The Lost Pharaoh: The Search for Akhenaten (1980)

Ancient Olympics: Let the Games Begin

Come back with us to Ancient Greece, 2,500 Years ago to the original Olympic Games. The ancient Games, like our modern Olympics, included champions and cheaters, glory and scandals, bitter rivalries and contests of strength, speed and savage combat. Set in 448 BC when the pounding of horse's hooves and the brutal hand-to-hand combat could be heard and seen by the crowds that filled the Olympic stadium. This one-hour special event follows the glory and corruption of the arc of a single, five-day Olympiad. The competitions include chariot racing, running, jumping, discus, javelin and two man-to-man combat finals-boxing and pankration, a form of extreme fighting in which death was not uncommon. With the help of sports historians and great athletes such as George Chuvalo and Olympic medallists Donovan Bailey and Angela Schneider, viewers travel back to a very different life-in a very different world.

The Egypt Code Breakers

By decoding ancient hieroglyphic texts, Jean-François Champollion gave voice to an enigmatic civilization, but behind his legendary feat is a mysterious brother who made it possible. The recent discovery of correspondence between Jean-François Champollion and his brother Jacques-Joseph now allows us to fully understand how a young, self-taught genius was able to make one of the most important discoveries of the 19th century. Without the ingenuity and unfailing support of his older brother, Jean-François would never have succeeded in solving this enigma, which had international repercussions. With animated sequences of their private correspondence, and with the help of archives and expert analysis, this film revisits this unique scientific, human and intellectual adventure to celebrate the bicentenary of the decoding of hieroglyphics.

12.000 Anos de História - Arqueologia e Pré História do RS

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Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead

Forensic experts scan Pompeii’s victims to investigate why they didn’t escape the eruption.

Caligula with Mary Beard

What is true and what is false in the hideous stories spread about the controversial figure of the Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (12-41), nicknamed Caligula? Professor Mary Beard explains what is accurate and what is mythical in the historical accounts that portray him as an unbalanced despot. Was he a sadistic tyrant, as Roman historians have told, or perhaps the truth about him was manipulated because of political interests?

The First Emperor of China

This historical drama tells the story of Qin Shihuang, who unified China's vast territory and declared himself emperor in 221 B.C. During his reign, he introduced sweeping reforms, built a vast network of roads and connected the Great Wall of China. From the grandiose inner sanctum of Emperor Qin's royal palace, to fierce battles with feudal kings, this film re-creates the glory and the terror of the Qin Dynasty, including footage of Qin's life-sized terra cotta army, constructed 2,200 years ago for his tomb.

The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great

In this gripping investigation, archaeologist Pepi Papakosta is on a hunt for Alexander the Great's lost tomb, and she makes an extraordinary discovery.

Le mystère Cléopâtre, la dernière reine d'Egypte

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Lost Treasures of the Ancient World: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

This program presents the stories of the works of architecture regarded by the Greeks and Romans as the most extraordinary structures of antiquity: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statute Of Zeus, the Temple of Artemis, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Pharos of Alexandria and the Pyramids of Egypt and more.

Rise of the Black Pharaohs

Around 800 BC, Kush, a little-known subject state of Egypt, rose up and conquered the Egyptians, enthroned its own Pharaohs, and ruled over the empire of King Tut for nearly 100 years. This unlikely chapter of history has been buried by the Egyptians and belittled by early archaeologists, who refused to believe that dark skinned Africans could have risen so high. But now, in the heart of Sudan, archeologists Geoff Emberling and Tim Kendall are bringing the truth about the Black Pharaohs to life.

The Giza Pyramids: Reaching for the Stars

Explores the Pyramids of Giza as Egyptologists try to unravel the mysteries and decipher the clues behind these stone giants built over 4,500 years ago.

The Last Apostle: Journies in the Holy Land

Dr. Mark Fairchild, world-renowned archaeologist, traces the hidden years of Saint Paul's life in the mountainous Turkish countryside of Rough Cilicia.

Amazones, femmes guerrières de l'Antiquité

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Secrets of the Neanderthals

This documentary delves into the mysteries surrounding the Neanderthals and what their fossil record tells us about their lives and disappearance.

The True Story of Pirates

Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

The True Story of King Tut's Tomb

Almost 100 years after the discovery of King's Tut's Tomb, it is time to tell the story in a new light. Using 2D and 3D imagery to reconstruct the tomb, the mummy, the funerary objects and the topography of the famous valley of the Kings.

Digging into the Past (Archaeology)

Shows students and archaeologists unearthing the remains of an ancient Indian culture in southwestern Illinois.

Decoding Saqqara, The Secret Hieroglyphs of the Pyramids

With Its Myriad Of Mysteries Ancient Egypt Continues To Work Its Spell. The Necropolis Of Saqqara Roughly 30 Kilometers From Cairo Holds One Of Egypt's Most Fascinating Treasures The Pyramid Of Pharaoh Pepi Ii. Few Know Of It As It Is Closed To The Public Yet It Holds The Vastest Collection Of Texts Of All Currently Known Pyramids. For The First Time In 90 Years Teams From The International Archeological Mission In Saqqara Open And Decipher This Wondrous Tomb. How Did The Egyptians Build The Pyramids? Their Walls Are Covered In Hieroglyphs But What Story Do They Tell? How To Crack The Mystery Of Texts That Are Over Four Thousand Years Old? Using Technological Innovations Such As Photogrammetry Endoscopes Hyperspectral Imaging And Ultrahigh Resolution Photography This Documentary Alternates Live Scenes With Staged Interviews To Plunge Us Into Saqqara's History And Offer New Insights Into The Pharaohs' Tombs.

La Cité oubliée de Ramsès II

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Ägypten - Das Grab der heiligen Stiere

On the mythical site of Saqqara, the Apis bulls were buried for more than a thousand years in the immense underground necropolis of the Serapheum. Discovered in 1850 by the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, this place shelters a treasure of which a part is preserved in the Louvre. The collapse of the ceiling of one of the galleries had however prevented the archaeologist from venturing into the entire necropolis. More than 170 years later, the museum's Egyptologists are continuing the work of their famous predecessor. Investigating the cult of the Apis bull and the mysterious rituals that surrounded it, the team is especially looking for access to the unexplored parts, which have at least eight burial chambers, with the hope of finding intact tombs.

Les Mystères du Temple d'Hatchepsout, Reine d'Egypte

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Khéops, mystérieuses découvertes

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The Colosseum: A Jewel in Rome's Crown

With more than seven million visitors a year, its massive structure and awesome architecture testify to the genius of ancient Roman building techniques, earning it a place not only among UNESCO's World Heritage sites but as one of the new seven wonders of the world. The Roman Colosseum is an emblem of the power of a bygone empire.

Le Palais des hiéroglyphes - Sur les traces de Champollion

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Unknown: The Lost Pyramid

Egyptian archeologists dig into history, discovering tombs and artifacts over 4,000 years old as they search for a buried pyramid in this documentary.

The Mystery of the Desert Kites

Follows an international archaeological team exploring Saudi Arabia's Black Desert and Jordan, investigating ancient megastructures to uncover insights about humanity's oldest massive constructions.

Raising the Mary Rose: The Lost Tapes

The raising of King Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose in 1982 remains one of the most significant events in the history of maritime salvage. Comparable to the recovery of the 17th century Swedish warship Vasa in 1961, the climax of this complex and expensive operation was watched by around 60 million people worldwide. But 300 reels of film recently found in the archive of The Mary Rose Trust provide additional insight into the operation.

Incas: The New Story

Recent discoveries by archaeologists and researchers have shed new light on the Incas, shaking up our presumptions of this fascinating pre-Colombian civilisation.

The Mysterious Mummified Dogs of Ancient Egypt

This documentary examines the mysterious practice of mummifying animals in ancient Egypt as researchers explore the labyrinth of Tuna el-Gebel.

Ancient Armageddon

This explores the mysterious and catastrophic collapse of ancient civilizations during the late Bronze Age, from the Hittites to the Mycenaeans and the Egyptians, revealing the tumultuous events that brought an end to a thriving era of human history, and warns we may be facing similar threats today.

Trojan Horse: The New Evidence

For centuries Troy was believed to be a mythical city. Now, a leading team of American archaeologists have discovered an ancient thriving city, and evidence of a real Trojan War.

Les Derniers Secrets du Sphinx de Gizeh

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Fluch des Mittelmeers - Piraterie, Menschenraub und Sklaverei

Drama documentary based on the latest discovery of a 16th Century sailing shipwreck found close to Malta by an underwater research team led by maritime archaeologist Timmy Gambin.

The Mystery of the Sphinx

Hosted by Charlton Heston, it explores the possibility that the Sphinx maybe older than expected. John Anthony West examines that water erosion on the Sphinx can pre-date it to 10,000 years old?. Other mysteries such as how they moved 200 ton stone blocks to build the pyramids, the secret chambers under the Sphinx and the links to the pyramids that are suggested on Mars.

Cleopatra: Mother, Mistress, Murderer, Queen

Cleopatra, the last Egyptian queen and one of the most legendary women in history. A beautiful seductress who used her sex appeal in order to manipulate the most powerful men in the Roman Empire. This film reveals the truth behind the legend.

Les secrets des fresques d'Amazonie

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Petra: Secrets of the Ancient Builders

In the heart of the Jordanian desert, the ancient city of Petra is full of mysteries. How was this architectural wonder created over 2,000 years ago? The technical prowess of Petra, an ancient city in southern Jordan, which was a wonder in the middle of the desert.

Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer

Cleopatra - the most famous woman in history. We know her as a great queen, a beautiful lover and a political schemer. For 2,000 years almost all evidence of her has disappeared - until now. In one of the world's most exciting finds, archaeologists believe they have discovered the skeleton of her sister, murdered by Cleopatra and Mark Antony. From Egypt to Turkey, Neil Oliver investigates the story of a ruthless queen who would kill her own siblings for power. This is the portrait of a killer.

Cleopatra's Final Secret

After 20 years seeking Cleopatra's tomb, archaeologist K. Martinez's search shifts to an underwater Mediterranean site. She's joined by Titanic finder Bob Ballard, Egyptian Navy and dive teams to explore the location.