Here are a few video clips that might help you understand the rise of farming and the Neolithic Revolution:Of course, we watched "Guns, Germs and Steel Episode I" - Youtube LINK.
Annenberg has a nice 20 minute video on the Agricultural Revolution here, click on the VOD: Video on Demand link on the left side of the page.
The Olmec Heads by BBC is an excellent look inside these ancient MesoAmerican ancestors.
Meroe's Royal Cemetery
The story of the Black Pharaoh's turns full circle at Meroe's magnificent Royal Cemetery in the shadow of some of Sudan's 300 pyramids - three times as many as were built in Egypt. Meroe's pyramids are a lasting testimony to the glory of Kush, the land of the Black Pharaohs that history forgot. Clip taken from the BBC Timewatch programme The Black Pharaohs.
Five thousand years ago--nearly two millennia before the Romans built their first mud huts--ancient Egypt's mighty pharaohs began commissioning and building monumental masterpieces whose scale, beauty, and sophistication still boggle the mind.
Hosted by actor and art historian Peter Weller, the feature-length EGYPT: ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE explores Egypt's awe-inspiring engineering accomplishments through the prism of its pharaohs' indomitable personalities. As Egypt's pharaohs alternately conquered and ceded vast expanses of land, they pushed their royal architects to stretch the boundaries of imagination and human potential, in effect inventing the science of structural engineering. Follow the empire's development from the First Dynasty of 3000 BC through the last days of the reign of Ramses the Great in 1212 BC, from dazzling obelisks to the 700-foot Great Pyramid of Giza.
Engineering an Empire: China
For over 4000 years, the world's greatest empires have come and gone. Only one has survived the test of time: China. Century after century, China's regal emperors mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish engineering feats unparalleled in human history. Among the groundbreaking innovations of the ancient Chinese were the world's longest canal, its most complex and effective irrigation system, and a naval fleet mightier than all those of Europe combined-but, none can compare to the colossal 4,000-mile wall that stands as the most ambitious construction project ever built. From such heights came spectacular death spirals, as dynasty after dynasty-consumed by vanity and greed-was stripped of power by the people it had ruled.
The Celts: Celtic and Roman fortifications and battle of Alesia.
1. Crash Course: World History #1 - The Agricultural Revolution
Hosted by actor and art historian Peter Weller, the feature-length EGYPT: ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE explores Egypt's awe-inspiring engineering accomplishments through the prism of its pharaohs' indomitable personalities. As Egypt's pharaohs alternately conquered and ceded vast expanses of land, they pushed their royal architects to stretch the boundaries of imagination and human potential, in effect inventing the science of structural engineering. Follow the empire's development from the First Dynasty of 3000 BC through the last days of the reign of Ramses the Great in 1212 BC, from dazzling obelisks to the 700-foot Great Pyramid of Giza.
Engineering an Empire: China
For over 4000 years, the world's greatest empires have come and gone. Only one has survived the test of time: China. Century after century, China's regal emperors mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish engineering feats unparalleled in human history. Among the groundbreaking innovations of the ancient Chinese were the world's longest canal, its most complex and effective irrigation system, and a naval fleet mightier than all those of Europe combined-but, none can compare to the colossal 4,000-mile wall that stands as the most ambitious construction project ever built. From such heights came spectacular death spirals, as dynasty after dynasty-consumed by vanity and greed-was stripped of power by the people it had ruled.
The Celts: Celtic and Roman fortifications and battle of Alesia.
1. Crash Course: World History #1 - The Agricultural Revolution
In which John Green investigates the dawn of human civilization. John looks into how people gave up hunting and gathering to become agriculturalists, and how that change has influenced the world we live in today. Also, there are some jokes about cheeseburgers.Bonus - Concerning Hobbits
Hank takes us to the island of Flores, where a race of wee people walked beside pygmy elephants, dragons and giant tortoises; they lived underground and had simple lives...2. Crash Course: World History #2- Indus Valley Civilization
In which John Green teaches you about the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the largest of the ancient civilizations. John teaches you the who, how, when, where and why of the Indus Valley Civilization, and dispenses advice on how to be more successful in your romantic relationships.3. Crash Course: World History #3 - Mesopotamia
In which John presents Mesopotamia, and the early civilizations that arose around the Fertile Crescent. Topics covered include the birth of territorial kingdoms, empires, Neo-Assyrian torture tactics, sacred marriages, ancient labor practices, the world's first law code, and the great failed romance of John's undergrad years.4. Crash Course: World History #4 - Ancient Egypt
In which John covers the long, long history of ancient Egypt, including the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, and even a couple of intermediate periods. Learn about mummies, pharaohs, pyramids and the Nile with John Green.