The original free thinkers. The stories of the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates.

Stream Genius of the Ancient World with Bettany Hughes on BBC Select

What happened in the 5th century BC changed your life.

Watch Genius of the Ancient World and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.

Genius of the Ancient World on BBC Select

This was the time when three trailblazers – the Buddha, Confucius and Socrates – transformed our understanding of human potential, cutting us loose from gods, making us deciders of our own destiny. All survivors of childhood trauma, living thousands of miles apart, what was it about their time that created ideas that still shape our own lives?

More documentaries you might like...

Subscribe to BBC Select for hundreds of hours of thought - provoking, award-winning and critically-acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond.

Watch Napoleon with BBC Select

Napoleon

The story of Napoleon

Watch D-Day with BBC Select

D-Day

Explore the story behind the biggest seaborne invasion in history.

Watch Armada: The Untold Story on BBC Select

Armada: The Untold Story

The fierce naval conflict between England and Spain that changed the face of Europe.

The Catacomb Mystery

The Catacomb Mystery

Can the discovery of thousands of skeletons help unlock the secrets of the Roman Empire?

The Last Days Of Anne Boleyn

What led to the dramatic downfall and violent execution of Queen Anne Boleyn in 1536?

Image of the most dangerous man in Tudor

The Most Dangerous Man In Tudor England

The dramatic story of William Tyndale and his mission to translate the Bible into English.

Image the silhouette of a head with a map and British soldier inside the silhouette

African Apocalypse

The atrocities committed by a rogue French officer in Africa are still being felt today.

Collage image of the US flag and the USSR symbol in the shape of a missile

The World's Biggest Bomb

Why did American then Soviet scientists race to explode the biggest bomb of all time?

Image of Henry VIII

Henry VIII's Enforcer: The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell

Was Thomas Cromwell a corrupt, ambitious politician or has history unfairly maligned him?

Storming the Capitol: The Inside Story

Watch Egypt on BBC Select

Egypt

How three great explorers unlocked the mysteries of the ancient Egyptians.

Watch Jesus' Family Tree on BBC Select

Jesus' Family Tree

The traditional view of Jesus and his family is far from an accurate representation.

Watch The Bible: A History on BBC Select

The Bible: A History

What history's bestselling book can tell us about ourselves and our modern-day beliefs.

Watch Antiques Roadshow on BBC Select

Antiques Roadshow

What treasures will be found as antique experts appraise the public’s heirlooms?

Watch Christmas Carols with Lucy Worsley on BBC Select

Christmas Carols with Lucy Worsley

From pagan fertility rituals to World War I, the story of Christmas carols is surprising.

Stream Inside Balmoral with BBC Select

Inside Balmoral

An insight into a secluded royal retreat in the Scottish Highlands.

Watch Who Killed The Princes in the Tower? on BBC Select

Who Killed The Princes in the Tower?

Did King Richard III murder two princes to ruthlessly gain the crown of England?

100 Years of BBC News

How has BBC News and the world changed over 100 years?

Watch WWI: The Final Hours on BBC Select

WWI: The Final Hours

The secret negotiations that ended World War I and changed history

Watch War's Secret Shame: Shell Shock on BBC Select

War's Secret Shame: Shell Shock

Using previously unseen archives the hidden story of WWI soldiers is told.

Stream The Quintinshill Rail Disaster on BBC Select

The Quintinshill Rail Disaster

Reinvestigating the deadliest rail crash in British history that killed over 200 people

Watch The Normans on BBC Select

The Normans

How the extraordinary ambition of the Normans transformed the history of Europe.

Return of the Black Death

Could 25 medieval skeletons help to eradicate the Bubonic plague?

Stream The Pity of War on BBC Select

The Pity of War

Britain's decision to enter the First World War might have been a tragic miscalculation.

Magna Carta

David Starkey explores the origins of the Magna Carta

Watch Jack the Ripper The Case Reopened

Jack the Ripper - The Case Reopened

Casting a new light on the Jack the Ripper case

Stream Rome's Invisible City on BBC Select

Rome's Invisible City

Venture beneath the streets of Rome to explore a hidden city seen by very few

Stream The Hector: Canada's Mayflower on BBC Select

The Hector: Canada's Mayflower

The horrific story of migrants who left Scotland in 1773 to settle in Nova Scotia

Watch A Life In Ten Pictures: Muhammad Ali on BBC Select

A Life In Ten Pictures: Muhammad Ali

Ten photographs show a different side of boxer Muhammad Ali

Watch Moon Landing on BBC Select

Moon Landing

Relive the drama and danger of the mission to the moon in this thrilling documentary

Watch The Industrial Revolution on BBC Select

The Industrial Revolution

Unraveling the mysteries behind the Industrial Revolution in 19th century Britain

Watch Death Camp Treblinka on BBC Select

Death Camp Treblinka

Those who survived the Treblinka Nazi extermination camp tell their story

Watch Italy's Invisible Cities on BBC Select

Italy's Invisible Cities

The hidden history of Venice, Naples and Florence

Watch Hiroshima: The Real History on BBC Select

Hiroshima: The Real History

It ended World War II, but at what cost? Hiroshima unraveled.

Stream BBC at War on BBC Select

BBC at War

This enthralling series asks, how much did World War II shape the personality of the BBC?

Watch 1945: The Savage Peace on BBC Select

1945: The Savage Peace

Cruelty towards Germans began to escalate after World War II.

Watch 100 Days to Victory on BBC Select

100 Days to Victory

How did the Allies turn the tide and win the First World War?

Watch Who Were The Greeks? with BBC Select

Who Were The Greeks?

Explore the brutal, brilliant and still influential Ancient Greeks

Watch Nature And Us: A History Through Art on BBC Select

Nature And Us: A History Through Art

In the age of climate crisis, what can art teach us about our relationship with nature?

Watch The Bibles Buried Secrets

The Bible's Buried Secrets

Can contemporary historical evidence confirm stories from the Bible?

Watch Treasures Of The Indus

Treasures of the Indus

Ancient treasures are used to chart the fascinating history of India and Pakistan.

Nuremberg Nazis on Trial Documentary

Nuremberg: Nazis on Trial

Could the Nuremberg trials help shed light on the motivations of leading Nazis?

Stream Edward VIII: Britain's Traitor King on BBC Select

Edward VIII: Britain's Traitor King

The amazing story of the former British King who may have had Nazi sympathies during WWII.

The Art of Gothic

Why were Brits in the 19th-century obsessed with art that was horrific, macabre and weird?

Stream The Body Beautiful: Ancient Greeks, Good Looks and Glamour on BBC Select

The Body Beautiful: Ancient Greeks, Good Looks and Glamour

Why were the Ancient Greeks so preoccupied with images concerning the naked human form?

Watch Oceans Apart: Art and the Pacific on BBC Select

Oceans Apart: Art and the Pacific

The momentous impact of the West's contact with the peoples and cultures of the Pacific.

Stream The Silk Road on BBC Select

The Silk Road

The world's first superhighway that carried goods and ideas between Europe and China.

Stream Confucius on BBC Select

Confucius

The remarkable story of a great thinker who helped to form a nation and shape the world.

Watch The Wild West on BBC Select

The Wild West

What is the truth behind the iconic figures of the Wild West – and what is pure myth?

Watch The High Art of the Low Countries on BBC Select

The High Art of the Low Countries

Size doesn’t matter. How one small region spawned the greatest artists of all time.

Watch Simon Schama's Shakespeare and Us on BBC Select

Simon Schama's Shakespeare and Us

A Bard’s tale. How Shakespeare united the intellectual and populist like no one else.

Watch Rallying: The Killer Years on BBC Select

Rallying: The Killer Years

How rallying’s unregulated mayhem ended in 1986 after a series of horrific tragedies.

Watch Ancient Worlds on BBC Select

Ancient Worlds

An epic quest through the birth of civili`ation and the development of humanity

Ancient Treasures with Bettany Hughes

How did our ancient ancestors, and the amazing treasures they left behind, shape the modern world?

The Crusades BBC Documentary

The Crusades

Why were the Crusaders willing to endure pain, death and starvation in the name of God?

Watch Countdown to World War II documentary on BBC Select

Countdown to War

The story of the 3 days between the Nazis invading Poland and the beginning of World War II.

Stream The Six Queens of Henry VIII on BBC Select

The Six Queens of Henry VIII

Rediscover the Queens who shaped a King & his legacy in The Six Queens of Henry VIII, BBC's new look at the King's infamous wives.

Stream CLimate Change - Ade on the Frontline

History of Mother Earth: Gaia Uncovered

In space, you can hear the Earth scream... History of Mother Earth: Gaia Uncovered

Stream Nixon - In the Den on BBC Select

Nixon in the Den

Was President Nixon a visionary on China? Davin Reynolds investigates in Nixon in the Den

Watch Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley on BBC Select

Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley

Hitler's Terrifying Battle of Britain Bombing. Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, BBC's leading historian

Stream Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History on BBC Select

Africa and Britain: A Forgotten History

From slavery to settlement, award-winning historian David Olusoga explores the history of black Britain.

Watch Harry Potter - A History of Magic on BBC Select

Harry Potter - A History of Magic

They’re the fastest-selling books in history. But what inspired the enchanting world of Harry Potter?

Watch Rome: Empire Without Limit with Mary Beard on BBC Select

Rome: Empire Without Limit with Mary Beard

World renowned historian, Mary Beard, is back to shatter myths about the Roman Empire.

Stream Russia 1917 - Countdown to Revolution on BBC Select

Russia 1917: Countdown to Revolution

Three men rise from obscurity to unleash a bloody revolution that changed history forever.

Stream The Persians - A History of Iran on BBC Select

The Persians: A History of Iran

How was the world's first empire born and what led to its ultimate destruction?

Stream Secret Cities on BBC Select

Secret Cities

How much can the artistic history of a great city tell us about its character?

Stream Racism - A History on BBC Select

Racism: A History

Where did the notion of racism come from and how did such an abhorrent idea develop?

Stream Filthy Cities on BBC Select

Filthy Cities

Dan Snow explores the murky histories of London, Paris and New York from the bottom up.

Stream Queen Victoria and her Nine Children on BBC Select

Queen Victoria and her Nine Children

How Queen Victoria's grief changed her as a mother and a monarch

Stream Archaeology - A Secret History on BBC Select

Archaeology: A Secret History

Better living through archeology. How can our past make sense of our present?

Stream Simon Schama's Power of Art on BBC Select

Simon Schama's Power of Art

Eight masterpieces. Eight big names who changed the world. An electrifying feast of art.

Stream Vienna - Empire, Dynasty and Dream on BBC Select

Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream

The rise of one of the great cities and how it offers a window into power, faith and war.

The Birth of Empire - The East India Company on BBC Select

The Birth of Empire: The East India Company

The world’s first megacorp. How Britain’s East India Company grew into an imperial power.

Stream Cousins at War on BBC Select

Royal Cousins at War

It makes The Crown look like Sesame Street. The bitter regal rivalries that led to war.

Stream Genius of the Modern World on BBC Select

Genius of the Modern World

Emigres, recluses, enemies of the state. How Marx, Nietzsche and Freud changed the world.

Stream American History's Biggest Fibs on BBC Select

American History's Biggest Fibs

American history is fake, fact? Historian Lucy Worlsey delves deeper into US mythology.

Stream Suffragettes

Suffragettes

The violence, valor and sacrifices made by the women fighting for their right to vote.

Stream Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners on BBC Select

Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

People as property: historian David Olusoga on the untold stories of British slavery.

BBC Select free trial

BBC Select is available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, the Apple TV app and The Roku Channel for only $4.99 a month. Start a 7-day free trial and watch a range of acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond. Restrictions apply*.