the retreating Romans, and served as the deadly enemies of the Britannic warlord who became the basis for the mythical King Arthur. The Vandals and the Lombards also left their bloody mark on history as enemies of the Empire. This period of history saw the collapse of civilization in the West and the emergence of a chaotic time known to history as the Dark Ages. At the same time, Christianity spread throughout Europe, largely at the hands of the Barbarians themselves who came to embrace, at least nominally, a belief in Christ. |
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Beowulf (1999)
DVD eng/ 829/B167b |
Beowulf translates the ancient epic poem of the same name into a postapocalyptic Road Warrior-style future, in which a military outpost is being invaded by a monstrous, blood-thirsty creature. Drawn hither by the evil emanations comes Beowulf (Christopher Lambert from Subway and the Highlander series), a powerful warrior with dark secrets of his own. There he meets the beautiful Kyra (Rhona Mitra), a woman warrior with a couple of cleavage-revealing outfits. Her father Hrothgar, meanwhile, is haunted by dreams of a blond, seminaked succubus with crimped hair, who has some mysterious connection to the murdering monster. Everyone, even father and daughter, has a different accent. It's all pretty trashy--the script is full of bravura lines like, "The only thing that keeps me from becoming evil is fighting evil"--but the cinematography and special effects are capable, there are lots of cool-looking swords and weaponry, and there's some pleasantly cheesy techno-metal music that plays intermittently for no good reason. Christopher Lambert, with white hair and a full-length leather duster, looks a little bored, but he's still his competent brooding action-hero self. If you enjoyed Mortal Kombat, this is right up your alley. --Bret Fetzer -- From Amazon |
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Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
DVD eng/ 829/G976b |
The otherworldly landscape of Iceland lends an appropriate touch of dark fantasy to this modern retelling of Beowulf, the oldest epic poem in the English language. Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera) brings the right balance of physicality and world-weariness as the Swedish hero Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to fight the monstrous troll Grendel (Icelandic superstar Ignvar Sigurdsson), which has been plaguing the house of King Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård, buried under a mound of prosthetic hair). However, what transpires is not a battle between good and evil, but a convoluted mystery of sorts, with Beowulf playing the detective who discovers that his foe is more human than monster, and Hrothgar less wronged innocent than catalyst for his own downfall. Director Sturla Gunnarsson succeeds in pulling this legendary story from the dust of academics by contemporizing the dialogue (Andrew Rai Berzins has an excellent ear for hard-bitten palaver), and his visuals are nothing less than striking, but the film attempts to be both monster movie and melancholy drama, while never quite satisfying the requirements of either genre. Regardless, the quality cast (which includes Sarah Polley from Dawn of the Dead as a sharp-tongued witch with a connection to Grendel) and some well-handled action sequences should hold viewers’ attention even when the unnecessarily complex plot does not. --Paul Gaita -- From Amazon |
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Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons (2003)
DVD eng/ 820/A784 |
It provides good background information on the culture of the Anglo- Saxons and the context of the Beowulf epic. Its best features are the recreations, the footage of the Sutton Hoo site and some of its treasures, and the actual recitation of some of the poem in the Old English ( very interesting to hear). The lecture that makes up the bulk of the narrative is of the type you might expect were you to attend a seminar at the Sutton Hoo site or some similar History for amateur enthusiast's event, but it is just enough material for a student starting to study this period or the poem. The only drawback is that the production company was obviously short on funds and towards the final third of the hour+ production, the visuals start to repeat- we see the same spinning helmet, the same burning lake, the same warriors tipping back the drinking horn once again-this is where my kids start laughing and go back to reading another book while I tell them to hang in there the material is worth it. But then, this isn't New Line Cinema, so you have to adjust your expectations. One especially good extra is the re-enactment segment. -- From Amazon |
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Conquerors-Peter the Great
DVD 748.25 2424 |
He ripped Russia out of the Middle Ages, refashioning it with European culture, science, medicine, and a new navy. Discover how this Russian monarch𥙑assion and perseverance spawned military victories, modern cities, and a renewed national pride. |
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Conquerors-Napoleon DVD 784.28 8012 |
Rome fell in 476, but the empire moved East and lasted another thousand years. Learn how Constantine made Byzantium the glory of the Christian world, and how Byzantine refugees sparked the Renaissance by bringing classic texts back to the West. |
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Conquerors-Alexander DVD 740.2137 1072 |
西元前331年, 亞歷山大大帝以勇氣征戰, 為馬其頓帝國寫下輝煌燦爛的一頁. 他在短短13年內併吞了西方世界的大半領土, 深入人跡未至的印度半島, 摧毀了當時最強盛的波斯帝國, 被讚頌為國王. 皇帝甚至神, 是史上首位名符其實的征服者.Discovery Channel將與您一起去了解: 亞歷山大大帝如何帶領馬其頓帝國邁向成功之路. |
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Coriolanus
DVD eng/822.3/F464/ |
The citizens of Rome are hungry. Coriolanus, the hero of Rome, a great soldier and a man of inflexible self-belief despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot. Rome is bloody. Manipulated and out-maneuvered by politicians and even his own mother Volumnia, Coriolanus is banished from Rome. He offers his life or his services to his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius. |
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Civilisation: The Complete Series (1969)
DVD eng/ 909 G475 |
Civilisation, A
Personal View by Lord Clark, may be the definitive documentary
series of the past 50 years. Aired in 1969, this ambitious British
undertaking which spanned an "80,000 mile journey visiting 13
countries, 117 locations, 18 libraries, and 118 museums," not only
reconfigured the public view of documentary style, but also cemented
BBC Two and its new Controller, David Attenborough, in history. In
watching this thirteen-episode series, one clearly sees how
Attenborough, as well as narrator Kenneth Clark, pioneered the
direct-gaze speaking style of the narrator along with the concept of
placing the narrator in the setting he refers to. In episode one,
The Skin of Our Teeth, Clark stands in front of Notre Dame to
question first, if civilization worth preserving, and secondly, what
the difference between art and culture is. Heavy. In subsequent
episodes, cultural history is viewed through an art historical lens.
Especially wonderful is The Worship of Nature, discussing 18th
century England's obsession with landscape painting in relation to
religious beliefs of the period. Deep philosophy colors each
50-minute segment. This DVD set includes an interview with
Attenborough. Undeniably educational, Civilisation feels eternally
significant, and improves with repeated viewing.
--Trinie Dalton -- From Amazon |
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Medieval Manuscripts
EV829/ |
Art and Function: reading of medieval texts; process of making books,-from parching, copying, illuminating to binding. |
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| Rome: Power and Glory -The Rise
(Legions of Conquest
帝國興起：羅馬的榮耀)
Director:
Graham Townsley |
興起於2000年前的羅馬帝國，輝煌盛世的法律、觀念與語言遺留至今，使今日的整個西方社會仍深受影響。這些盛世時的榮耀，仍令後世社會心生嚮往，起而效尤。 Discovery Channel 將與您一起去了解羅馬帝國影響後人至深的規章制度。神話傳說羅馬由羅穆勒斯與雷斯摩兄弟於西元前753年創建，羅穆勒斯隨後殺害手足，成為羅馬第一任國王，直至西元前五世紀，羅馬在伊特魯里亞人的統治下，始紀錄文獻記載的現實社會。瑟維厄圖里額斯的人口普查，劃分了羅馬公民的等級，賦予人民權利，播下代議政府的種籽，創設了之後共和政體的公民投票的基石；而出生貴族的辛西納忒斯，平日胼手胝足地耕種，在羅馬遭受攻擊時即慷慨就任獨裁官，戰後立即卸甲歸田的行為，亦成為後世的榜樣。羅馬帝國時期塑造出的文明行為準則，這些至今仍具有個人及社會意義的羅馬歷史，請您一起來一窺究竟。 |
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| Searching for Lost worlds
(- Skull Wars : The Missing Link 人類的起源) DVD 391.11 8092 |
人類的起源，至今仍是人們極力想發掘與證實的課題，Discovery Channel將帶領您回溯時光,，一起去窺探人類起源之謎。二十世紀初 ，雷蒙達特博士在南非發現外貌與行為都像人類的遠古類人猿的化石，因相似於1871年查爾斯達爾文所推論的人類演化史上失落的一環，而展開一連串的追蹤硏究 ，並引發之後的考古科學家，在非洲成就了更多令人稱奇的發現。 |
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Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight is one of the greatest works of English literature,
acclaimed by scholars as the equal of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. It
has inspired children's stories, translations in prose and poetry,
plays, animations, films and an opera. Yet, despite its fame, the
poem, which disappeared for centuries, was written by a poet whose
name remains unknown, in an obscure dialect of Middle English. This program sets out to investigate this unusual phenomenon, retracing the path of Sir Gawain in his fateful meeting with the Green Knight, and noting the haunted scenery through which he passes. Grounding itself on the latest research into the poem, it attempts to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding it, which it links to the career of an impetuous English monarch, whose fall was ultimately to plunge England into a century of civil war. -- From Amazon |
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Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
DVD/ 900 / M647 |
Terry Jones brings his inimitable style, a mix of goofy humor and scholarly inquisitiveness, to the subject of the Middle Ages in Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. While best known as an alum of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Jones is also somewhat of a historian, and it's obvious that he loves delving into the past, bringing to life the characters of antiquity with as much enthusiasm and skill as he brought to comedy sketches with Python. In this adventure he is focusing on the medieval world to find out what it was really like, and dispels some tired old misconceptions and brings to light new discoveries. The series is broken up into individual episodes focusing on one social class of the time: kings, priests, peasants, knights, and so on. Interspersing documentarian moments of research with goofy skits and Terry Gilliam-esque animations to illustrate his point, Jones assumes the roles himself (a bumbling priest, a weary peasant) and presents the mini skits in his particular comedic style as a supplement to his narrative. -- From Amazon |
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| World History: Medieval (4-1) EV/900/007B01 V0013055 EV/900/007B01 V0013063 |
1.
The Vikings: Life & Conguests 2. The
Medieval Knights 3.
The Medieval Cmsades 1. The Medieval Gieds 2. The Medieval Manor 3. Charlenagne 4. The Magna Carta (1) 5. The Magna Carta (2) 6. The Medieval Mind |
| World History: Prehistorical
and Ancient (4-3) (4-4) EV/900/007B01 |
1. Egypt: Cradle of
Civilization 2. Julius Caesar: The Rise of the Roman Empire 1. Major religions of the World 2. Cave Dweller of the Old Stone Age 3. Claudius: Boy of Ancient Rome 4. Life in Ancient Rome |
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