U of A Geosciences Professor Featured on NOVA Series Building Wonders of the World

Courtesy of NOVA

Tom Paradise (second from left) on the set of 'Petra: Lost City of Stone'

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Building Wonders of the World, a three part special series by NOVA that begins tonight, features the expertise of Thomas Paradise, professor of geosciences in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Paradise is an expert in geology, architecture, Levant geography and geomatrics, which led NOVA to choose him as one of the project’s consultants and lead researchers. Paradise was asked to oversee the design, re-creation, on-air commentary, script work, imagery and fact-checking for the series, making him a part of the project from beginning to end.

The series will feature Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, the city of Petra in Jordan and the Flavian Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Episodes will premiere on Feb. 11, 18 and 25 on PBS in the United States and across Europe and Asia on ARTE, a European culture and public service television channel. The networks have a combined estimated viewership of 20 million people worldwide. Dates and times for local broadcasts may vary. Check listings to see the series in your area.

Paradise  appears on camera in the Petra episode, and the program’s  producer and director, Gary Glassman, said that Paradise’s insight into Petra and the Nabateans “provides the soul of the film.”

Schedule of premieres for PBS and AETN:

• The Colosseum – Roman Death Trap, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. CST
• Petra – Lost City of Stone, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. CST
• Hagia Sophia – Istanbul’s Ancient Mystery, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. CST

Additional dates for the episodes on AETN include:

• Feb. 11 – Colosseum: Roman Death Trap – AETN-1 HD
• Feb. 12 – Colosseum: Roman Death Trap – AETN-3 PLUS/WORLD
• Feb. 12 – Colosseum: Roman Death Trap – AETN-3 PLUS/WORLD
• Feb. 13 – Colosseum - Roman Death Trap – AETN-1 HD
• Feb. 18 – Petra: Lost City of Stone – AETN-1 HD
• Feb. 19 – Petra: Lost City of Stone – AETN-3 PLUS/WORLD
• Feb. 19 – Petra: Lost City of Stone – AETN-3 PLUS/WORLD
• Feb. 20 – Petra:  Lost City of Stone – AETN-1 HD
• Feb. 25 – Hagia Sophia: Istanbul's Ancient Mystery – AETN-1 HD
• Feb. 26 – Hagia Sophia: Istanbul's Ancient Mystery – AETN-3 PLUS/WORLD
• Feb. 26 – Hagia Sophia: Istanbul's Ancient Mystery – AETN-3 PLUS/WORLD
• Feb. 27 – Hagia Sophia: Istanbul's Ancient Mystery – AETN-1 HD