LEGACY: IRAQ: THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION (TV)
Summary
One in this series of historical documentaries that chronicles the breadth and diversity of Earth's civilizations, explores the fundamental cultural differences among them, and examines the unique ways that people perceive the world. In this program, host Michael Wood explores the history of Iraq, tracing the roots of civilization to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. Wood examines this early Mesopotamian society, discussing such topics as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which are known as the birthplace of civilization; the region's agrarian-based culture; the first alphabet and the first schools; and the value placed on religious worship and spiritual plurality. Other topics addressed include the fall of the Sumerian civilization in 2000 B.C. due to overpopulation, agricultural ruin, inflation, famine, and economic collapse; the Arab armies' conquest of Mesopotamia in 7th century A.D.; the Arabs' transformation of Baghdad into the richest city on Earth, and the city's destruction by the Mongol invasion in 1258; the region's return to an arid desert in the 16th century, due to greed and poor planning; and the Arabs' eventual modernization of cities in the 1920s, when they became part of a military state with an oil-based economy. The program features footage of existing Sumerian architecture, including a storeroom built from stone in 3000 B.C. No commercials. (This program is closed-captioned.)
Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: February 2, 1992 Sunday 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:58:02
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:26681
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries; Education/Information
- SUBJECT HEADING: Architecture, Sumerian; Civilization, Sumerian; Iraq - Antiquities; Iraq - Civilization; Iraq - History; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1992
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Leo Eaton … Executive Producer
- Roger James … Executive Producer
- Peter Spry-Leverton … Producer, Director
- Chris Ledger … Associate Producer
- Donna R. Hunt … Associate Producer
- Michael Wood … Writer, Host, Presenter
- Edward Wynne … Music by
- Hal Lindes … Music by