Once Upon a Time: Life

"The streets of Knossos in 500 BC: the inhabitants are elegant and cheerful, the houses modern, it's civilization advanced. No bloodthirsty gods, no powerful army. Only the joy, the pleasure of living... It wouldn't last though. The Achaeans, jealous of its civilization, come to invade Crete. It remains for the barbarians to surpass their masters. At the same time as Darius the Great is building the sumptuous palace at Persepolis, Buddha and Confucius are spreading their influence in the Orient, and a young democracy is governing in Athens. 450 BC: Socrates is twenty years old. Pericles is 45 when he gives the discourse in which he defines the rights and obligations of a democratic state at the Pnyx..."

52 BC: Julius Caesar awaits the surrender of Vercingetorix, the chief of the Gauls, whom he has just defeated. On their way back to Rome with their prisoners, among whom are our friends, the legions appropriate whatever they find: a lamb, a cow, pottery or a string of onions. Caesar heads the convoy, and on the homeward journey, he dictates to his secretaries his impressions of the journey and the fighting. At the Rubicon, a narrow stream of water, they come to a halt. Caesar, a thoughtful man, takes time to contemplate. And, after some reflexion, he crosses the Rubicon... Peter and Jumbo, now slaves, are forced to fight one another in the arena, but they refuse. So, to intensify the sports event, wild beasts are sent in. They overcome the animals, and the crowd demands the reprieve which the prince grants them...

"While the Roman Empire dozes peacefully under the Pax Romana, we see how processions of invaders are spreading throughout the land. Later, in a great cloud of dust we see a horde gallop by: the Huns of Attila. We see a peaceful settlement whose inhabitants - which include our friends - are going about their daily chores; their children are at play. Suddenly, the bell tower sounds the alarm. The villagers panic, snatch up their children, and urge their cattle to the nearby forest. The inhabitants of the settlement return to find it in ruins, th flames consuming the last remains. They set about rebuilding. The invasions have recommenced. We see Clovis, the king of the Francs, kneeling before the Bishop of Reims. He's becoming the only catholic king in Europe, performing this subtle genuflection..."

1680: Paris has 450 000 inhabitants. The state prison, the Bastille, is situated in the East. In the West, there’s the Louvre, which is the king’s palace. Louis XVI has other plans though… The construction of the Palace of Versailles has been in progress for 18 years, but still there were some things missing. The interior decoration and parks need a lot of time and quality. Until he will move there on May 6th in 1683, Louis XVI still lives in the Louvre. In the same year, Queen Maria Theresa of Spain dies. They were married for 23 years. Madame de Maintenon moves into the castle and succeeds in turning the Sun King into a religious fanatic: the prosecution of the Huguenots begins. When Louis XVI dies on September 1st, in 1715, the state is completely broke…

In a small harbor in the South of England, the “Mayflower” is berthed. With this ship, the first puritan settlers of New England want to go to America. 41 men with their families travel across the Atlantic Ocean. After some difficulties in the beginning, they soon get used to their new environment. The peace with the Native Americans is gone though. Also, there’s the War of Independence…

The night before the French Revolution in 1789, the Estates-General come together in Versailles. Freedom is the first big issue. Mainly, the deputies want to end serfdom. The French Revolution starts with the storming of the bastille. Finally, France is becoming a republic.