About this season
Secrets to Civilisation is a groundbreaking History series which explores the recent explosion in data about our planet's past, offering a completely fresh perspective on the ancient world from the Bronze Age to the fall of Rome.
Episodes (3)
1. Bronze Age Catastrophe
5.0Aired 19 September 2021 • 52 min
Modern science reveals the environmental forces that have shaped human history. This series explores how cutting-edge science is changing the way we think about the ancient past - restoring the environment to its place as a key driver of human history. Throughout the series, top historians and archaeologists share with us how new collaborations with the scientific community, and a host of new data on the state of our planet, is providing them with fresh insights on how climate, disease and vulcanism have affected the course of human history.
2. Cities and Empires
6.0Aired 19 September 2021 • 51 min
The 1st Millenium BCE in the Mediterranean is the birth of the modern world. We'll explore the environmental conditions that made this possible and how people working with new technologies took advantage of a favorable climate to create a classical civilization.
3. Empire and Epidemics
5.0Aired 19 September 2021 • 53 min
With the help of top scientists and historians including Kyle Harper author of bestseller The Fate of Rome we look into what science is now telling us about the impact of disease in toppling the Roman Empire.