The Dark Ages: An Age of Light

Arts Documentary hosted by Waldemar Januszczak, published by BBC in 2012 - English narration


Information
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Waldemar Januszczak challenges the prevailing wisdom that civilisation stopped after the fall of the Roman Empire and argues that the Dark Ages were actually a time of great artistic achievement, with new ideas and religions provoking new artistic adventures. He embarks on a fascinating trip across Europe, Africa and Asia, visits the world's most famous collections and discovers hidden artistic gems, all to prove that the Dark Ages were actually an 'Age of Light'.


1)  The Clash of the Gods 
Waldemar looks at how Christianity emerged into the Roman Empire as an artistic force in the third and fourth centuries. But with no description of Jesus in the Bible, how were Christians to represent their God? He explores how Christian artists drew on images of ancient gods for inspiration and developed new forms of architecture to contain their art.

2)  What the Barbarians Did for Us 
The 'Barbarians' are often blamed for the collapse of the Roman Empire, but in reality they were fascinating civilisations that produced magnificent art. Focusing on the Huns, Vandals and Goths, Waldemar follows each tribe's journey across Europe and discovers the incredible art they produced along the way.

3)  The Wonder of Islam 
Along with Christianity, the Dark Ages saw the emergence of another vital religion - Islam. After emerging in the near East it spread across North Africa and into Europe, bringing its unique artistic style with it. Waldemar examines the early artistic explorations of the first Muslims, the development of their mosques and their scientific achievements.

4)  The Men of the North 
In the final episode, Waldemar looks towards the north of Europe. The Carolingians saw themselves as successors to Rome, reflected in their art. Elsewhere, the Vikings were constructing long ships with intricate decoration and marking their territory with powerful rune stones. And on the British Isles, the Irish and Anglo-Saxons were creating unique works of manuscript illumination and remarkable jewellery.

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Technical Specs
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 * Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4.1
 * Video Bitrate: CRF 18
 * Video Resolution: 1280x720
 * Video Aspect Ratio: 16:9
 * Frames Per Second: 25
 * Audio Codec: AAC-LC
 * Audio Bitrate: 160 Kbps ABR 48KHz
 * Audio Channels: 2
 * Run-Time: 59 mins
 * Framerate: 25 FPS
 * Number Of Parts: 4
 * Part Size: 1.53 GB (average)
 * Source: HDTV
 * Encoded by: JungleBoy



Links
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1)  Further Information 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zbtmp

2)  Related Documentaries 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Bibles%20Buried%20Secrets 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=A%20History%20of%20Christianity 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=The%20Life%20of%20Muhammad 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Barbarians%20%28BBC%29 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Vikings%20%28BBC%29 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Pagans%20%28Ch4%29 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=The%20Viking%20Sagas 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Treasures%20of%20the%20Anglo%20Saxons 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Illuminations%20-%20Treasures%20of%20the%20Middle%20Ages 
http://docuwiki.net/?title=Coast%20and%20Beyond%20Series%204

3)  ed2k Links 






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Source: 
http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=The_Dark_Ages:_An_Age_of_Light