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.

55m 15s / TV-14

How Americans Profited Off Looted Art

1m 46s

The explosion of new museums in post-war America increased the demand for art –while, at the same time, those looking to shrink their taxable income were being given tax breaks for charitable donations. These two factors created a “very murky” market, explains restitution attorney Raymond Dowd, as “museums became filled with toxic assets. Almost no one had a motivation to look into provenance.”

Preview | Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)

32s

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 ERR and the Nazi Party’s Systematic Looting of Europe

3m 13s

After initially joining the German Army as a soldier at the outset of World War II, Dr. Bruno Lohse – an art historian by training – was selected to join the ERR, the Nazi Party agency tasked with plundering Europe. Headquartered in Paris, the ERR carried out, in the words of journalist Hector Feliciano, “the largest looting that has ever happened in history.”

Extended Preview | Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief

2m 49s

Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of 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. With a look at stunning masterpieces and a deep archive of personal letters, Plunderer reveals the dark underbelly of the international art world.

Ascending the Summit of Mt. Phu Kao

2m 8s

The holy temple of Vat Phou sits at the foot of Mt. Phu Kao. Evidence suggests ancient Khmer kings made grand processions to worship at the temple -- and then continued up the mountain, by foot, to pray at the summit. Christophe Pottier and his archaeological team are recreating the challenging ascent, in search of evidence of religious ceremonies from the pre-Angkorian era.

Signs of Human Habitation in Kurukshetra

2m 11s

A team of archaeologists led by Christine Hawixbrock is excavating a site in what was the ancient Khmer city of Kurukshetra. And after digging through multiple "cultural layers" of earth, they make a breakthrough -- a clear sign of human occupation of this ancient royal city.

Preview | Lost Treasures of Angkor – King's Gold

32s

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.

Cymbal Found at Ancient Khmer Temple Site

1m 30s

Archaeologist Christine Hawixbrock and her team discover a small cymbal during the excavation of an ancient Khmer temple complex. Artifacts like this would have been used as part of a religious ceremony, and suggest the presence of a royal elite here during the pre-Angkorian period.

Preview | Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery

32s

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 clear to see—but the period preceding the foundation of their great city is shrouded in mystery. Now, the discovery of an incredible hoard of stunning artifacts is providing surprising new clues about this early Khmer society.

Preview | Field of Vampires

32s

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?

Reconstructing the Face of a 17-Century Woman

1m 44s

Forensic artist Oscar Nilsson has worked alongside Swedish police forces for decades, modelling the faces of crime scene victims. Now, he is tasked with reconstructing the face of “Zosia,” a woman buried as a vampire in 17-century Poland – and hopes to restore her human dignity in the process.

A Gruesome Discovery in Rural Poland

2m 50s

Residents of the rural Polish town of Pień have long avoided a particular hill in the village – and in 2022, a team of archaeologists led by Dariusz Poliński and Magdalena Zagrodzka learned why. They discovered the body of a woman buried with a sickle across her neck, and a triangular padlock attached to her toe. Had they dug up a gruesome crime scene – or evidence of the supernatural?

Radar Technologies Aid in Search for Civil War Burial Site

2m 48s

Aided by University of Kentucky archaeologist Dr. Philip Mink and the university’s EduceLab Mobile Team, researchers examine the land around where the Simpsonville Massacre occurred, hoping to find the lost burial grounds of the slain soldiers.

Preview | The Civil War's Lost Massacre

31s

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 soldiers were attacked by bitter Southerners. Their remains have never been found, and a team is dedicated to finding them to memorialize their service and heroism.

Remembering the Fallen Soldiers of the Simpsonville Massacre

2m 17s

Meet the investigators determined to find and memorialize the 22 Civil War soldiers from the 5th United States Colored Cavalry, who were ambushed and slain by racist outlaws outside of Camp Nelson, Kentucky.

How Technology Revived Seneca the Elder

2m 53s

Researcher Valeria Piano employs two different technological methods to decipher a carbonized scroll from Herculaneum. First, she uses a microscope to examine the texts, and then she studies images of the scrolls produced with infrared light. Her work has brought to light a history of Rome written by Seneca the Elder, long thought to have been lost forever.

Decoding the Herculaneum Scrolls: AI Meets Ancient Texts

3m 34s

Reading the Herculaneum scrolls required multiple scientific steps that started with taking extremely high-resolution X-rays with a photon beam. Next, computer scientist Brent Seales created a deep-learning artificial intelligence program capable of examining the X-rays in minute detail. This examination identified which elements of the image were papyrus and which were ink.

Preview | The Herculaneum Scrolls

31s

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?

Another Composer in the Mozart Family?

2m 25s

Roughly 700 letters written by members of the Mozart family have been preserved. Siblings Wolfgang and Maria Anna Mozart kept up regular correspondence while he was touring Europe, but only fragments of a handful written by Maria Anna still exist today. In at least one letter, Wolfgang praises his sister’s musical compositions — but written copies have never been found.

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?

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