Documentary
A guided tour of the history of numbers and how they’ve shaped the development of humankind is at the heart of this unique series. In five episodes that take us across time and around the world, we see how mathematics played an important role in ancient Egypt and Greece, early…
The narrator takes the spectator on a journey from the pyramids to the bed of the Nile, demonstrating the need to maintain social and geographical stability after the Nile's annual floods. The Inundation is a driving force for the development of numbers and early geometry.
In this episode we move to the Greek civilization, where meticulous thinkers used logic and reason to build the foundations of mathematics laid down by the Egyptians. Along with Pythagoras, to whom we owe the famous theorem, these philosophers have shown, through mathematics, the principles of geometry we know today.
Our journey takes us to the east, the Indian subcontinent, where we find the zero. Representing both 'nothing' and the infinite possibility, this unique digit, when used as a marker, it is a cornerstone of modern mathematics. Along with negative numbers, this innovation has opened, both east and west, never imagined numbers.
This episode moves to the Renaissance period when European scientists were eager to use the formulas and philosophies learned from the Greeks to discover the mathematical secrets of the world and the universe. We witness the emergence of differential and integral calculus in a competitive environment so strong that competing theories divided the Western world.
In this last episode, we are transported to the modern era, where we can witness that the spirit of mathematics innovation is alive and kicking. We focus us on the great current minds, who have sought to resolve some of the great mathematical issues still unresolved in the past, including Fermat's last theorem and the Poincaré conjecture. It serves to remind us that mathematics is still with territories left to unravel.
No cast information available.
Throughout human history, there have been sinister desires driven by animalistic lust, and the Ancient Egyptians were no different. From Rameses II, who bent the truth and made himself a god on the earth, to Cleopatra, who engaged in incest and used her sex appeal as a weapon, this History Channel movie explores the dark side of one of the greatest empires in history.
A three-part British documentary film series about life in the Paleozoic, bringing to life extinct arthropods, fish, amphibians, synapsids, and reptiles. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh and using state-of-the-art visual effects, this prequel to Walking with Dinosaurs shows nearly 300 million years of Paleozoic history, from the Cambrian Period (530 million years ago) to the Early Triassic Period (248 million years ago).
Tutored by Aristotle, helpless witness to his father's assassination, and a brilliant, pioneering tactician, Alexander the Great had conquered the known world--and sealed his legacy as one of history's most remarkable rulers--by the age of 25. In the year 334 B.C., 20-year-old King Alexander of Macedonia decided to bring the farthest reaches of the world under one domain. Over the next 12 years, he led a grand army across more than 20,000 miles and eventually brought all of Asia under his control, only to perish from battle wounds at the age of 32. Incorporating dramatic onsite reenactments with high-end computer graphics and the expertise of renowned scholars, THE TRUE STORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT is a special presentation from THE HISTORY CHANNEL®, examining the life and career of this military genius, impassioned lover, and fearless leader.
Around 5000 years ago, one of the largest and most powerful empires in history emerged on the Nile – Ancient Egypt. This mysterious era continues to fascinate us. In eight episodes, this series shows the unique achievements of the ancient Egyptians in government, culture, and society. International scientists and researchers decode the facets of this advanced civilisation. The first territorial state in history was founded more than 3000 years ago – making it older than any nation in existence today. Crises keep dividing the region and causing chaos, and it is these phases that the people on the Nile fear the most. They know that only order and stability can lead to prosperity. Egyptians are given a sense of identity and unity by their diverse cultures.
