Andrew Marr's History of the World

When I was a student, I was obsessed with documentaries. This is one of the documentaries I watched back then. Enjoyable to watch.

A great comprehensive series about our history. Of course it can't tell all, but it's based on the latest findings and discoveries. It reminds me of "Il était une fois..." a series I loved as a child. It also has a lot of facts that have a sort of "QI"-ness about them. Little things you didn't know and big revelations about things we thought we knew. All brought to us by fascinating stories framed with visually beautiful reenactments and everyday imagery If you love history you'll love this show and if you watch this show you will fall in love with history...

So what's not to love? Well, Andrew Marr is no Richard Attenbough and he will put off people rather than attract them. And the previously mentioned reenactments are not all up to par with the Hollywood imagery we're all spoiled with...

Still I enjoyed every episode thus far and encourage every one to watch it!!

I'm a history affectionado and had all but given up on TV programs, but Andrew Marr brought me back to the screen. This is the mostly brilliant, concise presentation of world history and more importantly the history of world culture I have ever come across. Andrew Marrs presents a well balanced collection of pivotal moments in human history, up to date with current historical and archaeological knowledge. And more importantly presents and links those event to the important cultural changes which shape are modern view of the world. Highly recommendable for children and adults alike and even if you know history this might once in while give you a new insight. Effectively a history lecture filmed on location it does, as far as I can see present all historical facts correctly while a global perspective is maintained. The tone is surprisingly intellectual and neutral and Andrew Marr presents Asian, Indian, Arabic and European history in well balanced episodes with only minimal use of drama and suspense owed to the medium.

Watch it, buy it, show to your children (I will once mine are old enough), this will be a classic of humanities education. Teachers, use it in school, there is no school book, which can compare with this program to show the central themes of human history.

Get a 10/10. Surely not comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster in special effects and acting but it 100% achieves its mission, telling human history and culture in context.

Thought I would watch episode 4 to see what was served up. Discovered, to my bemusement, that Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was portrayed as an Uzbek. That's news to me - the give away is in his name ak-Khwarizmi - of Khwarezm. He lived during the Abased Caliphate - circa 780 - 850 AD and is famous for al-jibr - better known as algebra. The Uzbeks were still nomadic peoples at this time. Maths had long been studied in places like Babylon and India at this time. Cordoba and Baghdad may have been large by the standards of the petty realms of Europe at that time but that didn't make them the largest cities in the world. In the West Cordoba would have vied with Byzantium for honours, and in Central Asia, several cities could easily have taken the crown - in particular Old Urgench (Konye-Urgench)capital of the Khwazemian Empire. And let's not forget the cities of China (or Song as it was then known). One could go on Misleading in important aspects

Lots of historical inaccuracies . The scientific knowledge possessed by Arabs , they acquired it from India ,which was never mentioned . And the atrocities done by Muslim armies to Constantinople was totally neglected .It was if the the director was deliberately trying to simply paint only the good side that came with Islam with mentioning muslim conquests with only the word 'exploding' .Arabs ,even before Mohammad had acquired certain knowledge regarding Mathematics and geometry from their constant trade and relations with India . This being referred to as "Islamic Knowledge" is totally wrong . Even the numbers known as 'Arabic numerals' are not Arabic , they are Indian . Since Europeans got to know of these knowledge with their interaction with Arabs , seems to have thought this belonged to Arabs when it didn't .

Today , when most of us already know the history , i don't understand why BBC is so desperately trying to distort the same and what does it mean by "Islamic Knowledge ". The knowledge arabs/persians got had nothing to do with Islam.

PS: This documentary can be called as world history from a European (leftist) perspective . I am surprised to see that this documentary seems to mention nothing of much importance to Jesus, while it gave Mohammad a lot of mentions.