Episodes

Incredible scientific investigations from across the globe are helping piece together the untold story of prehistoric women. The latest research separates fact from fiction and sheds light on our ancient foremothers.

500 years ago, Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set sail to gain control of the global spice trade. What resulted was the first circumnavigation of the earth, laying the groundwork for colonization and globalization still felt today.

In 1613, feudal lord Date Masamune sent a Japanese diplomatic mission to Europe to negotiate with the Pope and the King of Spain in hopes opening a new trade route. Led by samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga and Franciscan monk Luis Sotelo, the expedition spent seven years traveling one-third of the globe.

A decade-long archaeological quest reveals that the oldest stones of Stonehenge originally belonged to a much earlier sacred site – a stone circle built on a rugged, remote hillside in west Wales.

Recent discoveries and technological advances are shedding new light on our understanding of pre-Columbian societies in the Amazon. Scientists speculate the rainforest was home to between 8 and 10 million people living in large, well-established communities.

The first modern translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics happened 200 years ago. How was the ancient code cracked? Today, archaeologists are busy translating hieroglyphics from an important scribe’s tomb, its walls covered from floor to ceiling with symbols thousands of years old. This new research is giving archaeologists a better understanding of life in ancient Egypt.

What if climate change and pandemics were the real causes of the decline of the Roman Empire? Scientists from a range of disciplines are accumulating clues to show that three successive waves of deadly epidemics and powerful temperature drops could have caused the collapse of the Empire — and draw frightening parallels to today.

An ornate ceremonial chariot was recently discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, offering insights into the lives of wealthy, high-ranking landowners who lived outside the city. Buried by the Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago, this is not a humble transport cart. “It's the Lamborghini of this ancient world,” says Eric Poehler, an expert on ancient infrastructure in Pompeii.

Discover one of the most significant British archaeological finds of the century at the Althorp estate, ancestral home of the Spencer family, including Diana, Princess of Wales. What treasures will this extensive excavation reveal?

Father Marius Zerafa, director of museums in Malta, risks his life to recover a Caravaggio masterpiece stolen from a cathedral in 1984.

A fresh look at the science and conditions surrounding the Hindenburg explosion reveals ten particular flaws that directly led to the infamous disaster in 1937.

Join three groups of treasure hunters, armed with modern technology and newly uncovered clues, as they set out to find the lost treasure of notorious Prohibition-era gangster Dutch Schultz and solve an 85-year-old mystery.

Join a team of investigators as they search for the identity of the captain of a “mystery ship” that turned away from the “unsinkable” Titanic in its darkest hour, abandoning thousands of lives to the icy waters and their deaths.

Join a team of archaeologists as they examine one of the most significant Viking graves ever found and test the DNA of the remains of the female warrior buried inside, rewriting our understanding of Viking society.

Follow an investigation into the centuries-long construction of Notre Dame de Paris, uncovering the vast architectural, technical and human challenges experienced throughout the turbulent history of one of the world’s most celebrated buildings.