Secrets of the Dead

Preview | China's Bronze Kingdom

A mysterious ancient city lies hidden in the mountains of Sichuan – remnants of a kingdom consigned to oblivion for thousands of years, until the chance discovery of a jade artifact in 1986. More than 10,000 unusual items have been found at the site which experts believe may be as archaeologically important as the Terracotta Army of Xi’an. Could this be the capital of the ancient Shu kingdom?

Preview | China's Bronze Kingdom

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  • Picturing Shakespeare: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Picturing Shakespeare

    S23 E2 - 55m 15s

    There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered “official” – but could a portrait that has been hanging over a family’s mantelpiece for the last 50 years be the third? British window washer Steven Wadlow, whose father bought the portrait in the 1960s, is on the hunt to prove the painting is indeed genuine. If so, it could be worth as much as $200 million.

  • Chasing the Plague: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Chasing the Plague

    S22 E10 - 55m 15s

    Follow scientists as they track down the earliest known bubonic plague victims in hopes of preventing future outbreaks, while historians and scholars explore the societal impact of the plague on medieval Europe. What happens when a third of a continent’s population is wiped out?

  • Cracking the Queen's Code: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Cracking the Queen's Code

    S22 E9 - 55m 15s

    In early 2023, three amateur codebreakers announced they had successfully decoded the secret correspondence of one of the most tragic characters in European history: Mary, Queen of Scots. 57 encrypted letters detail the exiled queen’s efforts to free herself from imprisonment and gain advantage over her rival, Queen Elizabeth. Now, after four centuries, Mary’s urgent pleas can be revealed.

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