Name: Civilisations Season 1
Genre: Documentary, History
Released: 2018

S01 Episode 1

Second Moment of Creation

Simon Schama explores the role creativity has played in the development of humanity. He marvels at the extensive marks and paintings on caves made some 80,000 years ago in South Africa.

58 mins · Thu, 1 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 2

How Do We Look?

Professor Mary Beard examines ancient art's depictions of the human body from around the globe. She seeks answers to why these images exist and how these representations still affect humans today.

58 mins · Thu, 8 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 3

Picturing Paradise

Simon Schama realises the meaningful intricacies of landscape painting as a form of escapism and a projection of dreams and idylls. He begins his art exploration in 10th-century China.

58 mins · Thu, 15 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 4

The Eye of Faith

1 h 0 mins · Thu, 1 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 4

The Eye of Faith

Professor Mary Beard embarks upon the topic of religion and art, and how these two topics have inspired one another for millennia. She visits sacred sites across the globe to explore their highly contested boundaries.

58 mins · Thu, 22 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 5

The Triumph of Art

1 h 0 mins · Thu, 1 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 5

The Triumph of Art

Simon Schama explores the connections and rivalries of Papal Rome, Ottoman Istanbul, Mughal Lahore and Agra while examining the development of artists from the east and west in the post-Renaissance years.

58 mins · Thu, 29 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 6

First Contact

1 h 0 mins · Thu, 1 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 6

First Contact

David Olusoga demonstrates how the meeting of distant cultures in the 15th and 16th centuries left a mark on each other's artistic endeavours.

58 mins · Thu, 5 Apr 2018

S01 Episode 7

Radiance

1 h 0 mins · Thu, 1 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 7

Radiance

Simon Schama reflects upon colour and civilisation through the ages, beginning with Amiens and Chartres' Gothic cathedrals, Giovanni Bellini's San Zaccaria altarpiece, and Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne.

58 mins · Thu, 12 Apr 2018

S01 Episode 8

The Cult of Progress

1 h 0 mins · Thu, 1 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 8

The Cult of Progress

David Olusoga examines imperialism's influence on art, demonstrating the ambivalence felt both intellectually and scientifically by artists in response to the idea of progress.

58 mins · Thu, 19 Apr 2018

S01 Episode 9

The Vital Spark

1 h 0 mins · Fri, 2 Mar 2018

S01 Episode 9

The Vital Spark

Simon Schama looks at the fate of art in a profit-driven world, and asks whether art should offer an escape from the modern world or plunge headfirst into the chaos.

58 mins · Thu, 26 Apr 2018

Season 1

Civilisations

Where to Watch

Season 1 Episodes

More Seasons of Civilisations