Secrets of the Dead

History Series / 8 Seasons

Secrets of the Dead is part detective story, part true-life drama that unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events.

54m 50s / TV-PG

Clues in Maria Anna Mozart's Childhood Notebook

1m 30s

For researcher Martin Jarvis OAM, the childhood notebook Leopold Mozart used to teach his children, Maria Anna and Wolfgang, how to write and play music is the key to solving two ongoing mysteries: Did Maria Anna contribute to Mozart’s earliest work? And did she, too, compose music?

Preview | Mozart's Sister

32s

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.

New Assyrian Artifact Discovered in Ancient Iraqi Palace

1m 40s

In war-torn Mosul, archaeologists unearth the largest-known image of the ancient Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. This is the first time an image of a major god has been discovered inside an Assyrian palace.

Rediscovering Assyrian Artifacts in War-Torn Iraq

2m 20s

More than 2,500 years ago, the Assyrians in Nineveh built the first great empire in human history. Excelling in science, engineering and warfare, they were the beginnings of modern civilization. But Daesh occupied the Iraqi city of Mosul for three years and destroyed many ancient Assyrian treasures. Can archaeologists unearth new discoveries among the wreckage?

Preview | Returning to Babylon

32s

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.

The Imposter, Lambert Simnel

1m 44s

On May 27, 1487, a boy was crowned in Dublin as King Edward of England. The English government’s official record states that he was a pretender to the throne named Lambert Simnel, installed as part of a Yorkist rebellion against the crown. But could “Lambert Simnel” have actually been Edward, the elder prince in the tower?

Who Were the Princes in the Tower?

1m 50s

The Princes in the Tower were Edward V and Richard, Duke of York – the sons of King Edward IV, who died suddenly in 1483. After Edward’s death, the princes’ uncle was crowned King Richard III, and the boys were sent to live at the Tower of London. However, they disappeared in the autumn of 1483, and legend has it they were killed on Richard’s orders. But investigators have other theories…

Preview | The Princes in the Tower

32s

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?

Preview | Death in Britannia

32s

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 were they? What was life in Roman Britain like? And why did they receive such a gruesome punishment?

Competing Theories for Nail Found in Heel Bone

1m 2s

Osteoarchaeologist Corinne Duhig is an expert an unraveling mysteries by studying bones. She wonders whether a nail found through the heelbone of Skeleton 4926 could be an ancient culture’s way of preventing a deceased spirit from wandering, or an accidental blow while constructing a coffin around a body. Ultimately, crucifixion is the only explanation that makes sense.

Identifying Biological Sex from Skeletal Remains

2m 7s

Corinne Duhig and Ben Garrod perform a virtual autopsy on Skeleton 4926, whose remains date to the time of the Roman occupation of Britain. Corinne, an osteoarchaeologist, and Ben, a biologist and her former student, inspect a number of features that can help indicate biological sex. Based on the angle of the pelvic bone and a defined brow ridge, they are confident the skeleton is male.

A Revolutionary Use of Iron

1m 26s

The designs for the competing tower projects represented to different visions for the future: On one side, tradition, as embodied by Jules Bourdais’s stone tower in the academic style as taught at the Beaux-Arts. And on the other side, innovation, exemplified by Gustave Eiffel’s tower that used iron as not just a structural element, but as the central aesthetic.

Gustave Eiffel’s Credentials

1m 34s

Gustave Eiffel already had several large projects to his name by the time the 1889 World’s Fair was announced. He had engineered Budapest’s railway station and Porto’s Maria Pia Bridge, and was in the midst of completing both the Garabit viaduct in France’s Massif Central and the Statue of Liberty. For Eiffel, building a thousand-foot tower would be a crowning achievement.

Preview | Eiffel's Race to the Top

32s

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.

A Collector Shows Off His Dinosaurs

1m 58s

Collector Ralph Wunsch shows off his collection of dinosaur fossils, including a Diplodocus and an Allosaurus that are 155 million years old and were excavated in Wyoming in 2016. Wunsch thinks of dinosaur skeletons as a similar to fine art – able to be displayed in museums and in private homes and collections.

Selling the Largest Triceratops Ever Found

2m 23s

Flavio Bacchia, the original buyer of Triceratops skeleton “Big John,” discusses his deliberations around the initial purchase. And on the other side, commercial paleontologist Walter Stein reflects on his conflicted feelings about selling to a private buyer, but why he ultimately chose to sell.

Preview | Jurassic Fortunes

32s

Discover the world of dinosaur 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.

3D Modeling Brings a 4th-Century Basilica Back to Life

1m 39s

Archaeologist Dominik Maschek, a specialist in the architecture of Late Roman Antiquity, completes a 3D reconstruction of the 4th-century basilica that once stood on the shores of Lake Iznik. For Mustafa Şahin, who led the excavation of the basilica’s sunken remains, it is a dream come true to bring the basilica back to life.

An Underwater Dive to see the Sunken Basilica Up Close

1m 28s

Archaeologist Mustafa Şahin and geologist Julia de Sigoyer explore the sunken ruins of a 4th-century basilica in Turkey’s Lake Iznik. Of particular interest are the many tombs found along the inside of the building.

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