Alastair Cooke examines the precursor cultures of classical Greece, starting in Minoan Crete, where the archaeological discovery of Cnossos's palace showed a vibrant world focused on Homeric mythology and sensuality, as on contemporary Santorini, the 'Greek Pompeii'. The gold treasure in the cyclops-size ruins of Mycene on the Peloponnese represents a later phase, grim and warlike. Written by KGF Vissers

Episode List:
The Age of Heroes
The Classical Revolution
The Long Shadow