Consultancy and Support for the Media: Ancient Mediterranean and Levant
THE BIRTH OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION
Can ancient ruins help us relearn how to thrive?
Why did our “primitive” ancestors radically change their ways more than 11,000 years ago? Why are so many people in today’s “civilized” societies unhappy?
The project is development and production of a feature-length documentary film (broadcast + educational distribution) that reaches deep into the past to recover a remedy for what ails the present and inspires a brighter, healthier future. Providing unprecedented perspective on how we came to be who we are, it draws on 35 years of research to identify parallels and connect scientific evidence with a narrative often missed in traditional education, contrasting the deep cultural and spiritual knowledge of prehistory with modern society. Punctuated by surviving sacred architectural space that still instills awe and wonder, we uncover how early humans built lasting cultures grounded in community, nature, and spiritual awareness. Designed for classrooms, libraries, museums, theaters and homes, it aims to inspire a shift in values and encourage critical thinking.
Working Title: The Birth of Western Civilization
Length: Approx. 90 minutes
Format: High-definition documentary film with segmenting capacity for classroom use
Tone: Thoughtful, evocative, and intellectually provocative; striking a balance between cinematic wonder and academic integrity
A documentary film that investigates how reconnecting with the spiritual and cultural wisdom of prehistoric civilizations may offer vital insight into the crises of the modern world—particularly the growing epidemic of mental health disorders, cultural fragmentation, and ecological disconnection in developed societies. Exciting new discoveries are completely upending our vision of the Stone Age and the birth of complex societies to which it gave rise. They reveal an unsuspected sophistication of thought and belief long predating the agricultural revolution that we are only now coming to understand. In the company of the foremost scholars in the area, our film will explore these and how they upend received versions of the rise of civilization.
The film offers a vital lens for the future. By highlighting early systems of meaning, community, and nature-based spirituality, the film provides a counterpoint to today's overly technological and compartmentalized worldview. It aims to inspire thoughtful re-evaluation of what it means to be a healthy, balanced, and connected human civilization.
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