At the time of the fall of the Roman Empire in the West and the Dark Ages that followed, India experienced a series of great flowerings of culture, both in the north and the south. In this program, Michael Wood shows viewers some of the amazing achievements of India during this time. Breakthroughs in astronomy and mathematics, mastery of wrought iron and bronze technologies, island conquests throughout the region, and the codification of sexual practices into the Kama Sutra are spotlighted.

Classroom Video On Demand is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware. Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on December 12, 2009.

Introduction: Ages of Gold (2:18) -- The Plays of Rama (1:43) -- Bringing in the Golden Age (1:36) -- Rama's Golden City (1:48) -- Versions of Indian History (1:46) -- Gupta Empire 5th Century CE (2:52) -- Masters of Metal (3:03) -- Gupta Scientists (2:55) -- Exploring All Aspects of Life (3:07) -- Cholan Empire 11th Century CE (1:47) -- The Temple of Temples (2:07) -- The God Vishnu on Earth (1:39) -- Prince of Tanjore (1:32) -- Citizens of Cholan Tanjore (4:01) -- Scenes from the Cholan World (2:32) -- The Cholan Bronze Casting Process (4:30) -- Tiruvisalur (2:50) -- Anicut Dam on the River Cavery (3:05) -- Traditional Karkarthar Family (2:36) -- The Festival of Light (5:21).