Secrets of the Dead - Season 22

Uncover the sunken remains of a 4th-century basilica in Turkey unexpectedly discovered on a survey flight. Submerged beneath the waters of Lake Iznik for hundreds of years, the church could reveal crucial insights into the early days of Christianity. Join a team of international researchers as they travel back through time—and grapple with Turkey's many earthquakes, which could sink the structure deeper at any moment. 

Discover the world of dinosaur fossil collecting, a controversial hobby with a booming market. Hear perspectives on the fossil trade from private collectors, paleontologists, and others, as "Big John"—the largest Triceratops fossil ever found—is assembled in Italy and auctioned in France.

Find out about the race to build Paris' most famous landmark when two men vied to be the first to build a monument 1,000 feet tall. See how one man's vision transformed the Paris skyline, making the Eiffel Tower a global icon. Dramatic recreations, official renderings and personal correspondence tell the story.

Uncover what happens when archaeologists study a skeleton found with an iron nail through its heel bone, suggesting the person was the victim of crucifixion in Roman-occupied Britain. Only one other skeleton with evidence of crucifixion has ever been found in the world. Who was he? What was life in Roman Britain like? And why did he receive such a gruesome punishment?

Find out if one of history's greatest cold cases—the imprisonment of two princes in the Tower of London—can finally be solved. Their disappearance led to centuries of mystery and speculation. Were the boys murdered by their uncle, the notorious King Richard III? Or was it a massive conspiracy to hide the truth?

A moving story of a people reclaiming their cultural heritage after an occupying force tried to erase it. Priceless artifacts from the Assyrian Empire were destroyed during the Isis occupation of Mosul. Now, a team of archaeologists is dedicated to finding pieces that survived. One possible discovery: the location of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Maria Anna Mozart was a musical prodigy just like her younger brother Wolfgang. Although the children toured Europe together, once Maria Anna came of age, she was left behind while her brother became a star. But controversial new evidence suggests she may have contributed to her brother's earliest works while a global search for her compositions continues.

Making headlines around the world, Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,000-year-old carbonized scrolls found in the remains of a villa in Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius's eruption in 79 AD transformed the papyri, fusing together the layers of the scrolls and making them impossible to read. Can particle physics and AI finally reveal what the scrolls say?

Originally a supply depot for Union forces in Kentucky, Camp Nelson became the site where 10,000 Black soldiers trained in the Civil War. But in the war's last months, these formerly enslaved soldiers were brutally attacked by bitter Southerners. Their remains have never been found, and a team is dedicated to finding them to memorialize their service and heroism. Learn about the military base where these soldiers and thousands got their freedom papers.

In 2022, a terrifying discovery: a female skeleton dating from 1650, buried with a sickle across her neck and giant padlock on her toe — double protection to keep her from rising from the dead. All the evidence points to her being buried as a vampire... and she's not alone, with more than 50 deviant burials around her. Who was she, and what did these burial rituals mean?

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which controlled much of the region between the 9th and 15th centuries. The stunning accomplishments of Angkor's great kings are evident, but the period preceding the foundation of their great city is shrouded in mystery. The discovery of an incredible hoard of stunning artifacts provides surprising new clues about this early Khmer society.

The discovery of gold and silver artifacts in Laos, dating to the early days of the Khmer Empire, leads scientists to investigate how the priceless objects were made and where they might have originated. On their journey, they retrace the steps of the ancient kings and explore the sacred landscape around Vat Phou to learn more about this ancient civilization.

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse and his role in the Nazi looting operation, interviewing Lohse himself, as well as curators, art investigators, Lohse's associates, and descendants of the victims of Nazi art theft. He became Hermann Göring's personal collector in Paris, tasked with finding the most desirable works of art the Nazis stole from Jews. Post-war, Lohse spent a brief time in prison but then returned to Munich and resumed his career as a dealer, more often than not trading in art looted during World War II. With a look at stunning masterpieces and a deep archive of personal letters, Plunderer reveals the dark underbelly of the international art world.

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse's role in post-war America. Lohse established relationships with curators at some of the nation's most important cultural institutions and became an invisible hand, dealing in looted art – even as the families of the original owners pursued the restitution of works rightfully theirs.

The Colosseum: the jewel of Ancient Rome. It wowed vast crowds with extraordinary battles. It pushed the boundaries of technology. It exhibited Rome's vast wealth and power. Roman leaders spread the Colosseum's design throughout the Empire, and it helped them conquer the ancient world. But just as the structure embodied Rome's power, so too did it contribute to the Empire's downfall.

Just off the coast of Alexandria, 23 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean, lay the remnants of a mysterious ancient monument. For more than 30 years, the French explorer Franck Goddio has been working under a shroud of secrecy, hoping to confirm these remains as the temple of Cleopatra. If true, this unprecedented discovery could reveal vital new information about Cleopatra's reign and her connection with the goddess Isis.

On February 8, 2023, a sensational story came out in the news: three codebreaking enthusiasts announced that after a year of dedication and collaborative efforts, they finally had succeeded in decoding the secret correspondence of one of the most tragic characters in European history: Mary, Queen of Scots. Composed of 57 letters written in a code consisting of at least 150,000 different symbols, the correspondence between Mary and the French ambassador to England details Mary's efforts to free herself from imprisonment and gain advantage over her rival, Queen Elizabeth. After four centuries, Mary's urgent pleas can now be revealed.

"Chasing the Plague" looks at the societal impacts of the bubonic plague on medieval Europe as scientists today track down the earliest known bubonic plague victims. They are studying the virus 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?

There are only two accepted portraits of William Shakespeare that are considered "official," but a portrait that's been hanging over a mantlepiece for the last 50 years could be the third. It could be worth as much as $200 million…if it is genuine. 

What if women were hidden among the ranks of Ancient Rome's fearsome gladiators? A group of experts searches for evidence to prove women once fought in the arena just like men. Combining history, archaeology, and forensic investigation, journey across Europe in a quest for answers. If a female gladiator's existence can be proven definitively, what can we learn about their lives?

Can the stories about King Arthur be proven true? Was the legendary court of Camelot a real place? Join Prof. Mark Horton on his journey across Britain to prove real events and places inspired the chivalric myths. Horton scours medieval texts and archaeological sites for a new understanding of the Arthurian legends and what Britain was like after the Romans left in the fifth century.