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The Worst Episodes of Civilisations

Every episode of Civilisations ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Civilisations!

Binge this in 7h 57m•Peaking at 7.7/10

The story of art from the dawn of human history to the present day—for the first time on a global scale. Inspired by Civilisation, Kenneth Clark’s acclaimed landmark 1969 series about Western art, this series

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Civilisations Season 1 Episode 8 - The Cult of Progress
    7.0/10(59 votes)

    #1 - The Cult of Progress

    S1:E8

    Examine the rise and fall of “progress” as an ideology, and see how the “civilizing” project that arose from Enlightenment ideas was fraught with contradictions that troubled European artists in different ways.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 2 - How Do We Look?
    7.3/10(108 votes)

    #2 - How Do We Look?

    S1:E2

    Explore the many functions of the human image in art. Portraits, paintings and sculptures, both life-size and colossal, perform a role—assuaging loss, expressing strength, inspiring fear—and were instrumental in depicting the human body today.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 6 - Paradise on Earth
    7.3/10(62 votes)

    #3 - Paradise on Earth

    S1:E6

    Explore one of humanity’s deepest artistic urges: the depiction of nature. But landscape painting is seldom a straightforward portrayal of observed nature; it's a projection of dreams, idylls, escapes and refuges—the elusive paradise on earth.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 7 - Color and Light
    7.3/10(60 votes)

    #4 - Color and Light

    S1:E7

    Explore the story of light and color in art—both in the search for greater realism and spiritual ecstasy. Journey from Gothic cathedrals and Indian courtly painting to modern art.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 4 - Encounters
    7.4/10(73 votes)

    #5 - Encounters

    S1:E4

    See how advances in seafaring and a thirst for trade and exploration sent human beings around the planet. Distant and disparate cultures met for the first time, and art became the great interface by which civilizations understood each other.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 3 - God and Art
    7.5/10(78 votes)

    #6 - God and Art

    S1:E3

    Trace the relationship between religion and art, which has inspired some of the most ingenious, affecting, majestic and breathtaking works of art ever made. Yet beneath great works of religious art often lie conflict, intrigue and divine mysteries.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of Civilisations

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  7. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 9 - What is Art Good For?
    7.5/10(52 votes)

    #7 - What is Art Good For?

    S1:E9

    Explore art in the age of revolution, war and profound scientific change and consider the question: Should art create a separate realm, a place of escape, or should it plunge into the chaos, transforming the way we see and live in the world?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 1 - Second Moment of Creation
    7.7/10(122 votes)

    #8 - Second Moment of Creation

    S1:E1

    Examine the formative role of art and the creative imagination in the forging of humanity itself. Images and artifacts found in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and South America testify to the urge to develop civilizations. Liev Schreiber narrates.

    Director:Tim Niel
    Writer:Simon Schama

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  9. Civilisations Season 1 Episode 5 - Renaissances
    7.7/10(66 votes)

    #9 - Renaissances

    S1:E5

    Travel east and west to explore the connections and rivalries between Renaissance Italy and the Islamic empires that experienced their own cultural flowering in the 15th and 16th centuries. Both spheres were open to influences flowing both ways.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"The Cult of Progress" is the worst rated episode of "Civilisations". It scored 7/10 based on 59 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/26/2018. This episode scored 0.3 points lower than the second lowest rated, "How Do We Look?".