Unearthed - Series Four

The Nazca Lines in Peru are mysterious giant symbols; hundreds of alien looking drawings etched into the arid Atacama Desert, more than a thousand years ago. Why did their creators make vast images that only make sense from the air, centuries before the invention of aircraft?

Today investigators use pioneering drone technology to hunt for new lines and to solve the enduring riddle of why they were created. Some of the images such as the Hummingbird and the Condor are stunningly beautiful, many are made with incredible precision. Who were the mysterious Nazca people and why did their civilization disappear?  

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 did time on the island.

Why did this prison become an icon for crime and punishment? What really lies behind its unbreakable reputation? Today experts are investigating Alcatraz’s remarkable engineering secrets. They’re uncovering the Rock’s forgotten past, protecting its concrete cells and exploring why so many convicts tried and failed to escape the toughest jail in America.

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 – including an astonishing copper axe – are revealing a world far more sophisticated that we imagined. Otzi lived at a time of great change – did this contribute to his untimely death in the mountains?

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 thanks to a terrible catastrophe that destroyed much of the capital – the Great Fire of Rome. Ancient writers blame Nero for starting the inferno. Did he burn down Rome to build a magnificent new metropolis?

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 than a thousand years? Did this remarkable structure also contain a mysterious ancient weapon – a so-called death-ray that could supposedly set enemy ships on fire?

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 here during the great Jewish revolt against Rome. Did they come to Masada to escape an ancient apocalypse that destroyed their world? Did they bring with them their precious scrolls?

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 streets and fabulous statues. Ancient writers say that Baiae was an emperor’s playground and exclusive resort for Rome’s rich and famous. Is there more to this underwater metropolis than meets the eye?

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 testing reveals the terrifying reality of ancient warfare. Who were the Spartans and did they really face such impossible odds?

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? What is the secret to its incredible stability? What happened when an airship tried to moor at the top of the world’s tallest building?

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 the dark secrets that hide within them. Amarna’s skeletons reveal a life of hardship and forbidden gods. Could these clues help explain why the city disappears?

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. At Vindolanda fort, hundreds of wooden tablets reveal the harsh reality of life as a soldier on the edge of the Roman Empire. This was an untamed frontier - what dangers lay beyond Rome’s great wall?

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 uncovering the true story – and revealing that Hitler’s Berlin bunker was just one of a several secret bunkers dotted around occupied Europe, each bigger and better-protected than its predecessor.

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 the reasons for its famous tilt – and discover that it remains standing due to a combination of medieval engineering, a modern-day rescue plan and sheer luck.

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 a part in the most famous gunfight of the old West? And what finally happens to Tombstone, the town ‘too tough to die’?

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 access to this war-torn site, investigators are uncovering the long-forgotten secrets of the tower and finally answering the question – is the Bible story true?

Troy – the legendary city that’s said to be the scene of the Trojan War, immortalised by Homer in 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 decade-long war? And will a scientific experiment show how Greek soldiers hid in the belly of a wooden horse – and then captured the city?

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, one day, the carving of a Native American chief will dwarf even the ‘Shrine to Democracy’.

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? And why was the airship using hydrogen, rather than the much safer helium? Today, investigators re-examine the Hindenburg’s final moments to uncover the facts behind the story.

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 can explode from the seafloor, sinking huge cargo ships and downing aircraft? Investigators sift the evidence and uncover the truth behind the myths.

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, supplying it with gold. At others, Kush is so powerful that its kings sit on the throne of Egypt – and become known as the black pharaohs.

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 possibly explain intriguing discoveries elsewhere at Saqqara; of commoners buried in a manner fit for a pharaoh – and the remains of mummified animals, evidence of a strange cult of bull-worship?

The city of Babylon is 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 describe it as a place of depravity and sin?

With rare access to this war-torn site, investigators are finally uncovering the secrets of this mighty kingdom.

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 to scan the Twin Towers’ surviving footprint, and put the materials they were built with to the test. 

Using stunning CGI, we rebuild the towers to their former glory, to reveal the secrets of the rise and fall of these iconic skyscrapers.

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 apocalyptic force of a volcano? Archaeologists have also discovered hundreds of bodies all huddled together in boathouses on the seafront. Who were these people and what can their remains tell us about Herculaneum’s final, terrifying hours?

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World are among the greatest structures in human history. They are the Great Pyramid of Giza; the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the Statue of Zeus at Olympia; the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. These ancient mega-structures have inspired architects and archaeologists – but how much of what we know about them is true? What did the Wonders really look like – did they all even exist? Today archaeologists are tracking down these legendary lost monuments and discovering the incredible secrets of their construction.

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’s true resting place? Here, experts uncover evidence of a long-lost labyrinth, described as a lost wonder of the world. Is this the most heavily guarded pyramid in Egypt?

Buried deep in Santorini’s picturesque cliffs, are the ruins of Akrotiri – a mysterious civilization wiped out by a volcanic eruption 100 times more powerful than Pompeii.

Today, investigators use innovative underwater robots and dive beneath the waves to hunt for evidence of this ancient eruption. Using immersive CGI to break apart the island, and reconstruct the magnificent homes, we unearth frescoes and lava bombs deep within the ash, to uncover the fate of this lost civilization.

For over three thousand years this eruption has inspired myths of the ancient Mediterranean. Could the discoveries be the lost city of Atlantis?

The ancient city of Jericho – located on the West Bank, Palestine – is the site of a legendary biblical battle. A seven-day siege that brings the city’s mighty walls crashing down. But is there any truth to this tale?

Palestinian archaeologist Mahmoud Hawari investigates the ruins to reveal not one, but many ancient walls. He discovers the oldest city wall on the planet, and a mysterious tower beside it. But what is their purpose?

Using CGI we restore the structures to their former glory, unearth grizzly skeletons, and uncover evidence of great invasions, to discover the truth behind this biblical mystery.

Egypt – a country covered by desert. But could tantalizing clues suggest the success of this ancient civilization 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 archeologists discover the world’s greatest ancient harbour - Alexandria - uncovering sunken sphinxes and temples.

Using stunning CGI to piece together these maritime mysteries, can we discover how they shape the rise of ancient Egypt?