The Dark Ages have been misunderstood. History has identified the period following the fall of the Roman Empire with a descent into barbarism - a terrible time when civilisation stopped. Waldemar Januszczak disagrees. In this landmark 4-part series Waldemar argues that the Dark Ages were a time of great artistic achievement with new ideas and religions provoking new artistic adventures. He embarks on a fascinating trip across Europe Africa and Asia visits the world's most famous collections and discovers hidden artistic gems all to prove that the Dark Ages were... actually an 'Age of Light'. In the first episode the viewer will discover how Christianity emerged into the Roman Empire as an artistic force in the third and fourth centuries. Waldemar explores how Christian artists drew on images of ancient gods for inspiration and developed new forms of architecture to contain their art. The second episode is dedicated to the 'Barbarians'. Focusing on the Huns Vandals and Goths Waldemar follows each tribe's journey across Europe and discovers the incredible art they produced along the way. Along with Christianity the Dark Ages saw the emergence of another vital religion: Islam. This is the focus of Episode Three. Waldemar examines the early artistic explorations of the first Muslims the development of the mosque and their scientific achievements. In the final episode Waldemar looks towards the North of Europe. The Carolingians saw themselves as successors to Rome reflected in their art. Elsewhere the Vikings were constructing long ships with intricate decoration and marking their territory with powerful rune stones. [show more]
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Four-part documentary presented by art critic Waldemar Januszczak. In the first episode Januszczak looks at how Christianity was brought into the Roman Empire in the third and fourth centuries and how images of Gods were perceived in art. In the second episode he discovers how the Barbarians, who produced some inspiring art, were mistakingly blamed for the collapse of the Roman Empire. The third episode looks at how Islam followers brought Islamic art to North Africa and Europe. In the final episode Januszczak looks at the Vikings and specifically their imagination and aptitude for crafts and architecture.
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