This is a set of sets from A&E/History Channel. The set consists of Rome: Engineering an Empire, Alexander the Great, The Aztec Empire, Lost City of the Incas, Egypt: Beyond the Pyramids, and Julius Caesar's Rome.
Rome: Engineering an Empire (100 minutes) — tells the story of engineering in Rome — both scientific and political. From Julius Caesar's bridge over the Rhine to the end of the Empire, scientific feats helped the Romans to expand their influence and increase their standard of living. Political engineering, though often less publicly beneficial, was no less important in the shaping of the legacy of the Roman Empire. No menu on this one, and no special features.
Alexander the Great (150 minutes) — (includes menu, scene selection, and a behind the scenes featurette). Relies on Plutarch's account of Alexander's early life. While many documentaries feature modern scholars giving their interpretations, this features actors playing the parts of ancient historians (Plutarch, Diodorus, etc.) along with contemporary scholars — an interesting decision, and one that, while jarring at first, grew on me. The video also makes a point of showing Alexander as a PR master as well as a military tactician, especially in his encounter with the Gordian knot (even though no mention is made of Plutarch's dispute with the commonly accepted legend). It is also amazing to the modern mind that Alexander's arrogance didn't lead to his defeat at the hands of Darius. And of course, there has to be the discussion of what killed him, which was a bit brief for my tastes, but did raise the question — had Alexander not died young, would he have been considered all that great? Would he have been able to rule the empire he conquered?
The Behind the Scenes featurette was very informative as well, and was a good addition to the video.
The Aztec Empire (50 minutes) — no special features — (only a menu and scene selection) — from the "In Search of History" episode on the Aztecs. Very good introduction to Aztec culture. Even-handed treatment of the Spanish invasion, which also showed how the Aztecs were feared and hated in the region. Unfortunately brief, partially because of the lack of information we have on the Aztec culture.
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