Out of Egypt
Today's city dwellers may think of urban living as an improvement over the existence of our hunting and gathering ancestors. But Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney explains that our modern tendency to live in cities isn't the result of an inevitable march towards progress. Beginning roughly 12,000 years ago, a sudden change in human behavior determined the very nature of modern civilization. And archaeological evidence from some of the world's first cities - like Jericho in the West Bank of Palestine, Catal Huyuk in Turkey, and even early prehistoric settlements in Egypt - suggests that living in cities may bring just as many problems as it solves.
- 2009-2009
- 1 season
- Discovery Channel
- Documentary
Today's city dwellers may think of urban living as an improvement over the existence of our hunting and gathering ancestors. But Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney explains that our modern tendency to live in cities isn't the result of an inevitable march towards progress. Beginning roughly 12,000 years ago, a sudden change in human behavior determined the very nature of modern civilization. And archaeological evidence from some of the world's first cities - like Jericho in the West Bank of Palestine, Catal Huyuk in Turkey, and even early prehistoric settlements in Egypt - suggests that living in cities may bring just as many problems as it solves.
Season 1 Episode Guide
6 Episodes 2009
Episode 1
Flesh and Bone
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 44 mins
Whether it's the finger of a Catholic saint or a mummified baboon in Egypt, humans have long treasured the physical remains of their hallowed dead. Kara Cooney examines relics all over the world to find out why we give such power to sacred flesh and bone.
Episode 2
The Shape of the Gods
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 43 mins
Pyramids are found throughout the world. They tell the story of ancient builders in search of a sacred shape. What did the pyramid mean to ancient peoples? Why did they try so long to perfect it? Why today do we still build such massive buldings?
Episode 3
Sins of the City
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 44 mins
Kara Cooney finds that life in cities isn't part of an inevitable march towards progress. Living in cities may actually cause more problems than it solves. But 12,000 years ago, a change in human behavior determined the very nature of modern civilization.
Episode 4
The Birth of the Devil
Mon, Aug 31, 2009 44 mins
The devil - a symbol of all that we fear. But for the ancient Egyptians, and other early civilizations, the devil simply didn't exist. Somewhere in the course of human history, a force of pure evil began to emerge - and the devil was born.
Episode 5
Disposal of the Dead
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 44 mins
Kara Cooney examines mummies, tombs, graves, and burials all over the world to find out how different cultures prepared their loved ones for the afterlife. What do their different practices say about our relationship with the dead - and the living?
Episode 6
Eye for an Eye
Mon, Sep 7, 2009 44 mins
Violent images carved on Egyptian temples. Human sacrifice at an Aztec Pyramid. Witches burned alive in Salem. The torture chambers of the Spanish Inquistion. Kara Cooney traces the dark link between religion and violence running throughout human history.