Documentary

The Best Episodes of The Western Tradition

Every episode of The Western Tradition ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Western Tradition!

Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture, demography, government, economics, and

Airs on
PBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons1

All1

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Click to reveal
    The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 1 - The Dawn of History
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #1 - The Dawn of History

    S1:E1

    The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 2 - The Ancient Egyptians
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #2 - The Ancient Egyptians

    S1:E2

    Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 3 - Mesopotamia
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Mesopotamia

    S1:E3

    Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 4 - From Bronze to Iron
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #4 - From Bronze to Iron

    S1:E4

    Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 5 - The Rise of Greek Civilization
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #5 - The Rise of Greek Civilization

    S1:E5

    Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 6 - Greek Thought
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Greek Thought

    S1:E6

    Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Western Tradition

    READ
  7. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 7 - Alexander the Great
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Alexander the Great

    S1:E7

    Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 8 - The Hellenistic Age
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - The Hellenistic Age

    S1:E8

    Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 9 - The Rise of Rome
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - The Rise of Rome

    S1:E9

    Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 10 - The Roman Empire
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - The Roman Empire

    S1:E10

    Rome's civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 11 - Early Christianity
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Early Christianity

    S1:E11

    Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 12 - The Rise of the Church
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - The Rise of the Church

    S1:E12

    The old heresy became the Roman empire's official religion under the Emperor Constantine.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 13 - The Decline of Rome
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - The Decline of Rome

    S1:E13

    While enemies slashed at Rome's borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the empire from within.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 14 - The Fall of Rome
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - The Fall of Rome

    S1:E14

    Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to barbarian invasions.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 15 - The Byzantine Empire
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - The Byzantine Empire

    S1:E15

    From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 16 - The Fall of Byzantium
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - The Fall of Byzantium

    S1:E16

    Nearly a thousand years after Rome's fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of Islam.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 17 - The Dark Ages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - The Dark Ages

    S1:E17

    Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 18 - The Age of Charlemagne
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - The Age of Charlemagne

    S1:E18

    Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 19 - The Middle Ages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #19 - The Middle Ages

    S1:E19

    Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of Europe.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 20 - The Feudal Order
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #20 - The Feudal Order

    S1:E20

    Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000 A.D.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 21 - Common Life in the Middle Ages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Common Life in the Middle Ages

    S1:E21

    Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval beliefs.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 22 - Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages

    S1:E22

    The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 23 - The Late Middle Ages
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #23 - The Late Middle Ages

    S1:E23

    Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 24 - The National Monarchies
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #24 - The National Monarchies

    S1:E24

    A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized monarchies.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. The Western Tradition Season 1 Episode 25 - Renaissance & the Age of Discovery
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Renaissance & the Age of Discovery

    S1:E25

    Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Best Episodes Summary

"The Dawn of History" is the best rated episode of "The Western Tradition". It scored /10 based on 0 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/1/1989. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Ancient Egyptians".