X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

First Civilizations

Using the latest in archaeology, anthropology and genetics, this series tells the story of where the modern world began. Incorporating studies of artifacts, renowned sites of archaeological interest and interviews with leading experts, it moves around the geographic zones of the world, exploring how and why civilization first sparked into life.

Loading. Please wait...

Content not available in your region? ExpressVPN can help you stay connected wherever you are. Get 4 extra months FREE with TV Guide's exclusive offer.

Cast & Crew See All

Achim Buch
Self - Sprecher
Martin May
Self - Sprecher
Kai Möller
Self - Sprecher

Season 1 Episode Guide See All

Episode 1

War

Tue, Apr 24, 201853 mins

War addresses the paradox that good comes from bad. The threat of destruction engenders a sense of fear, but also creates tighter bonds within a community, while driving an arms race of technological progress. This happened in the Zapotec civilization in Mexico, but also with the Teotihuacan civilization which overthrew the Zapotecs and emerged as the first superpower of the Americas.

Where to Watch
First Civilizations, Season 1 Episode 1 image

Featured Video

First Civilizations
First Civilizations
0:24

0:24 First Civilizations

You May Also Like See All

Blue Planet II
D-Day: The Unheard Tapes
Planet Earth II
America to Me

Popular Shows See all shows

Call the Midwife

15 Seasons
Midwives in East London in the 1950s, experience the growing pains of life and love.
81   Metascore
2012 Drama, Documentary

Nova

53 Seasons
NOVA brings you stories from the frontlines of science and engineering, answering the big questions of today and tomorrow, from how our ancestors lived, to whether parallel universes exist, to how technology will transform our lives. Visit the official website to watch full-length documentaries, or explore our world through short-form video, on our digital publication NOVA Next.
1974 Documentary

Cook's Country

18 Seasons
Discovers the best of American cuisine through extensive kitchen testing.
2008 Documentary

The American Revolution

1 Season
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt examines how America’s founding turned the world upside-down.
80   Metascore
2025 Documentary

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

12 Seasons
For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.
2012 Documentary, Suspense

Frontline

45 Seasons
FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world and American television's top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983.
1983 Documentary, News