Silver Spring, MD — An epic documentary exploring the foundations of the modern world, Legacy: The Origins of Civilization debuts on DVD from Athena on March 30, 2010. Broadcast on PBS in the 1990s, the award-winning documentary examines the world’s first civilizations and their bearing on the present. Hosted by Oxford-educated historian, author, and documentarian Michael Wood (The Story of India), the six-episode series was filmed on location in Iraq, India, China, Egypt, Central America, and Europe, with stunning shots of exotic locations (DVD 3-Vol., $59.99, www.AthenaLearning.com).

What can the past teach us about the present? In this profound and provocative documentary, historian Michael Wood travels the globe to trace the origins of six great civilizations. These ancient cultures offer surprising perspectives on today’s most urgent questions: What purpose does society serve? How can it survive—and thrive—within the limits of nature?

Journey to Iraq, where humans built the first cities and faced the first environmental crisis; to India, where a culture of spirituality flourished; to China, where ritual and respect for ancestors reflected ideas of cosmic harmony; to Egypt, where monuments to the dead promised stability and eternal life; to Central America, where the Aztecs and Maya carved out bloody empires; and to Western Europe, where the individual became the center of society. In every locale, Legacy takes a fresh, strikingly relevant look at the roots of civilization.

Episode 1: Iraq: Cradle of Civilization
Episode 2: India: Empire of the Spirit
Episode 3: China: The Mandate of Heaven
Episode 4: Egypt: The Habit of Civilization
Episode 5: Central America: The Burden of Time
Episode 6: Europe: The Barbarian West

Oxford-educated historian Michael Wood has written 11 books and made dozens of acclaimed documentaries, including Conquistadors and The Story of India. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, the U.K.’s leading organization for scholarly study of the past.

BONUS FEATURES

• 20-page viewer’s guide includes highlights, questions to consider, avenues for further learning, maps, a history of zero, and fun facts.
• Profiles of great thinkers of the Axial Age, and more.

Street: March 30, 2010
SRP: $59.99
DVD 3-Vol. Boxed Set: 6 episodes - Approx. 304 min. - SDH subtitles

Athena is Acorn Media Group’s new home video brand for consumers interested in lifelong learning through documentary programming. Each Athena release provides an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming, along with a host of extras to extend the learning experience beyond the screen. Athena’s 2009 releases included Playing Shakespeare, The Shape of the World, The Adventure of English, The Genius of Charles Darwin, The Story of Math, among several others. Special web content and clips are available at www.athenalearning.com. Athena’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.

Press Contact (screeners, box art/stills and interviews):
Chad Campbell, Acorn Media, 301.608.2115 ext. 138, ccampbell@acornmedia.com