Traditional history tells us that European settlers discovered America about the time of the Renaissance. But revolutionary new archaeological data and the latest DNA research reveal that Europeans visited our shores far earlier some 17,000 years before Columbus was even born. Filmed in glorious high definition, this two-hour, epic drama follows an intrepid family of stone age hunters as they tre
The story of the Iceman is an ancient murder mystery, it involves Europe's oldest natural mummy, known to us today as Otzi. He was a man who was stalked, attacked and left to die alone more than 5,000 years ago. Thanks to the formation of some glacial ice Otzi was preserved and later discovered in remarkable condition.Due to the quality of his remains scientists, historians, and archeo
Thousands of mummies in the very heart of Europe, monks, doctors, soldiers and even children, dead yet resisting deaths inevitable decay in the catacombs in Italy's Catholic churches. Some of these mummies are so well preserved it is almost impossible to tel if they are dead or merely sleeping, but who made these mummies and why?First the first time these Italian churches are permitting scientis
Six thousand years before the present the colossal city of Uruk by far the largest in the worlds dominated the southern Mesopotamian plains of modern day Iraq. With a population of at least 50,000 people Uruk wouldn't be surpassed in size or in numbers for an astonishing 3,000 years to come. Until well into the Classical Age the legendary homeland of Gilgamesh was surrounded by a colossal mud bric
During the 2008 season of Odyssey Marine Exploration's Atlas Shipwreck Survey Project in the western English Channel, the Odyssey Explorer located a significant and previously unknown shipwreck . Initial investigation of site MUN-T1M33c-1 using the Remotely-Operated Vehicle Zeus revealed a spread of over 20 cannon and several masses of amorphous, linear iron concretions. During the initial survey
Skulls are humanity's foremost symbol of death, and a powerful icon in the visual vocabularies of cultures all over the globe. Thirteen crystal skulls of apparently ancient origin have been found in parts of Mexico, Central America and South America, comprising one of the most fascinating subjects of 20th Century archaeology.This documentary takes a look at the history of all four known skulls
An ancient temple is discovered in the Middle East, it's thousands of years older than the Egyptian pyramids and it even dates long before the earliest civilisations like the Mesopotamians, the Minoan and the Mayan. It was built when mankind was still in the Stone Age but who built this temple and why?To solve the mystery, one mantravels back 12,000 years to the end of the last ic
Through the mountains and jungles of Colombia, archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper goes in search of the truth behind one of the greatest stories ever told - the legend of El Dorado. His journey takes him from Bogota to the Caribbean coast, through territories once dominated by two cultures, the Muisca and the Tairona, who flourished for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Dr
When our early ancestors entered new lands they encountered a variety of strange new creatures, monsters that no longer exist. What were they like and where are they now? What are the real answers to the mystery of the missing megafauna?Some scientists believe there is damning evidence that humanity hunted the megafauna to extinction. The 'overkill' hypothesis holds that the megafauna vanished