S01E01 The Clash of the Gods
In the first episode Waldemar Januszczak looks at how Christianity emerged into the Roman Empire as an artistic force in the third and fourth centuries. But with no description of Jesus in the Bible, how...
The Dark Ages: An Age of Light
S01E03: The Wonder of Islam
To the south and east of Christendom, the new religion of Islam spread from its Arabian birthplace throughout the Middle East, across North Africa, and into Spain. As it did so, Islam imparted its own distinctive forms of architecture, ways to gaze at the stars, and art designed to depict the wonders of paradise.
Overview
Christianity slowly emerged from being a persecuted minority to the state religion of the Roman Empire. This episode is a history of the ways believers grappled with a way to depict Jesus. Simple symbolic meaning developed into splendid art and churches.
Episodes
S01E02 What the Barbarians Did for Us
Although they are blamed for the fall of Rome, the barbarians were more than just fearsome warriors. Converted to Christianity in the fourth century, the Vandals, Goths, and Huns went on to produce some of...
S01E03 The Wonder of Islam
To the south and east of Christendom, the new religion of Islam spread from its Arabian birthplace throughout the Middle East, across North Africa, and into Spain. As it did so, Islam imparted its own...
S01E04 The Men of the North
Across the waters of the North Sea, the Vikings launched raids on the coasts of Britain and Ireland, targeting monasteries like Lindisfarne, where monks produced illuminated manuscripts of breathtaking beauty. Yet the Vikings who terrorized...
Cast
Waldemar Januszczak
Self - Presenter
