Timothy Copestake

Classical historian Bettany Hughes explores Athens - a city lauded as the mainspring of Western-style democracy, liberty and freedom of speech. Heady words are used to describe Athenian life in the 5th century BC, 'a Golden Age', 'the Greek Miracle'. Reality, of course, was richer and more complex. In this timely series, new archaeological evidence and contributions from experts in the period combine to generate a powerful TV resource for students of the classical world. (Lion Television)

Expanding on theories introduced in speculative historian Graham Hancock's book "Fingerprints of the Gods," this three-part television miniseries suggests that ancient civilizations separated by thousands of miles may have actually been somehow connected.

This program contends that the popular perception of the Muslim occupation of Spain toward the end of the first millennium is largely wrong. The eighth century Muslim invasion of the Iberian Pennisula was largely welcomed by the locals and rejuvenated the area with advanced technology, agriculture and a construction boom. This program describes these innovations. All this changed in the eleventh century when the regional government fragmented. (imdb)