Lost Kingdoms of Africa

Synopsis

Lost Kingdoms of Africa is a British television documentary series. It is produced by the BBC. It describes the pre-colonial history of Africa. The series is narrated by Dr. Gus Casely-Hayford. The series was originally commissoned as part of the Wonderful Africa Season on BBC Four in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup. The first season of Lost Kingdoms of Africa was originally screened in the UK on BBC Four each Tuesday night over four weeks, starting on 5 January 2010. The second season of Lost Kingdoms of Africa was broadcast over four weeks, starting on 30 January 2012.

First Air Date: 2010-01-05

Last Air Date: 2012-02-20

Number of Seasons: 2

Number of Episodes: 8

Created By: Rachel Bell, Ross Harper, Michael Simkin

Networks: BBC Four

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Gus Casely-Hayford as Presenter
Michael Simkin as Producer
Ross Harper as Producer

Seasons

Season 1 (2010)

Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms. The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth. But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades, researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world. The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people. Casely-Hayford traces the origins of this fascinating kingdom back to 10,000 BC. He explores how it developed and what happened to it and its people, discovering that its kings once ruled Ancient Egypt and that it was defeated not by its rivals but by its environment.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Nubia (2010-01-05)

The first episode looks at Nubia, in what is now northern Sudan, a kingdom that dominated a vast area of the eastern Sahara for thousands of years. Its people were described as barbarians and mercenaries, and yet Nubia has left us with some of the most spectacular monuments in the world.
Ep. 2: Ethiopia (2010-01-12)

Art historian Gus Casely-Hayford explores the history of the old African kingdom of Ethiopia, which ended when Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the military in 1974.
Ep. 3: Great Zimbabwe (2010-01-19)

Gus Casely-Hayford explores the history of Great Zimbabwe, a symbol of African genius which gives an insight into the empires which once dominated southern Africa.
Ep. 4: West Africa (2010-01-26)

Gus Casely-Hayford travels to Nigeria and Mali to explore the story behind a series of magnificent 16th-century bronzes made in the ancient kingdom of Benin.