History

Secrets of the Dead

Secrets of the Dead is part detective story, part true-life drama that unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events.

Hidden in the Amazon

55m 25s

Recent discoveries and technological advances are shedding new light on our understanding of pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon. Scientists speculate the rainforest was home to between 8 and 10 million people living in large, well-established communities.

Episodes

  • Hidden in the Amazon: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hidden in the Amazon

    S20 E4 - 55m 25s

    Recent discoveries and technological advances are shedding new light on our understanding of pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon. Scientists speculate the rainforest was home to between 8 and 10 million people living in large, well-established communities.

  • Decoding Hieroglyphics: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Decoding Hieroglyphics

    S20 E3 - 55m 25s

    A review of how ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics were first translated 200 years ago, and a look at the archaeological work now being done in Egypt to understand one of the empire’s most important scribes.

  • Last Days of Pompeii: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Last Days of Pompeii

    S20 E2 - 55m 30s

    What were the last days in Pompeii like before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago? The dazzling discovery of an intact wooden chariot, the only one ever found, provides new insight into the social classes of the ancient city.

  • Archaeology at Althorp: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Archaeology at Althorp

    S20 E1 - 55m 30s

    Discover one of the most significant British archaeological finds of the century at the Althorp estate, ancestral home of the Spencer family, including Diana, Princess of Wales. What treasures will this extensive excavation reveal?

Extras + Features

  • Wasps Surround Oldest Traces of Human Settlement in Amazonia: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Wasps Surround Oldest Traces of Human Settlement in Amazonia

    S20 E4 - 2m 5s

    Archaeologist Edithe Pereira travels deep into the heart of the Monte Alegre region of Brazil to study paintings found on the rockface there. Careful to avoid the surrounding wasp nests, she and her team have dated these paintings to 12,000 BCE — the oldest known traces of human presence in the whole of Amazonia.

  • Hidden in the Amazon Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hidden in the Amazon Preview

    S20 E4 - 32s

    Recent discoveries and technological advances are shedding new light on our understanding of pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon. Scientists speculate the rainforest was home to between 8 and 10 million people living in large, well-established communities.

  • Decoding Hieroglyphics Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Decoding Hieroglyphics Preview

    S20 E3 - 32s

    A review of how ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics were first translated 200 years ago, and a look at the archaeological work now being done in Egypt to understand one of the empire’s most important scribes.

  • Understanding Ancient Artists through 'Handwriting' Analysis: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Understanding Ancient Artists through 'Handwriting' Analysis

    S20 E3 - 1m 41s

    Egyptologist and paleography expert Elizabeth Bettles analyzes hieroglyphs painted on the walls of tombs in the Theban necropolis. By identifying different "handwriting" techniques — distinct shapes, styles, spellings — she learns more about the artists themselves.

  • Last Days of Pompeii Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Last Days of Pompeii Preview

    S20 E2 - 32s

    What were the last days in Pompeii like before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago? The dazzling discovery of an intact wooden chariot, the only one ever found, provides new insight into the social classes of the ancient city.

  • Ancient Pompeii's Modern Solution to Traffic Jams: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Ancient Pompeii's Modern Solution to Traffic Jams

    S20 E2 - 2m 7s

    Professor Eric Poehler is an expert at understanding the patterns left behind by the estimated 10,000 carts and wagons that rolled around ancient Pompeii. He examines the archaeological evidence, carved into the stone streets, to show how the city dealt with its relentless flow of traffic.

  • Archaeology at Althorp Preview

    S20 E1 - 32s

    Discover one of the most significant British archaeological finds of the century at the Althorp estate, ancestral home of the Spencer family, including Diana, Princess of Wales. What treasures will this extensive excavation reveal?

  • Evidence of the Iron Age Emerges at Althorp: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Evidence of the Iron Age Emerges at Althorp

    S20 E1 - 2m 15s

    During an archaeological dig at Althorp, the ancestral estate of the Spencer family, archaeologist Cat Jarman and her team begin to uncover fragments of manmade artifacts from the late 17th century. Further excavation uncovers even more evidence of human activity, suggesting an Iron Age settlement may have once existed on the property.

Schedule

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