Asst Professor Dr Steven A Martin
Assistant Professor of Asian Studies in Sociology and Anthropology
Intended for students of "World Civilization" and "Searching and Referencing"
GREECE AND ASIA MINOR DOCUMENTARY FILM PAGE
The following videos on archaeology and ancient history of Greece, Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean were systematically selected based on content and accessibility. Videos are intended to compliment course curriculum in Eastern and Western Civilization, as well as my ongoing Greece and Istanbul Learning Adventure pages.
Searching and referencing online educational films and videos
With digital transformations in education, online films and videos bring to light more than just content, we are exposed to – and adapt to – the use of technology in teaching and learning. For example, searching and referencing videos on YouTube suggest an awareness of search strategies one might employ while identifying diverse genres of videos and experts in a given field or topic area.
In the case of searching and referencing Greece and Asia Minor videos – free and available on YouTube – the following genres come to light and are explored.
- Academic lectures and presentations
- Mainstream documentary films and series
- Diverse videos of interest
- Animated video presentations
- Travel videos and vlogs
ACADEMIC LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS
Select videos featured here bring to light various genres of academic presentations and technologies, including videotaped lecture series with professors addressing their students, experts presenting at large academic conferences, experts speaking to small, private social groups, and the use of online powerpoints supported by audio recordings.
Prof. Donald Kagan | Yale Lecture Series
Personal note: my intellectual curiosity and research on ancient Greece and Asia Minor has been greatly influenced by Professor Donald Kagan (1932-2021).
The following playlist offers 24 seperate 1-hour lectures by Yale University Professor Donald Kagan titled Introduction to Ancient Greek History. Kagan, a distinguished professor who specialized in ancient and classical Greek history, is perhaps best remembered for his research and publications on the Peloponnesian War.
Donald Kagan | Introduction to Ancient Greek History | 24-video playlist
Lectures and presentations of interest
Based of my experience in Turkey and developing this webpage, I am increasingly interested in the field of Luwain Studies as proposed by Eberhard Zangger. Below, Zangger's 2015 Keynote speech at the Winterseminar in Switzerland.
Luwian Studies | Eberhard Zangger | 49:00
New Discoveries in Ancient Turkey | Brian Rose | 58:34
Mycenaeans & Minoans Today | Bryan Burns | 1:03:52
1177 BC – The Year Civilization Collapsed | Eric Cline | 52:18
Minoan Civilization | Thersites the Historian | 39:54
- Focused primarily on Near Eastern Studies, a great number of relevant lectures are available on the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute YouTube Channel.
- The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is another great resource with academic presentations on Mediterranean and Near Eastern archaeology and research.
Gobekli Tepe, southern Turkey | In memory of Klaus Schmidt
On occasion, the TEDx Talks platform features the work of prominent archaeologists. Featured here, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt (1953-2014) shares 20 years of personal experience and fieldwork at the 12,000-year-old Gobekli Tepe site in southern Turkey.
His talk, delivered in July, 2014, in Prague, was his last public appearance, and he died just 12 days after the video was posted.
Goebekli Tepe | Klaus Schmidt | TEDx | 17:06
MAINSTREAM DOCUMENTARY FILMS AND SERIES
Professionally shot and edited documentary films and series produced by mainstream media organizations, such as the BBC, PBS and Timeline, are increasing available online and offer teachers and students a great deal of educational material and introduce key scholars and experts in the field.
However, one must learn to navigate through mountains of duplicated and reposted videos by nefarious YouTube channels when locating full and original content for referencing.
BBC | Ancient Greece – Greatest Show on Earth
According to the BBC, the documentary looks at Greek drama and theater in three contexts: (1) how drama in Athens was deeply connected to Athenian democracy; (2) the decline of Athens and the success and transformation of theater; and (3) the role played by the Romans in the preservation of theater.
1/3 Democrats | 58:59
2/3 Kings | 58:59
3/3 Romans | 59:00
PBS Empires | Ancient Greeks – Crucible of Civilization
According to PBS, the documentary chronicles the rise and fall of the civilization of ancient Greece, highlighting the birth of science, politics, philosophy and drama as achievements that still shape our world. Narrated by Liam Neeson.
1/3 Revolution | 54:58
2/3 Golden Age | 55:00
3/3 Empire | 55:01
Timeline | World History
Focused on world history documentaries, Timeline offers educational series from the world's top broadcasters, including the BBC, Discovery and PBS.
Lost Worlds – Troy | 49:53
Minotaur's Island | 48:47
Sparta | Bettany Hughes
Hughes' witty insider and clever feminine perspectives offer a well-rounded understanding of the Spartans, a civilization cornerstone to ancient and classical Greek cultural development.
Spartans 1/3 | 48:07
Spartans 2/3 | 47:51
Spartans 3/3 | 48:45
Secrets of Archaeology | 25-30 min. episodes
Clear and informative short films highlighting segments of ancient archaeology. Selected from a global documentary series of 27 films, I have organised a shortlist of videos relevant to the study of ancient Greece, Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean.
5/27 | Athens
8/27 | Greek Italy
12/27 | Anatolia
13/27 | Greece
15/27 | Phoenicians
22/27 | Minoans
23/27 | Hellenism
24/27 | Apollo
25/27 | Greek Sicily
26/27 | Ionia
27/27 | Mycenaeans
DIVERSE DOCUMENTARIES OF INTEREST
I sifted through a great deal of material on YouTube to select the videos featured here. Each video points to a subject area for discussion, such as maritime archaeology, how ancient civilizations influenced each other through communication, trade and conquest, or the heated debate over legal and ethical removal and transport of archaeological materials overseas, with the Pergamon Altar as case in point.
Uluburun Shipwreck | Southwest Turkey | 2:57 (trailer)
The Hittites | 2003 | 1:58:59
Plunder – Pergamon Altar | 1995 | 24:46
Secrets of Aegean Apocalypse | World Doc | 44:24
Alexander the Great | Epic History TV | 2017 | 53:12
Genetics of the Greeks | Masaman | 11:20
ANIMATED VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
YouTube channels featuring historical topics combined with original animated figures, maps and other visuals are able to condense complicated subjects into easy-to-follow storylines and frameworks.
Featured here, the creative works of Epimetheus.
Mycenaeans | 6:05
Hittites | 10:05
Sea People | 10:05
TRAVEL VIDEOS AND VLOGS
YouTube channels featuring travel films and vlogs offer available content and may provide inspiration for others interested in video making. Rapidly developing smartphone video technology, including automated editing software, allow nearly everyone to shoot, edit and post their own documentary materials.
Rick Steve's Europe
Flamboyant and fact-filled, Rick Steves is among the earliest and most prolific travel show hosts and YouTubers. His work began in the late 1970s with The Experimental College at the University of Washington.
Although catering to the tourism industry, his work is informative and encourages learning and appreciation of ancient history and culture. Since the debut of Travels in Europe with Rick Steves on public television (PBS) in 1991, it was my late Grandmother's favorite weekly show, and her enthusiasm for the program and European history made a lasting impression on me.
The Peloponnese | 24:56
Western Turkey | 25:03
Best Documentary | Pierre Brouwers
Providing a view of history, culture and geography, French filmmaker Peter Brouwers offers facts, figures, and personal insight to the sights, sounds and peoples of the region. I find Brouwers' travel documentaries grow on me as I continue to review his work.
Greece | Athens & Islands | 52:19
Istanbul | Byzantium Forever | 52:12
University Filmworks | Greece and Turkey
University Filmworks is my personal YouTube channel with fun and original content. Production details are available at UniversityFilmworks.com
While the Greece and Asia Minor Documentary Page is orientated towards searching and organizing free online content found on YouTube, I would like to introduce the idea of creating and posting one's own content. From my experience, creating videos is a dynamic learning experience, including the process of editing shots and correctly labeling locations, dates and details.
GREECE | Temple of Aphaia | 2:11
GREECE | Acropolis & Parthenon | 2:52
Istanbul, Turkey | iPhone X Memory Videos
Shot, edited and posted on location with iPhone X!
ISTANBUL | Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar & Taksim Square | 1:26
ISTANBUL | Bosphorus Cruise & Black Sea | 1:10
ISTANBUL | Topkapi Palace & Archaeology Museums | 1:22
Learning Adventure series
Amazonia | Austria | Batanes Islands | Cambodia | Galapagos | Greece | Great Wall | Istanbul | Jewel of Travel | Mekong Delta | Pakistan | Silk Road | South Africa | Spain | Surf Experience | Surfing Munich | Surfing Thailand | Taiwan Studies | Tibet | Water Safety