Reel 1361

Debut: Michael Wood (pictured) goes in search of the first civilizations "and their continuing legacy" in a six-part series. (60 min.)

What can we learn from the past? Discover meaning in the world's oldest civilizations. IRAQ: THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION Debut: Michael Wood (pictured) goes in search of the first civilizations and their continuing legacy in a six-part series. Wood's first stop is in Iraq where, on the eve of the Gulf War, he traces the roots of Western civilization to "its very source": the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. "Here was the first law, the first science, the first war." He tours the country from its marshlands to its sand-swept wastelands, including visits to Uruk (the first true city on Earth"), Baghdad, and Babylon (which Saddam Hussein is rebuilding). Jews, Muslims, Christians and Mandaeans all played a part in shaping the culture of Iraq, which, Wood says, "is matched only by India as a cradle of religions." (60 min.)

What can we learn from the past? Discover new meaning in the world's oldest civilizations.

What can we learn from the past? Discover new meaning in the world's oldest civilizations. IRAQ: THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION Debut: Michael Wood (pictured) goes in search of the first civilizations, and their continuing legacy in a six-part series. Wood's first stop is in Iraq, where on the eve of the Gulf War, he traces the roots of Western civilization to "its very source," the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. "Here was the first law, the first science, the first war," he tours the country from its marshlands to its sand-swept wastelands, including visits to Uruk (the first true city on Earth), Baghdad, and Babylon (which Saddam Hussein is rebuilding). Jews, Muslims, Christians and Mandaeans all played a part in shaping the culture of Iraq which, Wood says, "is matched only by India as a cradle of religions." (65 min.)