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EP1 Out of the Ice Oct 06, 1991

Where did the first Europeans come from, and why? The ice ages swept early humans across the face of the globe in forced migrations. Then 35,000 years ago our direct ancestors arrived in Europe. They were different. Instead of being at the mercy of the environment, they began to control the natural world.

EP2 Colliding Continents and the Age of Bronze Oct 13, 1991

A look at how the Alps were formed and how the discovery of bronze began the first arms race in northern Europe. But in the south, the first great European civilisation grew up in peaceful isolation on Crete, born from the wealth of agriculture and trade. Did a volcano destroy it?

EP3 Trade, Cities and the Land-Locked Sea Oct 20, 1991

The third part shows how the lack of fertile land in Greece led traders and settlers to colonise the Mediterranean shores, how the silver mines of Athens saved western civilisation from the Persians, and how the Romans broke through the barrier of the Alps to conquer Gaul.

EP4 Feast and Famine - The Limestone Legacy Oct 27, 1991

Between AD 1000 and 1300, northern Europe was transformed - from isolated peasants living at the mercy of marauding Vikings, to a rich society with bustling cities graced by magnificent architecture. This progress was built on a single geological resource, limestone.

EP5 Coal, Blood and Iron Nov 03, 1991

Two hundred years ago, industrialisation swept from Britain across the coalfields of Europe, bringing prosperity to the cities but also dreadful social problems. It also encouraged war on an unprecedented scale.

EP6 Power and Frontiers Nov 10, 1991

A century ago, European power sprang from the wealth of its coalfields. But the discovery of oil broke the stalemate of the First World War, made possible Hitler's Blitzkriegand changed our whole civilisation.

EP7 Hostages to Oil Nov 17, 1991

The Gulf War showed how Europe's survival depends on imported oil. This programme reveals how the economic and political power of European countries now hangs on their energy supplies.

7.9| 0h30m| en| More Info

Released: 06 October 1991 Ended

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Country: United Kingdom

Budget: 0

Revenue: 0

Official Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0095qc0

Synopsis

The series reveals how the success of peoples and nations of Europe was controlled by the natural mineral resources of the land: from Stone Age flints to the uranium of the Nuclear Age.

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