Naked History – Unearthed

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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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Otzi the Iceman is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all

Who was the iceman, was he murdered and what can his remains tell us

Now fresh investigations of his possessions – including an astonishing

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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 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.

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The Nazca Lines in Peru are mysterious giant symbols; hundreds of alien

Why did their creators make vast images that only make sense from the

Today investigators use pioneering drone technology to hunt for new

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