SBS - East to West (2011) Part 1 Between Two Rivers

East to West is an exciting seven part series charting the birth of a flourishing civilisation in the Near and Middle East, and its dynamic influence on the West. Examining a largely untold story with a fresh perspective, the series follows the spread of civilisation across the globe from the first cities of Mesopotamia. For crucial phases in world history the key place was the Middle East – an extraordinary region that was a political, economic and cultural centre and a bridge between the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. East to West tells a complex story encompassing vast empires and covering three continents. An epic journey of discovery – from the East to the West.

Part 1: Between Two Rivers

This episode follows the birth of civilisation in Anatolia and the Middle East. We go back to the very beginnings, when hunter-gatherers pause in Gobekli Tepe and start to build the world's first structures around 12,000 years ago. We follow the first stages of civilisation: the rise of agriculture, governance and writing in Mesopotamia. We visit ancient Babylon (Iraq) and Mari (Syria) to explore the world's earliest cities. The latter part of the episode explores Alexander's arrival in Troy and his conquest of the Persian Empire – a journey that made him realise what he owed to the East. In Miletus remarkable new finds show that the Greek god Aphrodite began as the eastern god Ishtar.

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