BBC - Lost Kingdoms of Africa (2010)

 

BBC - Lost Kingdoms of Africa (2010)
English
| Subtitle: English | XviD 704x400 1582Kbps 25fps | AC3 192Kbps 2CH
48KHz | 4.3GB
Genre: Documentary

Four-part series in
which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the
pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.
The
African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an
incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of
its history than almost anywhere else on earth. But that is beginning to
change. In the last few decades researchers and archaeologists have
begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as
anywhere else in the world. The series reveals that Africa's stories
are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings -
in the culture, art and legends of the people

Part 1: Nubia
The
first episode looks at Nubia, in what is now northern Sudan, a kingdom
that dominated a vast area of the eastern Sahara for thousands of years.
Its people were described as barbarians and mercenaries, and yet Nubia
has left us with some of the most spectacular monuments in the world.
Casely-Hayford traces the origins of this fascinating kingdom back to
10,000 BC. He explores how it developed and what happened to it and its
people, discovering that its kings once ruled Ancient Egypt and that it
was defeated not by its rivals but by its environment.


Part
2: Ethiopia
When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the Ethiopian
military in 1974, an ancient kingdom came to an end. According to
tradition, the imperial dynasty stretched back virtually unbroken to 950
BC and its origins had links to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
The legitimacy of Haile Selassie and the foundations of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Church rested on this claim, but was it true? Casely-Hayford
searches for the evidence and discovers why faith in the legend has
lasted for centuries. He traces Ethiopia's heritage back in time,
investigating its astonishing secrets and legends.


Part 3:
Great Zimbabwe
In 1871, European explorers stumbled across an
astonishing ruined city, deep in the African interior. Great Zimbabwe
has been a source of fascination and controversy ever since, a symbol of
African genius and a fascinating insight into the empires which once
dominated southern Africa.
Casely-Hayford goes in search of the roots
of this immense kingdom. He traces the trade in gold and precious goods
that sustained it and uncovers the kingdoms that grew up around it.


Part
4: West Africa
When magnificent 16th century bronze casts were
discovered in the kingdom of Benin in 1897, many could not believe they
had been made by Africans. It was thought West Africa lacked the
technical development required to make them. Dr Casely-Hayford travels
to present-day Nigeria and Mali in search of the truth, exploring what
the bronzes mean, how the technology to make them developed, and what it
reveals about the lost kingdoms of West Africa.

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