About this season
Classicist Dr Michael Scott uncovers the strange, alien world of the ancient Greeks. He asks who were these people who gave us democracy, architecture, philosophy, language, literature and sport.
Episodes (2)
1. Brutality and Brilliance
Aired 27 June 2013 • 59 min
The ancient Greeks may have a lasting influence over many aspects of the modern world, but the way they lived would be completely alien to us. Traveling across Greece today, classicist Dr Michael Scott finds that ancient Greece was a seething tornado of strange, unsettling and downright outrageous customs and beliefs, inhabited by a people who could be horrific to those around them.
2. Influence and Imagination
Aired 4 July 2013 • 59 min
Democracy, art, architecture, philosophy, science: all can be traced back to ancient Greece. Traveling across the ancient Greek world, from Athens to Olympia, Turkey and Sicily, classicist Michael Scott discovers why they were so successful, why their culture and way of life spread across continents and why they still have such a powerful hold over our imaginations today.