Egypt's Great Pyramid: The New Evidence

Egypt's Great Pyramid may be humanity's greatest achievement: a skyscraper of stone built without computers or complex machinery. This super-sized tomb has fascinated historians and archaeologists for centuries, but exactly how the ancient Egyptians finished the monument and fitted its two and a half million blocks in a quarter of a century has long remained an enigma. Today the secrets of the pyramid are finally being revealed thanks to a series of new findings. At the foot of the monument, archaeologists are uncovering the last surviving relic of the pharaoh Khufu, whose tomb it is: a huge ceremonial boat buried in flat-pack form for more than 4500 years. It's a clue that points to the important role that ships and water could have played in the pyramids' construction. This documentary follows investigations that reveal how strong the link between pyramids and boats is. It's a story of more than how Egypt built a pyramid: it's about how the pyramid helped build the modern world.

Pyramid

Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramid is the only one to survive. Many believe that even with our 21st-century technology, we could not build anything like it today. Based on the most up-to-date research and the latest archaeological discoveries, here is how the Pyramid came to be.

The Mystery of Chaco Canyon

Chaco Canyon, located in northwest New Mexico, is perhaps the only site in the world constructed in an elaborate pattern that mirrors the yearly cycle of the sun and the 19-year cycle of the moon. How did an ancient civilization, with no known written language, arrange its buildings into a virtual celestial calendar, spanning an area roughly the size of Ireland?

Great Falls

Professional, native and antiquarian researchers combine to investigate the archaeological history and modern legacy of Eastern Native civilization near Turners Falls, Massachusetts. They uncover possible evidence of a vast astronomical construct that covered a large area of what is now the northeastern United States.

Out of the Maya Tombs

Over the past 50 years, thousands of exquisitely painted Maya vases, almost all looted from tombs, have flooded into public and private collections. These amazing works of art, filled with humor and mystery, have opened an extraordinary window on the Maya past. But the race to unearth these treasures has destroyed temples and palaces, culminating in the takeover of entire ancient cities by looter armies. OUT OF THE MAYA TOMBS (formerly titled DANCE OF THE MAIZE GOD) enters the world of the vases to explore the royal life and rich mythology of the Maya, as well as the tangled issues involved in the collection and study of Maya art. The story is told by villagers, looters, archaeologists, scholars, dealers and curators. For each, these vases have a radically different value and meaning.

The Last Apostle: Journies in the Holy Land

Dr. Mark Fairchild, world-renowned archaeologist, traces the hidden years of Saint Paul's life in the mountainous Turkish countryside of Rough Cilicia.

Mystery of the Celtic Tomb

Explore the origins of the Celts, uncovering their culture through preserved salt mines, ancient artifacts, and the mystery of a 2,400-year-old tomb.

The True Story of Pirates

Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Decoding the Great Pyramid

Stunning new archaeological evidence provides clues about the Egyptians who built the Great Pyramid of Giza--and how they did it. Join researchers as they delve into the logbook of a work crew and discover how the massive project transformed Egypt.

Braddock's Road: A Legacy Unearthed

Built in 1755 at the height of the French and Indian War, Braddock's Road was one of the nation's most infamous military roads. Traces of this historic route, in western Maryland, still remain, buried beneath soil and brush, and a team of archaeologists is on the hunt.

Decoding Saqqara, The Secret Hieroglyphs of the Pyramids

With Its Myriad Of Mysteries Ancient Egypt Continues To Work Its Spell. The Necropolis Of Saqqara Roughly 30 Kilometers From Cairo Holds One Of Egypt's Most Fascinating Treasures The Pyramid Of Pharaoh Pepi Ii. Few Know Of It As It Is Closed To The Public Yet It Holds The Vastest Collection Of Texts Of All Currently Known Pyramids. For The First Time In 90 Years Teams From The International Archeological Mission In Saqqara Open And Decipher This Wondrous Tomb. How Did The Egyptians Build The Pyramids? Their Walls Are Covered In Hieroglyphs But What Story Do They Tell? How To Crack The Mystery Of Texts That Are Over Four Thousand Years Old? Using Technological Innovations Such As Photogrammetry Endoscopes Hyperspectral Imaging And Ultrahigh Resolution Photography This Documentary Alternates Live Scenes With Staged Interviews To Plunge Us Into Saqqara's History And Offer New Insights Into The Pharaohs' Tombs.

Khéops, mystérieuses découvertes

Secrets of the Neanderthals

This documentary delves into the mysteries surrounding the Neanderthals and what their fossil record tells us about their lives and disappearance.

Lost Pyramids of the Aztecs

For centuries, archaeologists have been trying to understand the Aztec empire and reveal the truth about their origins. Now, new excavations could reveal astonishing secrets about how they lived and what life was like inside one of the greatest empires in history. Where did this group of nomadic people originate from? How did they undertake building their towering pyramids and other ambitious engineering feats using manpower alone? And how was such a powerful empire wiped out after just 200 years of power?

The Mystery of the Sphinx

Hosted by Charlton Heston, it explores the possibility that the Sphinx maybe older than expected. John Anthony West examines that water erosion on the Sphinx can pre-date it to 10,000 years old?. Other mysteries such as how they moved 200 ton stone blocks to build the pyramids, the secret chambers under the Sphinx and the links to the pyramids that are suggested on Mars.

Raising the Mary Rose: The Lost Tapes

The raising of King Henry VIII’s flagship Mary Rose in 1982 remains one of the most significant events in the history of maritime salvage. Comparable to the recovery of the 17th century Swedish warship Vasa in 1961, the climax of this complex and expensive operation was watched by around 60 million people worldwide. But 300 reels of film recently found in the archive of The Mary Rose Trust provide additional insight into the operation.

The Colosseum: A Jewel in Rome's Crown

With more than seven million visitors a year, its massive structure and awesome architecture testify to the genius of ancient Roman building techniques, earning it a place not only among UNESCO's World Heritage sites but as one of the new seven wonders of the world. The Roman Colosseum is an emblem of the power of a bygone empire.

The Viking Ships of Roskilde

The extensive excavation work that followed the discovery of five Viking ships in Roskilde Fjord. Many problems had to be solved before the wreckage of the ships could be taken away for final conservation.

LE TOMBEAU DE NEFERTITI

Egypt's Golden Empire

In 1570 B.C., Rome was a marsh, the Acropolis an empty rock, but Egypt was 1,000 years old. The pyramid-builders were gone, yet Egypt still awaited its New Kingdom, an empire forged by conquest and remembered for eons. EGYPT'S GOLDEN EMPIRE comes to life through letters and records evoking the passion and riches of a time when Egypt was the center of the known world, its Pharaohs called gods, and great cities, temples and tombs built.