Jane Sloan Media Librarian jsloan@rci.rutgers.edu June 2006

Research Resources: Subject Research Guides: Media Collections:
The Classical Period

This guide is a browsing aid to selected titles in the video/DVD collections at Rutgers Libraries. The most up-to-date, accurate, and complete information regarding the libraries' holdings is available only through IRIS, our online catalog.

The Athenian trireme 1993

Documents the construction of a full-size replica of an Athenian trireme of the 5th century B.C. Shows how the ancient Greeks used their naval supremacy to protect their home bases while colonizing the furthest reaches of the Mediterranean and maintaining intimate contact with Athens itself.

1 videocassette (ca. 51 min.) :

MEDIA 2-2245

Attila 2003

The story of two colliding worlds and two men that embody these worlds: Attila, King of the Huns and Roman General Flavius Aetius.

1 videodisc (ca. 177 min.)

MEDIA 10-572

Augustine late have I loved thee 1992

This is a compelling introduction to the life and works of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. The production was shot in and around Rome and Milan and also uses still photography to acquaint the viewer with Augustine's world, the Bishop himself, and his major works. Readings from his Confessions and City of God in English with a few in Latin with English translation add to the visual dimension of the video.

1 videocassette (37 min.) :

DANA 188

The barbarian West 1992

Traces the origins of Western culture through Greece and Rome and how it dominated, not only through its own genius, but by borrowing from the legacies of the original five old world civilizations.

1 videocassette (57 min.) :

MEDIA 2-5862

Believe, imagine, dream Croire, imaginer, penser/ part 2 2001

Encompassing fairy tales, romances, legends, fables, parables, and anecdotes, "The thousand and one nights" is a composite of popular oral stories that developed over several centuries, mainly during the Empire of the Caliphate. This program scrutinizes the wonderfully audacious tale of Scheherezade and what it tells the attentive reader about the dreams of Arab men and women during the empire's golden age. Recurring themes such as hunger for adventure and a desire to be free from tradition are explored, as well as a conception of power that glorifies self-control and disparages violence.

1 videocassette (27 min.) :

MEDIA 2-5516

Ben-Hur 1988

The story of a Jewish nobleman, set in the time of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Christianity.

2 videocassettes :

MEDIA. MEDIA 2-537 cassette 1 2-538 cassette 2

Black Athena 1991

Explores the debate around Prof. Martin Bernal's book on the African origins of Greek culture, Black Athena. Leading classicists and Egyptologists discuss Bernal's indictment that 19th century scholars systematically denied the connections between Greece and the non-European cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean.

1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.) ;

DANA. MEDIA 176 2-2100

Byzantium from splendor to ruin 1989

This program describes the history, art, and religious significance of Byzantium, its attempts to restore the Roman Empire, its influence in the West, and its heritage.

1 videocassette (52 min.) :

DANA 195

Carthage 1991

Explores the history of Carthage, its Phoenician origins, its economy and religious practices. Describes the decline of the ancient Greek world, the growth of Rome, and the conflict between the Roman republic and Carthage, including the rise of Hannibal and his strategies.

1 videocassette (30 min.) :

MEDIA 2-3613

Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire 1989

This program covers the antecedents and the life of Charlemagne, shows life at the court, the life of courtiers and of the peasants, recounts the battle of Roncevaux--site of the epic Chanson de Roland--and counterpoints the glories of the Carolingian renaissance with the everyday realities of hunger, plague, and constant violence.

1 videocassette (31 min.) :

DANA. DANA. MEDIA 192 192 2-3229

Classical comedy 1988

Aristophanes, Women in power (Ecclesiazusae). -- Plautus, The Braggart soldier (Miles Gloriosus)"The first part of this film, devoted to a substantial section of Aristophanes' Ecclesiasuzae (Women in power), shows what happens when women, fed up with the stupidity and incompetence of men, organize to take over the government. The second part introduces Roman comedy, with its stock character types of the Vainglorious Soldier and the Clever Servant in Miles Gloriosus. The two plays demonstrate the different concepts of 'funny' and the different functions of comedy in democratic Greece and autocratic Rome"--Container.

1 videocassette (58 min.) :

MEDIA 2-2084

Classical warriors 1994

The Spartans -- Legions of Rome -- The MacedoniansDipicts the typical experience of a Spartan, Roman, and Macedonian warrior, using contemporary narratives, bloodless reenactments of battles, current views of the terrain, and artwork (sculpture, painting, etc.) from each period described.

1 videocassette (ca. 60 min.) :

MEDIA 2-3489

The classical world Greece and Rome 1992

Traces the origins of humanism and the classical style to ancient Greece and the genius of Roman engineering, architecture and portrait sculpture. Discusses Kouroi and Korai figures and the architecture of the Parthenon. Identifies Roman art as inherently political art that concentrated on technical sophistication and detail. Features art experts John Boardman, Andrew Stewart and Richard Brilliant.

1 videodisc (ca. 55 min.) :

MEDIA 7-54

Cyberoma 1997

Rome circa 200 A.D. comes alive through virtual reality and 3-D graphics. Visit the Colosseum, the Tempio Di Vesta, the Casa Delle Vestali, the Tempio di Marte Ultore, Traiano's Column, the Basilica Ulpia, the Tempio Di Venere E Roma, and the Palatino, where legend says Romolo built the first wall about the city.

1 videocassette (38 min.) :

DANA 705

The Decline of Rome ; The fall of Rome 1989

These programs describe the barbarian invasions that battered the Roman Empire from without and the moral decay that weakened it from within. With the fall of Rome the Church and barbarian kingdoms became heir to the Western Empire.

1 videocassette (56 min.) :

MEDIA 2-2548

Details of Roman life 1991

Robert Erskine leads viewers through rooms in the British Museum, explaining particular artifacts and discussing daily Roman life. Cicero's letters describe, and coins portray, Caesar, Pompey, Brutus, Marc Antony, Cleopatra, and Augustus; the appearance of art in the service of the state is defined by Virgil and illustrated by artifacts. The progression of emperors is recounted up to Vespasian. The next 150 years show the heyday of trade in the Roman Empire and reveal the variety and extent of the world of Roman objects.

1 videocassette (26 min.) :

DANA 690

Fellini satyricon 1988

Fellini recreates the bawdy and lecherous days of Nero's reign in ancient Rome, a universe unconcerned with human dignity and obsessed with perverse sex.

1 videocassette (130 min.) :

DANA 469

Frederick II the last emperor 1998

This program traces the life and times of Frederick II, and his attempts to consolidate imperial power in Italy at the expense of the papacy in the 13th century and the influences from Islamic and Jewish cultures.

1 videocassette (50 min.):

MEDIA 2-1688

A Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum 1991

A farce set in ancient Rome where a conniving slave sees a way to gain his freedom.

1 videocassette (100 min.) :

DANA 472

Genocide from Biblical times through the ages 2002

In this program, a variety of experts analyze Biblical accounts and some of the earliest documented examples of genocide, as in the Athenian siege of Melos in 416 BC, to explore the psychology that motivates such violence. This grim survey looks at the extermination of Tasmanians, Native Americans, Namibia's Herero tribe, and the Armenians.

1 videocassette (57 min.) :

MEDIA 2-5847

Greece the golden age 1965

Presents some of the achievements of 5th century Athens in the fields of art, literature, and philosophy.

1 videocassette (27 min.)

MEDIA D-279

The Greek temple 1986

Traces the evolution of the temples in Magna Grecia through the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles, and includes models and animated reconstructions of some of the most magnificent of the ancient shrines from Delphi, Paestum, Agrigeuto, Sounion, and the Acropolis.

1 videocassette (54 min.) :

DANA 679

The Greeks crucible of civilization 1999

Pt.1. Revolution. -- pt.2. Golden Age. -- pt.3. Empire of the mindViews rise and fall of ancient Greece through the eyes of prominent figures of the times, including Cleisthenes, Themistocles, Pericles, and Socrates.

3 videocassettes (180 min.) :

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA 2-4345 cassette 1 2-4346 cassette 2 2-4347 cassette 3

Hatra 1980

Profiles the art, architecture, and history of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Hatra in present-day northern Iraq. Located along a major silk trade route, the city was a meeting ground for the cultures of Mesopotamia and Greece. The dual influence of these cultures is demonstrated using footage of the city's barely excavated ruins and works of art.

1 videocassette (25 min.) :

MEDIA 2-2534

In the footsteps of Alexander the Great 1997

v. 1. Son of God -- v. 2. Lord of Asia -- v. 3. Across the Hindu Kush -- v. 4. To the ends of the earthThe story of Alexander the Great, Greek hero and world-conqueror, and the creation of a Greek Empire that stretched from the Balkans to India.

4 videocassettes (60 min. ea.) :

DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA 998 cassette 1 998 cassette 2 998 cassette 3 998 cassette 4

Italy evolution of the theatre to Pirandello 198

Traces the evolution of the physical theatre from ancient Greece to the Italian Renaissance.

1 videocassette (20 min.) :

DANA 1362

Julius Caesar 1989

Emperor Caesar, returning to Rome after a triumphant battle, is unaware that Cassius, Brutus and Casca are disturbed by his growing power and are secretly plotting his assassination.

1 videocassette (ca. 122 min.) :

MEDIA 2-1507

Julius Caesar 1989

As Rome's greatest emperor, Caesar holds absolute dominion over the conquered world. But his jealous rivals in the Roman senate wish to rob his power...by taking his life. Led by the ambitious Cassius and reluctantly joined by the patriotic Brutus, the conspirators secretly plot to assassinate Caesar. Even the leader's political ally and friend Mark Anthony cannot keep him from his brutal fate; a violent death that will divide the empire's ruling forces and ignite an epic war for honour, vengeance and ultimate power!

1 videocassette (116 min.) :

MEDIA 2-1498

L'Orfeo 1988

A film of Monteverdi's vibrant setting of the Greek legend of the musician Orpheus and his ill-fated wife Eurydice. The action takes place in legendary Greece.

1 videocassette (ca. 102 min.) :

MUSIC 226

Lost city of the Aegean 1993

Archaeologists excavate the Minoan colony of Akrotiri on the island of Thera, showing how the BC 1628 volcanic eruption reshaped the island and forever changed the world, and suggesting the possibility of this being the lost civilization of Atlantis.

1 videocassette (28 min.) :

DANA 387

Man and the state the trial of Socrates 1982

A dramatization of the trial and execution of Socrates. Shows ancient Athenian judicial procedures and poses questions about the right of the state to suppress "disruptive" individuals.

1 videocassette (30 min.) :

MEDIA 2-3134

Medea 1991

A modern-language production of the classic tragedy of a proud woman betrayed by the man she loves.

1 videocassette (107 min.) :

DANA MEDIA 1602 2-85

Medea 2001

Euripides' classic tragedy about a proud woman betrayed by the man she loves.

1 videocassette (87 min.) :

DANA 1649

Oedipus rex the age of Sophocles 199

This classic program begins by contrasting the ideals and philosophies of the "new" Greece in the age of Sophocles with the beliefs of the "old" Greece in order to set Oedipus Rex in the context of the time in which it was written. Bernard Knox of Yale University explains the function of drama within Greek society and describes how it was presented in Sophocles' time. The program concludes with a review of the story of Oedipus.

1 videocassette (29 min.) :

MEDIA 2-1772

Perseus interactive sources and studies on ancient Greece 1992

Texts, maps, photographs, and essays on ancient Greece are provided with easy movement between types of material.

1 computer laser optical disk :

0300050887 (user's guide). 0300050860 (video disc). 0300050879 (compact disk). CETH 020

The Rise of Rome ; The Roman empire 1989

These programs describe how Rome grew from a small city to become one of the gratest empires and most influential forces of the Western tradition.

1 videocassette (57 min.) :

MEDIA 2-2547

Roma 1991

The filmmaker's memories of the past and predictions for the future are combined to produce this fantasy-ladened journey through Rome.

1 videocassette (129 min.) :

DANA 330

Roman city 1994

"...examines how cities helped maintain the Roman Empire. Hosted by acclaimed author-illustrator David Macaulay, the program also explores the role of the built environment in meeting and shaping people's needs."--Container.

1 videocassette (60 min.) :

DANA 660

The Roman Empire in the first century 2001

Episode 1. Order from chaos -- episode 2. Years of trial -- episode 3. Winds of change -- episode 4. Years of eruptionChronicles the emergence of the powerful Roman Empire from a chaotic period of violent coups, assassination, overarching ambition, civil war and clashes between the classes as well as the sexes.

4 videocassettes (235 min.) :

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA 2-4355 cassette 1 2-4356 cassette 2 2-4357 cassette 3 2-4358 cassette 4

Rome power & glory 1999

v. 1. The rise -- v. 2. Legions of conquest -- v. 3. Seduction of power -- v. 4. The grasp of empire -- v. 5. The cult of order -- v. 6 The fallTraces the rise, flowering and destruction of the Roman empire.

6 videocassettes (ca. 52 min. each) :

DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA. DANA 1701 cassette 1 1701 cassette 2 1701 cassette 3 1701 cassette 4 1701 cassette 5 1701 cassette 6

Spartacus 1960

Epic tale of the bold gladiator slave Spartacus, the woman who believed in his cause, and the power-hungry Roman general who challenged his convictions. Set against the background of Imperial Rome at the height of its glory, Spartacus is an inspirational true account of the eternal struggle for freedom that combines history with spectacle to create a moving drama of love and commitment.

2 videocassettes (196 min.)

MEDIA DANA 2-7409-2-7410 10-593

The story of civilisation: Romans and barbarians 2001

Profiles the Roman legion and how its might spread Rome's power throughout the known world. Highlights the Roman invasion of Britain.

1 videocasssette (50 min.) :

DANA 1662

The story of civilisation:The first empires 2001

Profiles ancient Greece and Egypt, exploring both society and culture as well as the myths and legends surrounding these civilizations.

1 videorecording (50 min.) :

DANA 1661

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War, and, Plato, Alcibiades I 1993

A film anatomy and analysis of the 27-year Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.

1 videocassette (72 min.) :

MEDIA 2-2257

Titus Andronicus 1985

A dramatization of William Shakespeare's tragedy set in Rome dealing with the revenge by Titus Andronicus for the atrocities committed againsthis family by Tamora, the captive queen of the Goths, and her faction.

4 videocassettes (168 min.) :

MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA. MEDIA 198 cassette 1 199 cassette 2 200 cassette 3 201 cassette 4

The True story of the Roman arena 1994

Drawing on first-hand Roman accounts and modern research, this program traces the Roman origins of the use of violence as mass entertainment through the rise of the Roman arena and the Games associated with it.

1 videocassette (50 min.) :

DANA 303

The Western tradition: Greece 1989

Program 5. The rise of Greek civilization -- program 6. Greek thought -- program 7. Alexander the Great -- program 8. The Hellenistic ageThe growth of Greek civilization and the strong connection between its philosophy and political institutions influenced the Western traditions. The spread of Greek culture throughout the eastern Mediterranean world increased asa the successors of Alexander the Great established empires of their own.

1 videocassette (110 min.) :

DANA. MEDIA 771 2-3147

The Western tradition: Rome 1989

Program 9. The rise of Rome -- Program 10. The Roman EmpireThese programs describes how Rome grew from a small city to become one of the greatest empires and most influential forces of the Western tradition.

1 videocassette (60 min.) :

DANA 1045