Naked History – Unearthed

Egypt – a country covered by desert. But could tantalizing clues suggest the success of this ancient civilisation is down to their mastery of the water? Today, investigators hunt for evidence across Egypt: from an underground shipyard near the Red Sea; to a vast waterfront at the Giza pyramids; and the discovery of the “Venice of Egypt” in the Nile delta. Using pioneering radar technology, marine...

The Black Pyramid is one of Egypt’s strangest pyramids - a crumbling ruin on the surface, it hides a pristine network of tunnels and chambers beneath. Today, investigators venture inside it for the first time, to hunt for clues of the pharaoh that builds it and discover what causes it to collapse. An ancient map beside the pyramid leads to a second pyramid 40 miles away - could this be the pharaoh...

The Twin Towers are two of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers. Remembered for their tragic final moments – this film delves deeper to uncover their surprising history and incredible inventions, to become the tallest buildings on the planet. Today, investigators have rare behind-the-scenes access to the 9/11 site, to uncover the towers’ little-known stories. Experts use pioneering laser technology...

The city of Babylon in modern-day Iraq. It is the capital of a vast empire and described by ancient writers as the home of many architectural wonders: The Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens, and the Ishtar Gate. But what is the reality behind the many legends? Can the ancient Babylonians really build such huge structures? How does this city become so rich and powerful? And why does the Bible desc...

Saqqara – a royal necropolis near Cairo, that’s been burying ancient Egypt’s ruling dynasties for centuries. It’s the site of the first-ever pyramid – the Step Pyramid of Djoser, one of the rulers of the Old Kingdom. But why did Egyptians start erecting pyramids? How did they build in stone, with such limited technology and resources? What happened to Djoser’s body after his death? And what can po...

Dozens of pyramids rise from the scorched, desert landscape of North Africa. But this is not Egypt – it’s Sudan, hundreds of miles to the south. Why are there pyramids here? Who built them? And what are they for? Investigators uncover the hidden story of the Kingdom of Kush, a state locked into a fluctuating rivalry with its mighty neighbour, Egypt. At times Kush is a client state of Egypt, supply...

The Bermuda Triangle – a mysterious patch of the Atlantic Ocean, where fact seems stranger than fiction. Here, planes and ships simply disappear from the face of the earth... So, why did a USAF training flight vanish off the coast of Florida, leaving behind not a trace of wreckage? Can a strange metallic rock really lure ships to their doom in the waters around Bermuda? What alien-like substance c...

It was the biggest aircraft ever flown, the size of four Jumbo Jets; the pride of Hitler’s Nazi air fleet. But when the airship Hindenburg exploded in a gigantic ball of fire over New Jersey in May 1937, it also became one of the most shocking images ever filmed. What caused the disaster? Was it the victim of sabotage, as the American authorities thought? A fatal flaw in its cutting-edge design? A...

It’s one of the most iconic structures in the United States – the giant granite faces of four American presidents, staring out from the side of Mount Rushmore. But how do you carve faces out of a mountain? Why is the site in South Dakota? What lies hidden behind the faces, buried deep within the rock? Today, investigators are piecing together the true story of Mount Rushmore – and discovering that...

Troy – the legendary city that’s said to be the scene of the Trojan War, immortalised by Homer is his epic poem, the Iliad. A war that’s said to have lasted ten years and ended by perhaps the most famous trick in history – the Trojan Horse. But do ancient ruins on the Western shores of modern-day Turkey show that Troy once really existed? Can archaeological finds at the site provide evidence for a...

The Tower of Babel, Babylon, in modern-day Iraq. It’s one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament – a tower so tall it’s said to reach the heavens and anger God. But did the Tower really exist, or is it merely the stuff of legend? How could builders in the ancient world construct a tower of such a staggering height? Was it circular in shape, as depicted by medieval artists? Enjoying rare a...

It’s the stuff of Hollywood myth; that’s spawned dozens of films and books – the Gunfight at the OK Corral. The thirty-second shootout leaves three outlaws dead on the streets of Tombstone, Arizona – and makes legends of gunslingers Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp. But what really happens that day? Why do the outlaws die and the lawmen survive? How does cattle-rustling and the discovery of silver play...

It’s a building that’s recognised across the world – the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy. It’s stood in Miracle Square, Pisa, for over eight hundred years. But why does it lean? Did its medieval architects get their calculations spectacularly wrong? How did they attempt to fix the problem? And will it one day finally topple over – or will it continue to defy the laws of gravity? Investigators uncover...

It’s one of the most notorious buildings of the Second World War – the top-secret underground Berlin bunker of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. But where is it really located? What engineering challenges did Hitler face building it? Was it completely impregnable, as its architects hoped? And what happens to the bunker once Nazi Germany is defeated and the war is over? Today, investigators are uncoverin...

Hadrian’s Wall in northern England is one of the most astonishing mega-structures of the ancient world. This mighty barrier was the largest structure in the Roman Empire, running from coast to coast and dividing the island of Britain in two. Why did the Romans build such an impressive fortification? Today archaeologists are investigating the wall’s hidden history and uncovering its buried defences...

In 79 AD the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the tiny Roman town of Herculaneum in Italy. Today archaeologists are exploring its incredible secrets. Herculaneum is one of the most perfectly preserved Roman towns in the world. Fine townhouses contain wooden furniture, the remains of food and a library with thousands of papyrus scrolls. How did so much of this town survive the apocalyp...

Egypt’s desert sands hide a remarkable secret - Amarna, an entire city buried for more than 3000 years. This metropolis was the vision of a revolutionary pharaoh called Akhenaten; home to two of the most famous Egyptians in history, Queen Nefertiti and her son the boy king Tutankhamun. Why is this city in the middle of a desert? Today archaeologists are uncovering the city’s forgotten ruins and th...

The Empire State Building in New York is an American icon - one of the most famous structures on the planet. This soaring skyscraper was the tallest building in the world when it opened in 1931; a title it held into for more than 40 years. But how much do we really know about this modern mega-structure? There are many surprisingly stories about the Empire State Building. How was it built so fast?...

Thermopylae in Greece is the site of an iconic battle. Legend says that in 480 BC, 300 Spartan warriors - at the head of a small Greek army - died holding off a million invading Persian troops. Their courageous last stand is famous - but how much of this epic tale is true? Today investigators hunt for the real story of the 300 and try to reconstruct the lost battlefield at Thermopylae. Weapons tes...

The sunken town of Baiae in Italy is one of the most extraordinary Roman sites in the world. Many of its grand villas remain frozen in time, lying on the seabed of the Bay of Naples. Geologists think this town was drowned by a super volcano. Today marine archaeologists are diving beneath the waves to uncover its secrets. They’re using laser scanning to map Baiae’s beautiful mosaics, cobbled street...

The Dead Sea Scrolls in Israel are the oldest biblical texts in the world. These fragile Hebrew manuscripts were discovered in 1946, inside desert caves at Qumran in the West Bank. Who wrote the scrolls and why did they disappear? The investigation leads to a spectacular mountain fortress of Masada. Here archaeologists are discovering intriguing clues that suggest the authors of the scrolls fled h...

The Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ancient Greek writers say that this tower was so tall that the beacon at the summit could be seen for hundreds of miles. Today archaeologists and engineers investigate the truth behind this lost wonder – how tall was it, what did it really look like and how did a stone skyscraper survive earthquakes for more t...

In 64 AD the Emperor Nero built a breathtaking palace in the heart of ancient Rome - the ‘Domus Aurea’ (the ‘Golden House’). Today little remains of this magnificent residence but it supposedly covered a quarter of the city. Archaeologists are discovering that the palace was covered with beautiful frescoes and even had a water-powered rotating dining room. This vast complex was only possible thank...

Otzi the Iceman is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. He is a perfectly preserved ice ‘mummy’, frozen high in the Alps for 5000 years. Investigators have discovered that he lived and died before the Pyramids and Stonehenge. Who was the iceman, was he murdered and what can his remains tell us about the world he comes from? Now fresh investigations of his possessions – inclu...

Alcatraz is one of the most famous prisons in the world. Known as the Rock, for decades it was home to the most wanted criminals in America. Men like Al Capone, ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly and Robert Stroud, the so-called ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’, all do time on the island. Why did this prison become an icon and crime and punishment? What really lies behind its unbreakable reputation? Today experts are inves...