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Empires - The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization

Liam Neeson (Actor), Willy Bowman (Actor), Cassian Harrison (Director, Writer) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 205 ratings
IMDb7.5/10.0
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DVD
February 13, 2001 		—
1
$23.76
$19.75 $3.00
DVD
April 5, 2005 		—
1
—
$25.79 $2.70
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Product Description

CLASSICAL GREECE OF THE 4TH AND 5TH CENTURIES B.C. WAS A MAGNIFICENT CIVILIZATION THAT LAID THE FOUNDATIONS FOR MODERN SCIENCE, POLITICS, WARFARE AND PHILOSOPHY. THROUGH THE EYES AND WORDS OF THE GREAT HEROES OF ANCIENT GREECE, THIS CHARTS THE RISE, TRIUMPH AND EVENTUAL DECLINE OF THE WORLD'S 1ST DEMOCRACY.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.57 x 5.33 x 7.6 inches; 3.04 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ Relay Time: 165 min
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Cassian Harrison
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen, NTSC, Color, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ April 5, 2005
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Liam Neeson, Willy Bowman, Jeffery Dench, Vernon Dobtcheff, Bill Reimbold
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ PBS
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0007KIFUA
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Cassian Harrison
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 205 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
205 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jacob Emrey
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2009
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If you're looking for an indepth look at Greek society this is not the DVD for you. However, if you have a mild to moderate understanding of the Greeks and want to brush up or learn more, this is an excelent DVD. It focuses mainly on the Athenians, but this is necessary when attempting to cover the Greeks in such a short period of time and in a western civilization context, which is what the DVD does. It starts with the rise of Athenian democracy and takes you through the Groco-persian wars, to the Peloponnesian wars and ends with the fall of Athenian empire and the death sentence of Socrates. All in all it's an excelt history.

Jacob Emrey
Author: Diana Agafy & Malachi
BA world History
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NH Grandmom
5.0 out of 5 stars Superior collection of info
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2021
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I’ve used this DVD in my classrooms for years and have gifted it to many of my Greek relatives.
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Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars It's the beginning of our 'Democratic' way of life
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2015
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It's super well done - it's a complicated subject to cover. Names we can no longer pronounce, a world we no longer understand, a way of life long gone. So why bother at all, except it's the foundation of who we are as a people in the United States - as a European American. It's the beginning of our 'Democratic' way of life. Those who do not understand their history are doomed .... you know the rest.
2 people found this helpful
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Jeffrey
5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT Documentary!
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2020
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Everything you wanted to know about the ancient Greeks - Fascinating, excellently filmed in Greece, and extremely informative, as well as entertaining. -- It is the next best thing to actually being there!
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Daniel Roman
4.0 out of 5 stars The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization (VHS)
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
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A wonderful baby-sitter at the Assisted Living Home around the corner. Please, please, please convert this VHS into a Blue Ray DVD. It will sell off the rack. Attention Liberal Arts Majors: This is a must. Other books that should awaken you would include:
The Educated Mind. A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, by Susan Wise Bauer.

The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric. Understanding the Nature and Function of Language, by Sister Miriam Joseph, C.S.C., PhD. Edited by Marguerite McGlinn

Most Things Steinbeck, all of the Harvard Classics and in your spare time ZEALOT, The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan, author of No god but God.
3 people found this helpful
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Edward E.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book.
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019
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It is an excellent book detailing the Golden Age of Greek life and civilization. I am going to use it in my university class on Greek culture as a resource material.
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Terry chamness
5.0 out of 5 stars Review of DVD
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2019
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This is the second of the PBS Empires series that I've purchased very good documentaries so far and I look forward to purchasing more in the series
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Anglyn Hays
5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely romp with the Greeks
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2008
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Nicely done history, with all the major players clearly defined. Not that easy for ancient history. Very nice photography, and as far as I can tell, no factual inaccuracies. If you like history and know the period, you'll enjoy this one. If you don't know history, this one is a good choice to learn about the Greeks and the concepts we derive from them. A good show all around.
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Top reviews from other countries

Keith A Woodward
5.0 out of 5 stars A well presented documentary with good dramatizations, well narration by Liam Neeson
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2017
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A well presented documentary with good dramatizations, well narration by Liam Neeson. It focuses mainly on the rise and fall of Athens. This DVD is good value for money at three hours long and also contains bonus footage with leading academics talking about Greek theatre, art and science as well as other topics. I was pleased with this documentary.
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Demetrios Angelis
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good documentary!
Reviewed in Canada on February 16, 2015
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This documentary could easily have been an extra 30 minutes longer (at least)! It is unfortunate that important Greeks such as Hippocrates, Plato and Aristotle were not given more airtime for their contributions to Western civilization. Maybe, the next time that the producers of this documentary re-releases the documentary, they can include these important figures as additional bonus features to the ones already included here. The narration by Liam Nielson, the pace and details of the story, the widescreen format and the subtitles, all help make this documentary worth watching over and over again. I do agree with the other reviewers that the title of this documentary should be called "The Athenians: Crucible of Western Civilization" or even "The Greeks of Athens: the Birthplace of Western Civilization", since the story is presented with Athens as the central focus point, and its relation to Sparta, Sicily and Persia. Still, this is a great documentary which can be used as an educational tool for those willing to teach or learn about the Athenians of Ancient Greece and their contribution to Western thinking and behaviour.
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potter
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2014
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Lot of trouble running it due to compatibility.
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Jet Stream
3.0 out of 5 stars WHAT ABOUT THE SLAVES?
Reviewed in Canada on June 24, 2014
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This is a good presentation of Ancient Greek history in Athens but there was no mention that democracy was limited to a minority of the Athenian population. This documentary is seriously lacking in neglecting to point out that ancient Athens was a slave society.
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