Unearthed - Series Five

The Pantheon is ancient Rome’s best-preserved monument. From its record-breaking concrete dome roof, with a 30 foot wide hole in the centre, to its curved marble floor and 25 feet thick walls, the Pantheon is a marvel of ancient engineering.

Now, new evidence beneath the streets of Rome reveals clues to the Pantheon’s original purpose. Can pioneering 3D scanning reveal who built this ancient wonder? And can investigations in tunnels beneath Rome, reveal how the ancient engineers built the impossible dome, with a gaping hole in the centre?

Venice is one of the world’s most iconic cities. Built on unstable islands in a lagoon, it seems to defy the laws of physics. Can its ancient origins reveal why it is created here and how it is still standing?

Today scientists use pioneering technology to scan the canals, and dive into the lagoon to hunt for clues to Venice’s dark history.

How did the city become so powerful? And how will scientists stop it from sinking?

Using immersive CGI we digitally deconstruct Venice’s landmarks, uncovering sunken ships and mass graves, to reveal the secrets of this magnificent floating city.

King Midas: everything he touches turns to gold. But is the legend true? Now, investigators working at the ancient city of Gordion, modern-day Turkey, are shedding new light on the story.

They discover Midas is a real king, the ruler of the Kingdom of Phrygia in the eighth century BC, a major power whose troops fight in the Trojan War. The kingdom is extraordinarily wealthy, the product of its position on the east-west trade routes, its textile industry famous across the ancient world for producing gold-coloured clothing. Are these the facts that give birth to the legend?

Hierapolis, in Western Turkey, is an extraordinary Roman city perched on top of dazzling white rock formations. This city hides a dark secret: the Romans believe it’s home to the Gate to Hell.

Ancient historians describe a dark cave filled with vapour where animals mysteriously drop dead. But where is this deadly grotto, and what is killing the animals?

Today, experts use the latest technology to investigate the ancient stories. Using immersive CGI we digitally reconstruct this spectacular city, uncover graves filled with skeletons, and explore a lost sacred space, to unearth the truth about the Roman Gate to Hell.

In 1998 a ferocious storm uncovers a mysterious wooden timber circle hidden beneath beach sands for almost 4000 years: Seahenge. But who is behind this unusual structure?

Today archaeologists are utilising innovative technology and cutting-edge science to help uncover the secrets behind this ancient monument. They discover a group of people from mainland Europe build this timber circle. But these people are not just builders - they are highly skilled metalworkers who pioneer the start of the Bronze Age and change the face of Britain. Can clues unearthed at Seahenge reveal the dark purpose of their monumental circle?

At the heart of England’s capital city soars a mega castle with a dark and mysterious past – the Tower of London.

Throughout the centuries the Tower of London is a place of execution and torture, a royal palace, an armoury and home to the Kings’ and Queens’ crown jewels.

Using immersive CGI we deconstruct this fortress brick by brick to reveal the engineering secrets that have kept it impenetrable to those trying to get in for almost a thousand years. And we uncover beheaded skeletons, hidden for centuries, to unearth the dark secrets of the bloody Torture Tower.

On the coast of Greece lie the ruins of the world’s oldest sunken city: Pavlopetri. 500 years before the Pyramids, people build a metropolis here. It is shrouded in secrets.  Pavlopetri is not mentioned in historical records and has baffled archaeologists for decades. What is this mysterious city? Who lives here? And why is it submerged?

Now a change in sea currents exposes Pavlopetri for the first time in 3000 years. For investigators the race is on to uncover the truth about this enigma. They use cutting-edge technology to make ground-breaking discoveries that shed new light on these millennia-old mysteries.

Deep in the Iraqi desert, lies the great Ziggurat of Ur. Long off-limits in a violent warzone, now our cameras have exclusive access to explore these 4000-year-old ruins. What did the ziggurat look like in its prime? Is this lost city home to the first civilization ever known: the Sumerians of Mesopotamia?

Using stunning CGI, we reconstruct the ziggurat - revealing a shimmering white shrine on its summit, aligned with the moon. We unearth macabre skeletons - sacrifices to the King. And reveal the marvels of engineering, that made this one of the first, and greatest, cities on the planet.

The Pyramid of Lahun – is this the strangest pyramid of all? Rising 160 feet above Egypt’s Western Desert, yet it’s once encircled by water, making it look as if it floats. It’s the brainchild of Pharaoh Senusret II, who builds it to overlook an oasis he creates to channel water from the Nile and help feed Egypt’s hungry millions.

The pharaoh uses ground-breaking technology to stop the pyramid from sinking into the wet ground – with the same attention to detail inside, where ancient engineers devise mind-boggling decoys and dead-end tunnels to deter tomb raiders from disturbing the pharaoh’s eternal sleep.

Mount Nemrut - a mysterious sky-scraping monument perched high in the Taurus mountains of southeastern Turkey.  Giant decapitated statues surround an enormous man-made mountain summit.

But why was Mount Nemrut built?  And how?

Today, archaeologists decode ancient inscriptions to discover the purpose of this bizarre megastructure, and reveal the identity of the King who ordered its construction.

Using cutting-edge analysis, and immersive CGI, we finally uncover how the ancients build this engineering marvel… and reveal the reasons for its destruction.

The ancient city of Persepolis – in the mountains of Iran – is the capital of the first world empire, Persia. What can it reveal about the scale of this imperial powerhouse?

Iranian archaeologist Ali Asadi investigates the ruins to reveal magnificent palaces, halls, and military quarters. How do the Persians conquer most of the known ancient world? And how do they control it for over two centuries?

Using stunning CGI we restore Persepolis to its former glory, unearth engineering marvels that span for thousands of miles, and uncover brand-new inventions that revolutionize the world, to discover the secrets of ancient Persia.

Next door to the Valley of the Kings, lies an even more enigmatic necropolis - the Valley of the Queens. Investigators have unearthed 90 tombs here and are piecing together the truth of these forgotten rulers. Do these royal women hold more power than previously believed? How does one Queen manage to become a Pharaoh? And why are so many tombs catastrophically damaged?

Now, investigators venture deep into the tunnels to hunt for clues. Using immersive CGI, we explode the valley and digitally reconstruct some of the finest tombs ever built, to discover the golden age of Egypt’s queens.

Deep in the Iraqi desert, lie the ruins of Nippur – the most sacred city in Mesopotamia. Five thousand years ago, it was the ancient equivalent of Mecca or Jerusalem.

Decades of conflict have prevented experts exploring the ruins… but now, investigators have rare access to use pioneering technology to unlock its secrets. Why is this city coveted by so many of the world’s great civilisations? And can buried clues reveal why this city is never destroyed?

Using stunning CGI, we unearth this city and rebuild its towering ziggurat and temples, to reveal a surprising story spanning six thousand years.

Deep in Mexico’s jungle, huge pyramids rise from a limestone outcrop – this is Palenque: a striking ancient Maya city.

14 centuries ago, this was a thriving city, where practical innovations flourished side-by-side with blood sacrifices to patron gods.

Using immersive CGI, we dive into the heart of mysterious royal tombs and unearth the stories behind the bodies inside. And we reconstruct masterpieces of Maya engineering and design, that still impress today.

We decode complex Maya scripts that reveal the unique rulership of Palenque - paving new pathways in what’s traditionally a man’s world, this was a city of powerful Queens.

Rising up from the sparkling waters of the Nile, stands Philae – a stunning temple complex on a remote island at the southern tip of Egypt.

Today, investigators decode ancient inscriptions and use drone technology to discover why this secluded sanctuary attracted the greatest leaders of the ancient world, from pharaohs to Roman emperors.

Stunning CGI rebuilds Philae as it looked in its prime, and monumental experiments test what it takes to construct a temple on a tiny island. Hidden messages reveal traces of a hostile takeover, and underwater investigations expose Philae’s dramatic escape from a sunken fate.

Abydos, southern Egypt – two colossal temples rise up from the barren desert. They are built by Egypt’s mightiest pharaohs Seti I and Ramses the Great, miles from their capital. Why do they raise these huge monuments here?

On a quest for answers, investigators use drone imaging to trace clues deep into the desert. Stunning CGI explodes tons of sand to reveal a city of the dead hidden underground. And experts venture inside Egypt’s most bizarre subterranean megastructure for the first time, to discover an ancient cult. Can it unlock the secrets to Seti and Ramses’ immense pharaonic power?

Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, western England. Legends say that this is where the famed King Arthur is born in the 6^th century AD. He is described as a mighty warrior, defender of his kingdom, and the protagonist of many famous stories: from having a magical sword called Excalibur to building Camelot. But what is the truth? Is King Arthur real, or just imagination?

Now, investigators reveal traces of a grand fortress at Tintagel during King Arthur’s time, and discoveries across Britain bring new information on his kingdom, weapons, and fierce enemies. If King Arthur really existed, who was he?

Samarra – a stunning lost city in the deserts of Iraq. In the ninth century this medieval masterpiece is the capital of the mighty Abbasid Caliphate, one of the greatest empires in world history. Why is Samarra built, when the Abbasids already have a capital city, Baghdad? What are the engineering secrets of the enormous, spiral-shaped minaret that soars over the city? And why is Samarra abandoned by its rulers after just fifty-six years? Now, investigators use ground-breaking technology to answer these questions, in a region threatened by terrorism and off-limits to visitors for years.

Roman coliseums - home to gladiators. Warriors fight to the death in front of baying crowds in the tens of thousands. The Roman Empire builds more than two hundred of these megastructures across its vast territories. Where does this obsession begin? And how do the rulers use this spectacle to control their citizens?

Using immersive CGI we visit a lost coliseum in Capua, Italy to reveal the hidden roots of these brutal monuments.

And in El Jem, Tunisia we reconstruct a rarely visited coliseum that is the pinnacle of Roman engineering... to decode the secrets of Rome’s lost coliseums.

Xanadu was one of the greatest cities of the medieval world; the summer capital of the first Mongol emperor of China, Kublai Khan. The Venetian explorer Marco Polo described Xanadu’s marvels, including a mighty ‘Pleasure Dome’ and exquisite marble palaces. But how much truth is there to his accounts? Now, archaeologists are piecing together clues to unearth this lost city. Satellite images reveal a buried metropolis in northern China, bigger than 400 Manhattan city blocks, and excavations reveal dragon-engraved pillars and colourful roof tiles. Using stunning CGI we reconstruct the magnificent city, to reveal the truth behind the legends.

The ancient city of Persepolis – in the mountains of Iran – is the capital of the first world empire, Persia. What can it reveal about the scale of this imperial powerhouse?

Iranian archaeologist Ali Asadi investigates the ruins to reveal magnificent palaces, halls, and military quarters. How do the Persians conquer most of the known ancient world? And how do they control it for over two centuries?

Using stunning CGI we restore Persepolis to its former glory, unearth engineering marvels that span for thousands of miles, and uncover brand-new inventions that revolutionize the world, to discover the secrets of ancient Persia.

The Valley of the Queens, Egypt. A long-forgotten necropolis filled with more than 90 burials. Today, archaeologists decode ancient inscriptions hidden deep in underground tombs, to discover the lost stories of the most powerful women in Ancient Egypt’s Golden Age.

How much power did famous Queens Nefertari, Nefertiti, Tiye and Hatshepsut really wield? How were their spectacular tombs built? And why do so many lie in ruins?

We follow investigators venturing inside subterranean tunnels to search for clues. Using cutting-edge CGI, we rebuild the Valley to reveal its ancient splendour… and uncover the surprising power of the Queens of Egypt.