The Greeks ~ Crucible of CivilisationThe Greeks - Crucible of Civilisation recounts the rise, glory, demise and legacy of the empire that marked the dawn of Western Civilisation. In the fourth and fifth centuries, BC, the Greeks built an empire that stretched across the Mediterranean from Asia to Spain. They laid the foundation of modern science, politics, warfare and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever seen. It was perhaps the most spectacular flourishing of imagination and achievement in recorded history.
Episode 1 ~ The Birth of Democracy
The Birth of Democracy tells the story of the troubled birth of the world's first democracy, Ancient Athens, through the life of an Athenian nobleman, Cleisthenes. In the brutal world of the fifth century BC, the Athenians struggle against a series of tyrants and their greatest rival, Sparta, to create a new "society of equals". The program closes on the eve of the new society's first great test: invasion by the mighty empire of Persia.
Episode 2 ~ The Golden Age
The Golden Age recounts the Greeks' heroic victory against the mighty Persia through the life of Themistocles, one of Athens's greatest generals. Greece, now master of the Mediterranean, undergoes one of the most startling intellectual and physical transformations in history. Pericles, the elected leader of Athens, overseas the building of the Parthenon and an extraordinary flourishing of the arts and sciences, laying the foundation for what we now call "Western Culture".
Episode 3 ~ The Collapse of Confidence
The Collapse of Confidence describes how Athens, at the height of her glory, engaged in a suicidal conflict with her greatest rival, Sparta. Through the eyes of Socrates, Athen's first philosopher, we see the tragic descent of Athenian democracy into mob rule. As defeat piles on defeat, the Athenians, shattered and stripped of their empire, take revenge on their most vocal critic and condemn Socrates to death before a people's court.
