Engineering an Empire: The Complete Series (2006)
KPI Productions

Description

Engineering an Empire: The Complete Series circles the globe to re-examine history's most magnificent civilizations by surveying the architectural and engineering triumphs they left behind. Beginning more than five-thousand years ago with the mind-boggling construction feats of the ancient Egyptians, the 14 documentaries - including two feature-length specials - in this collection revive the spectacular glory of the past, from the great temples of Greece to the majestic and mysterious Tenochtitlan.

Cutting-edge CGI graphics and stunning location footage reanimate the ancient streets of such cities as Carthage and Rome, while expert interview trace the rise of each empire and the technological achievements that paved the way for their gravity-defying masterpieces.

Tags

Architecture

Collected reviews and ratings

10 MonstersAndCritics.com | June L.

It is eye opening and amazing, and a wonderful way to learn history. If you think ancient Rome was only Julius Caesar, Nero and some gladiators, this beautifully crafted show will not only be interesting, it will be enlightening.
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9.2 DVD Verdict | Jim Thomas

The real test of such a series is the degree to which it fires the imagination. I can imagine ships moving in and out of the great Port of Carthage, the shock of the Roman citizens when they realize that they have no more running water because their enemies have destroyed their aqueducts, or builders standing around the construction site of the Notre Dame, trying to determine what to do next because the thing was built more or less on the fly, without blueprints. The mind, it boggles.
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9.2 digitallyobsessed.com | Ross Johnson

Engineering an Empire serves as a brisk but enlightening and entertaining introduction to some of the most important architectural and engineering feats, and the leaders behind them, from Pericles' Parthenon to Eiffel's Tower, with dozens of stops in between. Though known mostly for his movie work, Peter Weller provides thoughtful guidance.
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8.0 DVD Talk | Paul Mavis

With the use of fun, informative CGI, and host Peter Weller's own personal expertise in historical studies, Engineering An Empire is both educational and energetically entertaining.
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8.0 Amazon user reviews

The best thing about this series is that some of the episodes go beyond the typical fare for historical documentary subject matter. Rome, Egypt, and Europe have been done to death, but this series features episodes on Carthage, Persia, and the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) empires - which all receive much less attention than they deserve.
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7.0 DVD Authority | Fusion3600

If you have even a slight interest in history, you will love Engineering an Empire. I sat down to watch one or two episodes, but ended up running through the entire series, it is that engaging.
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7.0 PopMatters.com | Marc Calderaro

It’s very easy to name-drop everything one will learn from watching this collection front-to-back (don’t worry, I will), but Engineering an Empire, hosted by Peter Weller, comes down to this: a visual History 201 class taught by RoboCop. If that idea excites you as much as it did me, you won’t be disappointed.
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