IN SEARCH OF THE TROJAN WAR (FF) (DVD)

This is the most exhaustive, comprehensive investigation into the "Troy question" that I've ever been exposed to. Did some conflict take place some 3,000+ years ago which prompted the legacy of the Trojan War myth? Did it not? Was there, in fact, a city known as Ilium / Troy? Michael Wood explores the question from all possible angles. While no definitive answers are to be found (I'll go ahead & divulge that much @ the get-go), it's still a fascinating inquiry into perhaps the single most famous & influential story in the western hemisphere.Wood's journey takes us on a grand-tour of the Mediterranean basin, as well as to London & Berlin. He invokes the talents of archeologists, philologists, historians and sundry Greek scholars in his search for the truth. Many discussions take place as to how some of the data may support the historical veracity of a Trojan War, while other data does not. Wood also investigates the phenomena of how some scholars have been guilty of fudging and /or "reading into" the data to see what they want to see. It is difficult to be objective on this topic when one wants to take Homer at his word - even though the supposed war (if there was one?) took place 400-500 years prior to Homer's birth.Some reviewers have complained that this series is long & drawn-out. Well, yes, it is. However, the scope of the question of what Wood is trying to grapple with is simply enormous. An hour documentary would not have done the subject-matter justice. With that in mind, I would recommend this DVD set ONLY to those who are fervently interested in the topic. Those who have but a passing interest in the Trojan War are likely to lose interest after the first few hours.I've often likened Michael Wood as the Carl Sagan of archeology. This DVD set will likely go down as Wood's magnum-opus, and it explains why Wood is such a vital promoter of the archeology community. So, if you want to know what REALLY happened (or didn't happen?) at an ancient city of Troy, this is a can't miss!

I've always been a fan of Michael Wood's documentaries but this is my favorite produced for the BBC in the early 80s wood takes us on a journey in search of the Trojan War the six Park documentary looks at the various archaeologists an Evidence to see whether the Trojan War really happened and more importantly if it happened the way that Homer said in his famous Iliad. One of my favorite things about Michael is that you can see he's genuinely excited and interested in what he's doing he's not just a simple television presenter he's actually having as much fun looking in to the various subjects that he's dealt with in his DVDs as I've had personally watching them he makes you really care about the subject matter and it's easy to do it because you can see he genuinely cares about the subject matter and this has been a consistent thing with all of his documentaries I really like that unlike some other documentary presenters for narrators who seem to be just doing a job Michael Wood really is enjoying going on these searches. Extra features include an interview with Michael Wood more than 20 years after the documentary actually aired that's on disc 1 and on disc 2 a photo gallery I highly recommend this as well as his other documentary work

In what is one of the best historical documentaries ever made, Michael Wood takes the viewer from Turkish Anatolia to Crete to the Peloponnese and back again searching for evidence of Western Civilization's first great epic - the Trojan War.Historian Michael wood immerses the viewer in the ancient and long lost world of the Bronze Age. Searching for evidence of the Trojan War from Homer's Iliad, Wood takes the reader through the personalities such as Schliemann, Dorpfeld, Arthur Evans and the American Carl Blagen. We are led through the weapons, the pottery styles, the heroic culture of the time as well as the physical remains on Hisarlic (the hill these men believed was the site of Troy), Mycenae, Knossos, Hattusha of the Hittites and other sites.The journey we embark upon with Wood is half the fun. We learn of the many layers of that hill and the very different cities that were constructed on it from very ancient times until Greek and Roman times. Really, I learned so much of Agamemnon and Paris as well as the empires of the day. This is an excellent documentary and I could see this DVD used in a high school class setting.This is a great documentary that takes the time to cover the ground necessary to look at the place and times to give the viewer an excellent understanding of the search for Troy. Six roughly hour-long shows treat the subject matter in a thorough fashion. In spite of the length, you won't get tired of it.This is a classic documentary and I recommend it with five stars.

I watched this back in the 80s on Australian public television (SBS) and was immediately hooked on it. Missed a couple of the episodes and have since been trying (waiting) to get the whole set on VHS, DVD, whatever.I bought the book (in lieu of the DVD) but found that quite heavy going (book contains a lot more detail). The DVD will actually help with the reading.It was good to see that the material still holds up even after some 20 years since it aired. I found the follow-up interview with Michael Woods quite interesting as he reflects on his past effort. However, I was aghast when he mention the movie Troy (Pitt, Bana, et al)! Michael Woods, your documentary is kilometres better than that hollywood rip-off. It would be great to see a follow up documentary given there have been new and more recent site findings.I thoroughly enjoyed this back in the 80s and am enjoying it again now. Even my children are showing interest in this (quite amazing in this age of PCs, Playstation, Xbox, Wii, etc.). This is a must have for those interested in Homer or ancient history. I have friends lining up to borrow this (DVD) and the book from me.This is a great DVD set, terrific infotainment and good value for money. You will not be disappointed.