Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Home Video
• DVD Release Date: May 25, 2010
• Run Time: 376 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00354TU68
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #96,298 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

ANCIENTS BEHAVING BADLY - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Find out how naughty these ancients really were based on inteviews with historians & scientists!, May 27, 2010

By 

Haunted Flower (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancients Behaving Badly DVD Set (DVD)

Ancients Behaving Badly
8 Episodes on 2 Discs (2010)

"Ancients Behaving Badly" are documentary-style episodes from the History Channel about eight of the most brutal and feared leaders of the ancient world: Caligula, Attila the Hun, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, and Nero. They cover the latest historical finds to support or disprove claims made about each of these leaders and the treatment of their subjects, their battlefield strategy, and how they achieved and maintained their power. Interviews are taken with experts and are combined with on-location footage and some illustrated CGI reenactments.

There is a scale used to judge the bad behavior at the end of each episode comparing a range of Psychopathic Killer to Goal-Driven Character. It also dictates how they rate with Narcissistic Personality Disorder to get terrifying historical personalities. Certain acts indicate a logical approach and keen insight and other acts apparently diagnose a psychosis. The experts interviewed are historians and also occasionally scientists or other experts. They work to figure out what things like what type of poison Nero may have used on his stepbrother and if it was possible for Nero to rig a canopy to fall on his mother to crush her while she sailed on her boat.

The historians like to compare the "ancients" to more modern historic figures like Hitler, Mussolini, etc. One historian calls Caligula "Freddy Krueger in a toga." Attila the Hun "makes Hannibal Lector look like Mother Teresa."

It is a very interesting and eye-opening show that takes rumors and stories you may vaguely remember for a textbook and get to the bottom of them in all their naughty glory. For example, a rumor about the appearance of Attila's Huns was proven by finding deformed skulls made from wrapping children's heads with bandages tightly at a young age to make them protrude more like a conehead than a regular human skull. Attila is said to have fed his barbarians raw uncooked meat warmed on horseback so some men test this and find out it is not indigestible due to the tenderizing that takes place in the constant motion of horseback riding.

After an intense debate about whether or not Julius Caesar had an STD and if so, what kind, the experts eventually diagnose him with Chlamydia. Some of these ancient figures' histories were kept hidden for years in the public interest of trying to forget about them, just to be resurrected by later leaders to make themselves look better by comparison. One thing is for sure, there was no shortage of drama or limit to the deceit these ancients could engage in.

Like the recently reviewed "Hoarders" season on A&E, for some reason, this DVD set does not have a "Play All" function on the front menu. When you select an ancient, say Julius Caesar, it takes you to a scene selection list with a "Play All" function as if you wouldn't want to automatically see the episode. A minor complaint but an annoying one!

If you're a history buff and like to get all the dirty gossip, this series is for you. It goes beyond textbook and is pretty interesting. I'll admit, the first episode made me fall asleep, but all the rest stood up to the caffeine test so if you're dying to know more about Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Julius Caesar, Caligula, Cleopatra, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, or Nero, check it out.

Bonus Features: None

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars, June 2, 2011

By 

M. Ryan "Overlly obsesed with Warriors!!!" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ancients Behaving Badly DVD Set (DVD)

This is an awesome series about these people. This movie proves rumors and theories about the people were not made up by their enemies, but were true. I have studied these people from the past and learned new crimes from this series that I've never heard of, even though I have studied them a lot. If you want to learn something new of these ancients (especially Hannible) you will want this.

But there is one thing that I didn't like. In the video about Genghis, they say that he killed his friend, Jamukha, in cold-blood, but Jamukha told Genghis to kill him. Genghis wanted to spare his life but he obeyed his old friend. Genghis is said to have been very sad about his death, but this video makes the viewer think that he wanted to murder him.

Other than that mistake though, everything about this series is great.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancients behaving badly, February 8, 2011

By 

Jon - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ancients Behaving Badly DVD Set (DVD)

Great informative dvd learned alot and was draawn into the entire program by the presentation of information and historical references. Keep it up this is great stuff.