Marian Stanescu :: My Journal

Ancient Warriors (1994)
Produced by: TLC/Discovery Channel

Long before the teaching of history was all together handed over to the Hollywood’s geniuses to teach us how king Leonidas stood his ground, The Learning Channel aired this inspirational and entertaining series about the mankind’s oldest business: war.

In its 20 episodes, each of about 30 min., this documentary will walk you through a series of long lost warrior cultures, from the Assyrians to the Sioux, while the inserted first person narratives are both dramatic and useful for better grasping the harsh realities of the times.

While obviously outdated from the special effects point of view, I still think this documentary could be used as a great resource tool by history teachers everywhere, especially for the lower grades students. It should help youngs understand that war is neither funny nor virtual - like they’re pushed to believe by the recent militainment media campaigns - but always hard, personal, and deadly serious.

>> List of episodes:

PART I:

1. The Assyrians
2. The Celts
3. The Normans
4. The Legions of Rome
5. The Macedonians
6. The Soldiers of the Pharaoh
7. The Spartans

PART II:

1. The Janissaries
2. The Huns
3. The Knights of the Templar
4. The Vikings
5. The Highlanders
6. The Irish Warriors of the Emerald Isle
7. The Maurya - Warriors of the Elephant

PART III:

1. The Aztecs
2. The Samurai
3. The Shaolin Monks
4. The Hawaiians
5. The Ninja
6. The Sioux

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* Review by M.S.

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