Genius Of The Ancient World
Genius Of The Ancient World is a TV show on BBC4. Historian Bettany Hughes travels to India, Greece and China on the trail of three giants of ancient philosophy - Buddha, Socrates and Confucius. The program has been available since 2025. A total of 3 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in September 2025.
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Genius Of The Ancient World
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3. Confucius
Bettany Hughes travels to China on the trail of Confucius, a great sage of Chinese history whose ideas have fundamentally shaped the country of his birth for around 2,500 years.
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Historian Bettany Hughes is in Greece, on the trail of the hugely influential maverick thinker Socrates, who was executed for his beliefs.
Historian Bettany Hughes travels to India, Greece and China on the trail of three giants of ancient philosophy. To begin, she investigates the revolutionary ideas of the Buddha.