Anthropology

This program explores the pressures on female adolescents in the Third World through the stories of four young Kenyan women growing up in a time of cultural upheaval: Christine, a Masai who escaped an arranged marriage so she could study law; Dekha, brought up in a rigidly patriarchal Muslim town, who aspires to be a doctor; Anastasia, who works on her family's farm while yearning to become a Catholic nun; and Mboone, who dreams of exchanging her affluent urban lifestyle for a career of service in the UN, to help improve the lives of women all over the world. Female circumcision, polygyny, AIDS, reproductive choice, equal access to education, and other issues are discussed with candor. (58 minutes)

Throughout Africa, democracy has long been touted as the cure for the continent's ongoing unrest. But can such a form of government flourish in countries where extreme poverty is the norm and violence is the chief tool of statecraft? Spanning the continent from Libya to South Africa, this program seeks to understand Africa's complex political situations, addressing the Big Man" syndrome and the one-party state, the destabilizing effects of armed conflict, the mismanagement of industry and natural resources, and strained relations with the industrialized world. (56 minutes)"

Who were the Anasazi? This program explores their mysterious civilization and its resonance today. Topics include an overview of the culture that vanished from the North American Southwest 700 years ago; the Cliff Palace Ruins which proved the existence of an ancient people spoken of in Pueblo and Navajo legends; the geography of the Anasazi civilization; spiritual symbols of the Anasazi, focusing on petroglyphs, pottery shards, and the kiva; the Anasazi creation story, including emergence from the underworld through the sipapu; the role of Chaco Canyon and migration routes along ancient roadways; and a look at present-day interest in the Anasazi and the Pueblo belief that their ancestors' spirits live on. A Discovery Channel Production. (26 minutes)

Hidden beneath the modern city of Alexandria is the ancient one. How was that Alexandria laid out? Where are its legendary signature structures located? And how is renowned archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur to gather the information he needs when rapidly encroaching construction projects and a proposed breakwater in the harbor force him to do in months what rightly should be done over years? This program films Empereur and his team performing salvage archaeology as they scramble to find clues to the Pharos Lighthouse-one of the seven wonders of the ancient world-and the magnificent Caesareum. (50 minutes)

Prehistoric art often renders animals in spiritual, even divine, form-but primitive beast images can also reflect a degree of humanity. This program sifts through the complexity of the animal-god concept, identifying the place of the lion, the giraffe, the wolf, the elephant, and many other creatures in a wide range of myths and religions. With detailed observations of sculpture, carvings, and statuary-including Native American totem poles, European gargoyles and grotesques, and Egyptian mummies honoring the cat-headed goddess Ubasti-the video demonstrates an age-old interconnection between our reverence for nature and our need to determine our status in it. (53 minutes)

In 1940, Hitler's archaeologists excavated sites in Poland to try to prove that Germans had lived there before the Poles-an anthropological justification for political aggression and military invasion. This program explores the use of archaeology as a tool for propaganda and diplomatic machination by focusing on the long-standing connections between Germany and Greece. The program also looks at how Mussolini, like Hitler, used Greek motifs and Roman regalia to package the image of his party and, by so doing, align the destiny of fascist Italy with ancient traditions. (50 minutes)

No one knows when Australia was first inhabited, but most experts agree on tens of thousands of years ago. This program provides a wealth of information on Australia's Aboriginal culture. Topics include an overview of the history of the Aboriginal peoples; facts and theories about Aboriginal origins; an introduction to the Anangu and Tiwi, two Aboriginal groups; the Aboriginal mythology of the Dreamtime, the primordial phase in which life arose; Aboriginal reverence for geological formations, including Uluru, or Great Pebble," and Kata Tjuta, or "Many Heads"; Tiwi spiritual beliefs expressed in art, music, and dance; the carving of decorative Pukumani, or Tiwi burial poles; and the secretive nature of Anangu death rituals. A Discovery Channel Production. (24 minutes)"

On the plains of Beqaa, on the site of the Phoenician city of Baalbek, stands what is arguably the world's most impressive testament to Imperial Roman architecture: the gigantic temple complex dedicated to Jupiter, Venus, and Bacchus. Its six-story columns are the tallest ever erected, and its stones-some weighing nearly a thousand tons-are the largest ever used. In this program, architect Jean-Pierre Adam, of the National Center of Scientific Research, and Chaker Ghadban, former director of Lebanese antiquities, utilize the existing remains and computer-generated animation to demonstrate how the immense temples at Baalbek were built. (27 minutes)

The modern consequences of an ancient human obsession, the fear of inheriting bad genes, are explored in this program. In Hiroshima, Steve Jones speaks with hibakusha-children of atom bomb survivors, shunned as dangerous mates-and assesses the genetic risk that their children will be mutants. The royal blood disease, hemophilia, is traced through the genes, but Jones scientifically disproves the theory that Queen Victoria, whose son carried the disease, was its genetic source. A genetic dating service tests applicants for defective genes. A mutant gene that causes restricted growth is studied in combination with other causal factors, such as age and sex. Original BBC broadcast title: Rules of Engagement. (50 minutes)

This program featuring sociocultural anthropologist James Eder-author of On the Road to Tribal Extinction-travels to the island of Palawan in the Philippines archipelago to document the Batak tribe's eco-friendly hunter/gatherer way of life. Repeatedly displaced by immigrants and increasingly driven to take part in the island's growing cash economy, the tenacious Batak struggle to maintain their cultural and spiritual identity while attempting to adapt to the modern world. Can conservationists, who approve of their sustainable methods of harvesting, help to secure the tribe's ancestral forest before it is all lost? Contains nudity. (50 minutes)

Steve Jones investigates what constitutes Native American blood, then follows three individuals as they use DNA matching of a female gene to attempt to confirm a genetic link between themselves and their Pequot ancestors. How Native Americans were disconnected from their heritage is examined by several tribal members, and the point is made that some want to establish their Indian bloodlines to share in the growing profits from casino gambling on reservations. Native American activist Tom Porter stresses the importance of cultural connections, and predicts the imminent extinction of the Mohawk culture. Original BBC broadcast title: Indian Roulette. (50 minutes)

The remains of more than 10,000 Native Americans unearthed at archaeological sites across the U.S. are in the possession of museums such as the Smithsonian. Is the analysis of the bones valid scientific research, or is it a desecration of Native American culture? This program focuses on the tensions between scientists, historians, and museum curators and Native American groups, as the bones take on a central role in a war of alternate perspectives. In examining this debate, the program provides an excellent survey of Native American archaeology in the U.S. A BBC Production. (49 minutes)

Britain's legendary warrior-queen Boudica led an uprising against Roman occupation in 60 AD. After a few victories, her army was slaughtered. But what happened to the surviving members of her tribe, the Iceni? This program describes archaeological work that is filling in the gaps in Boudica's story, focusing on a site in Norfolk which may provide some important clues. Following archaeologists Neil Faulkner and David Thorpe as they study recently discovered artifacts-including gold coins, part of a chariot harness, and a heavy necklace designed for Brythonic royalty-the program explores the intriguing theory that the dig site was a seat of Iceni power. (48 minutes)

Its Phoenician founders called it Kart Hadasht, The New Town, but history knows it as Carthage-the heart of the Punic Empire and base of the Mediterranean's renowned merchant mariners. Blending archaeology and virtual reality, this program depicts the city as it was during its heyday as a major economic, political, and cultural center. Its ingenious military port, bustling streets, and comfortable homes illustrate why it occupied a key position in the geopolitics of the ancient world and a prized place in the literature of antiquity. Site conservator Abdelmajid Ennabli is featured with M'Hamed Hassine Fantar, of the Institute of National Cultural Heritage, Tunisia. (27 minutes)

The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with later elements from central Mexico makes Chichen Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatan. In this program, archaeological footage and computer re-creations spotlight prominent locations in the city, including the imposing Pyramid of Kukulcan, the Temple of the Warriors, the circular observatory known as El Caracol, the largest ball court in Mesoamerica, and the Well of Sacrifice-a sacred water-filled cenote into which votive offerings and human sacrifices were cast. (27 minutes)