Naked History – Unearthed

Rising up from the sparkling waters of the Nile, stands Philae – a stunning templecomplex 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.

Hidden messages reveal traces of a hostile takeover, and underwater investigations expose Philae’s dramatic escape from a sunken fate.

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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 to discover the golden age of Egypt’s queens.

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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?

We 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.

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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

We finally uncover how the ancients build this engineering marvel… and reveal the reasons for its destruction.

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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.

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Deep in the Iraqi desert, lies the great Ziggurat of Ur. Long off-limits in a violent warzone, now we 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? We

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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.

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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. We uncover beheaded skeletons, hidden for centuries, to unearth the dark secrets of the bloody Torture Tower.

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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?

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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. We uncover graves filled with skeletons, and explore a lost sacred space, to unearth the truth about the Roman Gate to Hell.

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