This is one of the best presentations concerning the Trojan War. In a clear and erudite manner Michael Wood has made a documentary that touched on all aspects of the war itself and the late bronze age world.

He makes history "come alive" and his use of experts and locales are fascinating. I especially loved the episode about Homer and the bardic traditions.

The music is also stirring and adds to rather than detracts from the series. Whether you are a casual ancient history student or a Trojan War fanatic, this series will appeal to you. It makes all the films about the war (even the newest one, despite Brad Pitt) seem a waste of time. None of them catches the true story and spirit of the age as does Michael Wood in this wonderful program.

I consider the purchase of this series to be a personal coup. The series has provided so many hours of pleasure. To find it in print again at a reasonable price is a joy. Michael Wood speaks of his subject with such fondness. I'm actually grateful for the movie "Troy" being released, the result of the movie being the rerelease of this wonderful production, with all it's exuberance.

Seeing this series brought me back to my University of California history classes with Erich Gruen, one of the finest classical scholars in the English-speaking world. If you are an ancient history buff, you probably know who he is. In his classes, we didn't simply learn about names, dates, and the "headlines" of events, but were taught to investigate original source material and do our own analysis of the historical facts. All popular histories are colored by the biases of the writers. As they say, "history is written by the victors." Michael Wood's Trojan War series is approached from the point of view of the professional historian. He uses Homer's Iliad as his first guide. Any historical study of the Trojan War begins with Homer. Then he examines Homer's references to place names, events, etc. The section on the "Catalog of the Ships" is simply brilliant. He even travels to Thisbe and checks to see if there really are a lot of pigeons there! He refers to making over 40 trips to different places in the Aegean to check Homeric references against surviving artifacts and geographical landmarks. And this happens in the first episode. This type of investigative and insightful research is present throughout the series. In all, it is a truly scholarly effort of the highest quality. It presents all that we currently know of what happened at Troy during the 13th Century.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best historical documentaries ever made. In Search of the Trojan War combines archaeological adventure, historical investigation and a charming presentation by historian Michael Wood to bring to life one of the best known Greek legends: the Trojan War. Sifting through vast sources of information, from the ancient to the contemporary, visiting fabled cities, and walking on the footsteps of the people of times past Michael Wood discards speculation to present an objective view on the history of the city of Troy.
Made in 1987 by PBS and the BBC, this six-part documentary is still the most complete and vivid depiction of Troy ever presented in television. Each one of the original episodes deals with a particular topic regarding Troy and the Trojan War as explained below:
*The Age of Heroes: presents the many legends and myths of the ancient Greeks, where they came from, the ways they influenced everyday life, and how life ordinarily went on in the Greek world during this historical period.
*The Legend Under Siege: presents the pioneering men, both believers and skeptics, who followed Greek myths into their historical past, discovering legendary cities, awe-inspiring treasures and important cultural facts, and, in the process, creating the science of archaeology.
*The Singer of Tales: presents as detailed a biography on Homer as the information about him permits - including a pleasant and entertaining look at the very old and almost unchanged art of the bard poets - and a detailed analysis of his epic: The Iliad.
*The Women of Troy: traces the evidence that places Trojan women on Greek mainland as the probable result of their abduction by victorious Greeks after the War, giving strong historical support to Homer's tale.
*The Empire of Hittites: presents the commercial and political connections between the Trojans and the Hittites as recorded in Hittite clay tablets and other historical records, validating further Homer's account of the Trojan War.
*The Fall of Troy: presents the conclusions drawn from the historical facts about the reality of the Trojan War, its legend and its heroes.
Not only does this documentary include every bit of information you could ever hope to find about the city of Troy itself and its many legends, it also includes information on Greek writing systems and alphabets, other important Greek myths and legends, and the birth of archaeology. If you are a history buff looking for an archaeological armchair adventure, the Indiana Jones type at heart or simply searching for an entertaining way to brush-up on your Trojan history, buy this documentary. I assure you that you will love it.
I would recommend reading the documentary's companion book "In Search of the Trojan War" by Michael Wood for an excellent bibliography to fuel further personal research. The book also includes an updated chapter that presents discoveries made on this topic since 1984 and not included in the documentary, which will not only complement what you'll explore in it, but will also make the conclusions presented on its last episode seem more likely to be correct. Enjoy!

One of the really better documentaries on the ancient world, it explores the history of the excavations of Troy and some theories as to why the war happened. Michael Wood is a charming and engaging host who really brings it to life. If you've watched any of the recent PBS Empires Series, this is very comparable. If History Channel ran it it would be impressive. If you want to be entertained and learn something in the bargain, go for it.