Customer Reviews:
Great for History Classes.......2007-07-10
This DVD set is truly a great treasure a world history class. I really wanted a DVD set which covered all the ancient civilizations and this set does that superbly. The only ancient civilization it doesn't cover is Ancient Japan. Each 50 minute segment covers the culture, history and religion of an area but with a specific investigative perspective. This DVD set is very informative and interesting.
Best DVD's Available on Ancient Civilizations!.......2006-11-03
Being a homeschool mom I am always looking for the most interesting, hold your attention type ways of teaching history. I have watched several tapes on ancient history that were dry & rather dull. "Lost Civilizations" is anything but dull. My 9 yr. old loves it, and even my 6 yr. old will sit for 45 minutes at a time and watch it. It covers Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt & the Aegean on Vol.1. Greece, China & Rome on Vol.2. The Maya's and The Inca's on Vol. 3. Africa and Tibet on Vol.4. The scenery is breath-taking! We watch the tapes every year as a review. And if you can believe it, my kids put it in sometimes for fun. I highly recommend this set!
Good Value for a lot of material.......2006-02-06
If you are someone who would think nothing of spending $25 on a 50 minute PBS documentary, this might not be the ideal set for you. It's appeal to me was its value. It covered a huge amount of material in an acceptable, if not always outstanding, manner.
A previous reviewer complained about the amount of Biblical references in the first episode on Mesopotamia. To me the approach of the series was quite understandable. The Bible is one of the most ancient and reliable sources of information in addition to being a cultural reference point that many viewers would naturally reflect upon.
But by no means is the series an unscientific propaganda piece for religous groups. Religion is not the focus of the series. Consider, for example, that several episodes do not hesitate to make a comment on the sexual practices of the culture under discussion when relevant.
The series does not confine its self to "Lost" civilizations, so I suspect the title was more a product of the marketing department. But the episode on the Agean Sea culture (Atlantis?) was quite interesting. The episode on the lost history of Africa is something one does not hear much about. The sheer breadth and variety of cultures discussed makes this a valuable general introductory tool.
Where are we going?.......2005-10-12
When I first saw the name Time-Life I was anticipating a cesspool of political correct hodgepodge. As a public school teacher I was thrilled to find the straight forward format for this production. National Geographic could take some lessons from Time-Life's Lost Civilizations. The viewer will walk away with a ton of well researched info that is very professionally produced. An expansion into India, China, Australia, Russia, and Japan would be super. Keep up the good work.
Where are we going?.......2005-08-28
I bought the collection with the hope that I was going to see an informative and historical series, instead I found myself in disbelieve of the contents and the assertions of some of their "investigators". These "investigators" try to railroad people towards the bible in all their cd's. The first cd: Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and the Aegean is just a small bits of historical facts with a whole bunch of "support" for the "historical" existence of the bible and the narrator tries to tie these bits of history with episodes in the bible. The one that takes the "cake", is the one on the Mayan civilization. After explaining and reiterating, and repeating about the grandiose of the empire and all the knowledge in mathematics and astronomy, they go on and on in saying that there is a "hidden" fact that was "recently" discovered. This "fact" is that the civilization was lost because they didn't believe in God (that is the Christian God). The whole series is just a sad excuse to justify the existence of the bible and the "goodness" of Christianism. I just can't believe that Time-Life will sell this collection as "historical". Label like it is: "taking bits of history to give a religion a "historical" justification.
DVD:
- Man With the Movie Camera
- Mark Twain - A Film Directed by Ken Burns
- Martin Luther King Jr. - I Have a Dream
- Maya Lin - A Strong Clear Vision
- Memphis Belle
- Michelangelo - Self-Portrait
- Mohammed the Prophet
- Murder on a Sunday Morning
- My Flesh and Blood
- Naked States
DVD
DVD
General
| Documentary
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Ancient Civilizations
Empires Collection - The Dynasties (Egypt's Golden Empire / The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance / Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire / The Roman Empire in the First Century / The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization)
Empires - Egypt's Golden Empire
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Empires - Islam: Empire of Faith