Video Clips
Interact
Time Team America's British cousins have sent a special treat to congratulate their U.S. counterparts on a great summer of discovery, exploration, finds, and adventure.
In Time Team: Special Edition, the United Kingdom's groundbreaking archaeology series takes viewers on an expedition to Jamestown, Virginia, where a British company's commercial enterprise planted the seeds of the United States. There have been nearly a million finds from the site's trenches, but this anniversary special is far more than just an excavation. The team retrieves piles of perfectly preserved 17th-century pieces, traces the names and life stories of the early American pioneers, and learns why a third of them died within months of arrival. The colonists at Jamestown went looking for gold and silver. Instead, they found fertile soil, tough conditions and the beginnings of the world's most powerful nation.
Then, in part two, Britain's most famous archaeologists discover what secrets lie buried beneath several of the world's most famous English residences. Time Team tears into the Queen's gardens in an unprecedented opportunity to unearth the secrets of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, where the royal finds include the foundation of a 14th-century building where Edward III honored the legendary Arthurian knights.
You can see it on Wednesday, August 19 at 8/7 Central on most PBS stations (please check your local listings).
Watch a Preview:
Was it tin of shortbread? A lovely selection of teas? An decorative plate bearing a likeness of Her Majesty the Queen?
No! Time Team sent over a two hour special!
In Time Team: Special Edition, the United Kingdom's groundbreaking archaeology series takes viewers on an expedition to Jamestown, Virginia, where a British company's commercial enterprise planted the seeds of the United States. There have been nearly a million finds from the site's trenches, but this anniversary special is far more than just an excavation. The team retrieves piles of perfectly preserved 17th-century pieces, traces the names and life stories of the early American pioneers, and learns why a third of them died within months of arrival. The colonists at Jamestown went looking for gold and silver. Instead, they found fertile soil, tough conditions and the beginnings of the world's most powerful nation.
Then, in part two, Britain's most famous archaeologists discover what secrets lie buried beneath several of the world's most famous English residences. Time Team tears into the Queen's gardens in an unprecedented opportunity to unearth the secrets of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace, where the royal finds include the foundation of a 14th-century building where Edward III honored the legendary Arthurian knights.
You can see it on Wednesday, August 19 at 8/7 Central on most PBS stations (please check your local listings).
Watch a Preview:
Enjoy!
The subject matter of Time Team Special Edition was very interesting but the faux "reality show" format was quite annoying on PBS.
I was very disappointed that the program omitted the enslaved labor used to work the land which made it possible for Jamestown to have an economical base, therefore, succeed. Also, that along with the English language and law they brought enslaved labor as an economical system.
PBS has brought many wonderful and educational programs regarding the history of slavery. Too bad this wasn't one.
Amen...
Have an ancestor, Richard Pace who lived in Jamestown, I and II (he went back after the first failure)....Was curious if any of his artifacts have been found by the group??
Doug,
I, and I expect others, don't know what you mean by "faux 'reality show'." I guess the quotation marks further emphasize the "faux," but just what is artificial? Are you implying the show was staged?
The BBC Time Team has in my opinion much better production values and Tony Robinson (Bladrick from Blackadder if you didn't make the connection), Mick Aston, Phil Harding et al. are much more engaging and knowledgeable than the young Time Team America, who seem to me chosen by a focus group.
I thought this was the best Time Team America ever, and I'm a bit surprised no one else shares my enthusiasm.
Sha'an,
They also said that the colonists relationship with the natives was in overall good, which wasn't alway the case of course. They gave short shrift to the tobacco economy at Jamestown in general. I don't know if they were restricting themselves to history as it relates to the archeology or if the BBC was merely being overly polite to their American cousins and the hallowed birthplace of their country. But I certainly don't think this should have been a program about slavery unless they were excavating the dwellings of Jamestown slaves.
"Enslaved labor" ? Who ? I wish sha'an had been more specific.
As for the Special Edition, I thought it was the most interesting of the series -- but, that's probably because I'm an Anglophile. I hope my local station repeats it !
Oops. Sorry, Sha'an, for not capitalizing your name.
I absolutely love the British version and just wish that we would have gotten the royal dig more in it's entirety which was about 5 hours worth of viewing and far more informative than the simple highlights that were shown...
As for the Jamestown Special. Anyone that watches the British version knows that the specials usually don't go to indepth they just do a highlight of the history that pertains to Britain.
The slave labor used in Jamestown is more angled toward American history.
I wrote a very complimentary and full letter. I couldn't read the "Secret code". I am a senior citizen, a member of LPB, retired teacher and ahave a Ph.D It is time to watch TV. I'm not angry, just tired. I want to see the list of "actors" and I would like to but a DVD.
Watched most of the first hour of the Time Team Edition re: expedition by the British to Jamestown, VA and have a question: Would like to know if any of the archaeologists thought of the significance of the things that they found in that well. Were the items there because they were old and no longer of use to them, were they hiding from someone, thrown in in a hurry - or was it like when we throw pennies (money) into a wishing well. Our money is valuable to us - were perhaps, the items found, their valuables?
To succeed with the American audience:
-no intellectual snobbery nor political correctness;
-don't dress up your host like one of those trendy fashion models
-No METRIC SYSTEM!
-Ban sleepytime music scores. (No Phoebe Snow-type stylings)
-Remember, Science - Only Science!
I have great hopes for this program, but doubts remain.
James said "Only Science" but also "No Metric System". Science uses the Metric System. In the British as well as the American show, they sometimes used feet and inches in conversation, but be sure that the data are recorded in metric.
As far as dressing up the host, I suspect he's referring to the Royal Palaces segment. That was a special occasion. I've watched a lot of the British shows on Veoh, the DVDs, and History International when it was on that. Tony Robinson usually isn't dressed up.
Does anyone know if this special can be found on the web? I would like to see it.
Our PBS (TPT) ran a 4 hour special on Ted Kennedy that night, due to his passing that day.
I have an episode for you. A mostly unknown
tribe of indians lived in our area 500
years ago. The peaceful Nation of
Neutral Indians were dwelling in Orleans,
Niagara and Genesee counties of Western New
York State.
They suddenly ceased to exist. The legends
say they were conquered by the Senecas.
There is an enigmatic site in Orleans County
that has never been excavated. It may hold
the answers to what happened to these people.
We would like you to help us answer the questions.
Craig Brozek
716-775-0144 home
716-690-2536 work #
I HAVE A SITE ALL READY FOR YOU IN
ORLEANS COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK STATE.
THE NEUTRAL NATION OR TRIBE OF INDIANS
DISAPPEARED 400 YEARS AGO. THERE IS VERY
LITTLE OR NOT RECORD OF WHO OR WHAT THEY
WERE ALL ABOUT...
THE SITE MAY ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS.
I remember watching a tv show about what some think is an aztech temple in the north central US inside of what is now a lake.
It would be nice to see something about this, even if they cannot drain the lake to dig the site.
If the Aztech's did reach far into north centeral US, it would write a whole new chapter about what we know of these ancient people.