| | |  | IRAN | Home » » Persepolis: Re-Discovering the Ancient Persian Capital of Modern Day Iran | | | | | | | Description: | | It was probably the greatest construction project of antiquity: in 520 B.C. King Darius I of the Archaemenids had a forty-acre terrace piled up at the foot of the Kuh-e-Rahmat - the Mount of Mercy - in the central Persian plateau. Here the new capital of the Persian Empire was to arise: Parsa, or Persepolis. This program reconstructs the imposing site. The architects Wolfgang Gambke and Kourosh Afhami rebuilt Persepolis virtually with an animation program also used by architects and urban planners. Not only does the documentary breathe life into the splendor of Persepolis, it also recreates a picture of a world empire which was exemplary in its organization and administration. | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Gotz Balonier | | Director:
| Gotz Balonier | | Format:
| Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| KULTUR VIDEO | | Run Time:
| 60 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| February 24, 2009 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 5 reviews |
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| $10.67+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $10.67+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $10.93+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $11.54+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $11.97+ $4.12 *Shipping | New | | | $12.00+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $12.16+ $3.99 *Shipping | New | | | $12.38+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $12.63+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $12.95+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $13.26+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $14.07+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $14.10+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $14.11+ $8.13 *Shipping | New | | | $15.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $16.07+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $19.99+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $23.12+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $119.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | |
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17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 The Rise, Fall, and Rediscovery of Persepolis, Capital of a Mighty EmpireMar 23, 2009
By Serge J. Van Steenkiste
Filmmaker Gotz Balonier and his team spend most of their time exploring the ruins of Persepolis which was a stunning metropolis under the reign of its founder, Darius I of the Achaemenid dynasty, and his successors. To their credit, Balonier and his collaborators succeed in highlighting some of the key features of the Persian Empire that help their audience better understand the context surrounding the foundation and extension of Persepolis. The Persian Empire, the world's only superpower for two centuries, stood out among other things for the efficiency of its organization and management, its religious and cultural tolerance, and to some extent, its rule of law. Modern day Iranians can look back with both pride and humility at the exploits of their ancestors.
The DVD under review greatly benefits from the computer-generated rebuilding of Persepolis under the direction of architects Wolfgang Gambke and Kourosh Afhami. This stunning animation program is of great help to "reconstruct" the layout and the landmarks of Persepolis that the soldiers of Alexander the Great destroyed in 330 BCE for reasons that are not totally clear to this day. Persepolis still has many secrets to reveal, despite the fact that its scientific restoration started in 1931 CE.
Viewers can use "Persepolis Rediscovering the Lost Capital of the Persian Empire" for planning a future journey to Persepolis or reminiscing about their visit to the ancient imperial capital. Nothing, not even this excellent DVD, can replace the sensorial experience that I gained while I was meandering among the ruins of Persepolis. As a side note, "Engineering an Empire" by The History Channel and "Secrets of Archaeology" by Koch Vision each contains a segment about the Persians and Persepolis.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Great looking poor narationApr 25, 2010
By I Teach Typing
This video has good photography and great computer animation but it is hard to sit through because of poor narration. I am guessing that it was remastered from a German production. Because of this, the speed which the narrators cover the material does not match up with the footage. So, most scenes have several seconds of silence or the discussion is not perfectly in sync with the video. As others commented there is not much history about the Persian leaders (Darius, Xerxes and Artaxerxes are mentioned but not really discussed) or the Persian empire (but there are a few shots of buildings and art from Susa, Babylon and Chogha Zanbil). So, don't count on this for an introduction to the Persian empire.
In short, this video does give a feel for the grandeur of the site but it could be much better.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Limited digital reconstructionMay 20, 2010
By Diotima
"Mantinea"
This is a German production. The voice-over and the interviews with the German architect, an Iranian archaeologist, a Tehran museum curator and picnickers at Persepolis are dubbed into English.
The DVD was obviously made with the full cooperation of the Iranian government as the "Research Department for Cultural Heritage & Tourism Org", the "Ministry of Cultural & Islamic Guidance", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs", the "Panha Helicopter Org" and "Iran Air" are credited at the end of the DVD.
Although promoted as a digital reconstruction of the Persepolis site, the DVD includes extensive footage of other matters such as the Behistun inscription of Darius I, the Ishtar Gateway from Babylon as reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, the Susa archaeological site and wall reliefs, and the history of deciphering cuneiform inscriptions. In other words, the DVD is padded with material more relevant to "The Persian Empire" than "Persepolis".
The digital reconstructions of Persepolis are few and far between. The internal views of the palace of Darius and the terrace of the Apadana are nicely detailed but the external views of the buildings are rather bland. There are no digital reconstructions of the whole site nor any plans to locate the various buildings on the site.
The aerial shots and ground level panoramic views are the best part of the DVD as they allow the viewer to relate the site to the surrounding plain and nearby hills. This just about obviates a visit to the site in person.
The DVD is little more than a tourist teaser. Better to invest in a good book like "The Persian Empire" aka "The Persians" by J. M. Cook.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Good, but left me wanting more historyDec 05, 2009
By Enjolras
The ruins depicted in Persepolis are quite simply amazing. This DVD has excellent quality footage, making you feel like you're getting a good glimpse of the Persian Empire's capital. The ruins are as stunning as any I've seen in Rome or Greece. I also appreciated the many digital reconstructions of the city, which show what it probably looked like 2,500 years ago (it was quite colorful). I was a bit disappointed that the DVD didn't go int other history of the Persian Empire in greater depth. Like most Westerners, my knowledge of ancient Persia is limited and from the Greek perspective, although I have read Tom Holland's Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West. It would have been useful for the film to spend a good 10 minutes talking about the history of the Persian Empire, its leaders, etc. Instead, it spent a bit too much time talking about the importance of the Persian calendar system.
Great rediscovery of PersepolisFeb 26, 2011
By H. Shafeian
This documentary was a really great work in introducing Persepolis which was probably greatest architect work in ancient world. It contains some historical information about this monoumental Persian place along with virtually rebuilt city to give the viewer a colorful and vivid sense of how it looked like during the time of Achaemenid rulers.
This is a sign of how great and advanced was that glorious empire. Filmography Is also professional.
I appreciate the producers' job.
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