This Virtual Autopsy Reveals a Surprising Discovery
For a non-evasive way to further examine the woman in the iron coffin's remains, diagnostic imaging experts conduct a virtual autopsy and are stunned by the results.
Preview | Hannibal in the Alps
Follow a team of experts as they solve the enduring mystery of exactly where Hannibal and his troops crossed the Alps to launch a surprise attack on Rome.
An Attack in the Gorge
When Hannibal's army came to a gorge in the mountain, it put them in a very vulnerable position. They ran into some Celtic tribesmen who attacked them by hurling boulders from the top, picking the soldiers and animals off one by one.
Training Hannibal's Military Horses
Throughout Hannibal's journey, the horses proved to be a liability in the mountains, and their panic only made attacks worse. But they were a crucial military weapon that Hannibal could not do without. Military historian Mike Loades demonstrates how these horses were controlled by Hannibal's elite mounted force.
How Hannibal's Elephants Crossed the Alps
Hannibal was determined to get his whole army - men and animals - across the treacherous path through the Alps. But how did he handle 37 elephants? Expert Dr. Tori Herridge speaks with Santiago Borragan Santos, Chief Veterinarian at Cabárceno Park in Spain, to learn how the park controls Europe’s largest herd of captive African elephants.
Preview | Scanning the Pyramids
Tracing the origin of the legends of secret chambers hidden in the heart of the pyramid, Secrets of the Dead will show what lies within, solving a 4,500-year-old mystery, by following the first scientific mission in 30 years to be authorized by the Egyptian government to examine the pyramids of Egypt.
Muography Helps Scientists See Inside the Great Pyramid
Scientists used an unprecedented imaging technique called muography to create an internal scan of the Great Pyramid of Giza. See how it works. Muography is the process of recording the trajectories of sub-atomic particles known as muons to form images. The process is similar to taking an x-ray but on a much larger scale.
A Peek at the New Discoveries Inside the Great Pyramid
Scientists use augmented reality technology to see what the newly discovered voids inside the Great Pyramid of Giza might look like.
Andrew Turnbull: The Most Reviled Man in Colonial Florida
In the 18th Century, Dr. Andrew Turnbull's plantation in East Florida was the largest in North America. Turnbull employed more than 1,400 indentured servants from around the world - people fleeing famine and drought in their home countries. However, the conditions these servants faced on the plantation may have been more devastating than the hardships they left behind.
The True Story Behind the Guale Uprising
In the late 16th century, the Guale natives participated in a brutal uprising against their Catholic overseers. Legend says that Don Juanillo, heir to the chief, led the revolt because the friars would not allow him a second wife. However, there are reasons to suggest this may not be the full story.
Preview | Secrets of Spanish Florida
Secrets of Spanish Florida – A Secrets of the Dead Special uncovers one story of America’s past that never made it into textbooks. Follow some of America’s leading archaeologists, maritime scientists, and historians as they share the story of Florida’s earliest settlers. It’s a story that has taken more than 450 years to reveal.
Spanish and French Battle for Florida Fortress
When the Spanish settlers tried to move into Fort Caroline at present-day Anastasia Island, the French colonists were not pleased. As previous holders of the Fort, the French promised revenge...and may have exaggerated their efforts.
The First Thanksgiving Was Actually in St. Augustine
55 years before the Pilgrims even arrived in Plymouth, the first true Thanksgiving took place in St. Augustine, Florida.
Why Slaves Escaped to Florida for Asylum
Join a team of archaeologists, scientists and historians as they reveal the little-known history of America’s Spanish colonists who settled in Florida in 1565, long before Jamestown or Plymouth were founded. Narrated by actor Jimmy Smits.
Scanning the Pyramids
For the first time, the Egyptian government has granted unprecedented access to the pyramids at Giza. It is allowing multiple different technological tools to scan, measure and probe the ancient structures in order to create a picture of what exists inside the buildings themselves. Will there be vast ceremonial rooms? Burial sites? Secret chambers? Other mysteries? Find out.
Preview | Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science
Leonardo da Vinci is well known for his inventions as well as his art. But new evidence shows that many of his ideas were realized long before he sketched them out in his notebooks — some even 1,700 years before. Was Leonardo a copycat?
The Vitruvian Man
During the Renaissance, the goal of art was the expression of harmony, and harmony is a matter of proportion. Leonardo was fascinated with proportion. Vitruvian Man is a pure expression of the Renaissance – a secular, almost carnal figure whose reach extends to the very limit of the cosmos.
Did Leonardo Really Invent the Parachute?
The parachute is one of many inventions attributed to Leonardo but in fact, he did not invent it. In 1968, researchers examining an obscure trove of Renaissance drawings discovered sketches from the studio of a 15th century Italian inventor that were eerily similar to Leonardo’s study for a parachute.
Leonardo's Anatomical Drawings
First sign of Leonardo's actual practical involvement in anatomy and dissection is some wonderful, slightly eerie drawings of a skull, dateable to about 1489. Leonardo’s illustrations, as precise as his technical drawings of machines, were unequalled in accuracy until the photographic techniques of the 19th century.
Preview | Nero’s Sunken City
Beneath the turquoise waves of the Bay of Naples lies an extraordinary underwater archeology site, the ancient Roman city of Baiae. From the first century to the third century AD, Baiae was the exclusive playground for the rich and powerful among Rome’s elite. What made Baiae such a special place? What really went on there? And why did it disappear?
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