Product Details

• Actors: Glynis Brooks, Keith David, Nicole Douek, Peter Egan, David Holt
• Directors: Cassian Harrison
• Writers: Cassian Harrison
• Producers: Amanda Burrell, Anthony Geffen, Brian Donegan, Carol Sennett, Greg Diefenbach
• Format: Box set, Black & White, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: PBS Paramount
• DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005
• Run Time: 990 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000ANVQ6Y
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,148 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Empires Collection - The Dynasties (Egypt's Golden Empire / The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance / Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire / The Roman Empire in the First Century / The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Empires Collection: The Dynasties (5 Disc Gift Set) - Empires Collection: The Dynasties is a compilation of five outstanding stories of some of histories greatest dynasties.

Egypt's Golden Empire
In 1570 B.C., when Rome was still a marsh and the Acropolis was an empty rock, Egypt was already 1000 years old. Although the period of the pyramid-builders was long over, Egypt lay on the threshold of its greatest age. The New Kingdom would be an empire forged by conquest, maintained by intimidation and diplomacy, and remembered long after its demise. Led by a dynasty of rich personalities, whose dramatic lives changed the course of civilization, Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith.

The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance - From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history- the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages.

Japan: Memoirs Of A Secret Empire
Commanding shoguns and samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans -- all were part of the Japanese "renaissance" -- a period between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the Shogun under his absolute power and control. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship to the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world.

The Roman Empire in the First Century
Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time - the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen and shaped the Roman empire in the first century A.D.

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization
The Greeks - Classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. Through the eyes and words of the great heroes of ancient Greece, this dazzling production charts the rise, triumph, and eventual decline of the world's first democracy. Now, through dramatic storytelling and state-of-the-art computer animation, you witness history, art, and government with giants like Pericles, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent collection, January 4, 2007

By	Clinton Weddle (Geilenkirchen NATO Base, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was very impressed with this series. I learned very much, escpecailly about the Medici's. If you enjoy history/documentaries you'll love this collection. I was so impressed I've ordered other Empire series. Props to PBS on this one!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A really good review of the 5 civilizations covered, March 9, 2007

By	Michael Okey "Mike" (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've been reviewing areas of history that I don't usually cover to balance out my general knowledge. No video can compress into a couple of hours the libraries that have been written on these subjects, but I watched them with a pad nearby and started searching names and topics for further study. Then I added books on those areas to my wish list here on Amazon.

All in all, each disc is a great review if you're rusty or a place to start if you're moving into new areas of history.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dream Collection, November 2, 2007

By	S. L. Koziol "A Student Historian" (Chicago, IL U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For those of you who love Ancient History and would like to know more about it this is the collection you must have.
When i first watched those programs i was astonished. The detail explanations of events and people really can make a person wonder.

In general this collection will proof a worthy buy, i recommend this for teachers, students and anyone interested in world history, you really CAN learn much by watching this, and as for me it will be of great help for my academic purposes.

If you get it you will NOT regret it!!