Gods in the Sky

Synopsis

Three-part documentary series in which Professor Allan Chapman, Oxford historian and fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, explores the connection between astronomy and mythology in the ancient and medieval world. With the help of puppet animation, live drama and location filming in Egypt, Greece, Rome and Oxford , Prof Chapman goes in search of the ancient origins of modern astronomy. His starting point is prehistoric Stonehenge at the mid-summer solstice. From there he travels to Egypt where he decodes the myths of Gods in the Sky and reveals how their thinking had a kind of divine reason in attempting to understand the universe, chart the night skies and to use the movements of the planets to tell the time and order our lives.

The second programme looks at how the Greeks became the greatest astronomers of the ancient world. Prof Chapman shows that the key to understanding the genius of the Greeks lies in the geography of Greece, seafaring and the development trade, and the resulting intellectual freedom. He reveals how this need to navigate and freedom to speculate led to the most extraordinary leap forward in astronomical science.

In the final part, Prof Chapman travels to Rome and Cairo and explores Christianity’s considerable contribution to the development of scientific astronomy. Critics claim that religion is the enemy of science, yet most ancient astronomers were also priests. And the same applies to the sky-gazers of medieval Europe.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2004

Year of production

2003

Notes

Broadcast in 3 weekly parts on C4, beginning 10/8/03

Subjects

Astronomy; Religious studies

Keywords

astronomical observations; Egyptology; Greece - classical; history of science; mythology; religious belief and practice

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£19.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

180 minutes

Year

2004

Distributor

 

Available from retail outlets

Name

Wag TV

Email

support@wagtv.com

Web

http://www.wagtv.com/index.html External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7688 1707

Address

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