Naked History – Unearthed

Abu Simbel is the largest rock-cut temple in the world. Inside are giant halls and passages cut by hand 60 metres into a cliff face. Dominating its façade – four 20-metre-tall sandstone statues of pharaoh Ramses II, known as Ancient Egypt’s greatest ever ruler. 

How did Ramses win this title? Decoding the clues he built into Abu Simbel

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On Mexico’s Gulf coast, archaeologists uncover strange stone heads

Who were these people?  Why did they vanish 1000 years after

In the search for answers, brand new research reveals the Olmec

Piecing together the evidence reveals an incredible possibility:

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Hidden deep inside the Guatemalan jungle lies the lost city of Tikal. 1200 years ago it was the most important settlement in the Maya world, home to more than 100,000 people.

Now a team of experts unlock Tikal's mysteries to reveal how it rose from jungle backwater to Maya superpower.

They uncover the ingenious engineering inside Temple IV - the tallest structure the Maya ever built; how Tikal's inhabitants thrived in times of drought; and the reason behind its sudden transformation into a ghost town.

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Avebury, England is home to the world’s largest stone circle. 5,000 years old and three times larger than nearby Stonehenge, its true purpose and the people who created it have always remained a mystery. Archaeologists find out why it was made and unearth where these Stone Age builders lived. But there are more wonders in the landscape - experts reveal why one of Britain’s oldest tombs and Europe’s largest prehistoric pyramids were all constructed nearby. Now shocking new discoveries using cutting edge DNA analysis of ancient human remains uncover a new mystery - 4,400 years ago this enigmatic civilization suddenly disappeared.

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The great city of Thebes – the heart of ancient Egypt during its most prosperous and powerful age – the New Kingdom. For the pharaohs this was the holiest and most important place in their empire. In the city’s great temple of Karnak, they constructed towering obelisks from single blocks of stone. But how did they do it? In a ground-breaking experiment, archaeologists reconstruct how workers moved and raised these giant 300-ton needles. For centuries, this was the powerbase of the pharaohs, but then Egypt fell into decline. In building up Thebes, were the pharaohs sowing the seeds of their own downfall?

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The Inca Empire was the largest ever to emerge in South America – ruled from a spectacular capital, Cusco. This mysterious city in Peru was said to be so dazzling it had a temple decked in pure gold. Why did the mighty Inca civilization that lived here fall to a handful of Spanish Conquistadors? New evidence - from unearthed mummies to microscopic DNA - reveals the role of this city and sheds new light on the biggest mystery of all: why did the Inca empire come crashing down?

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China’s Forbidden City is the biggest palace complex the world has ever seen. This immense ‘city within a city’ stands in the heart of Beijing, built by one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. Why is it so big and how did the emperors use this mega-palace to rule China with an iron fist? Now archaeologists are investigating its secrets and uncovering what lies beneath its massive walls and courtyards. New technology is shedding light on the Forbidden City’s mysteries and the ingenious feats of engineering that have kept this awe-inspiring structure standing for more than half a millennium.

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The sinking of the Titanic was a maritime tragedy that shocked the world but even after more than one hundred years, no one really knows exactly how she sank. Today investigators use ingenious technology to discover how an iceberg ripped open the ship’s colossal hull. Scientists smash ice into solid steel in powerful collision tests and nautical experts deploy advanced marine simulation technology to relive this fateful ships final moments. Why did more than 1500 people lose their lives and can the investigations reveal if there was a way to save almost everyone on board?

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The Bent Pyramid in Egypt is one of the world’s most mysterious ancient mega-structures. Built by a pharaoh called Snefru, its angle changes half way up. Why does this pyramid have such a bizarre and unique shape? Now archaeologists and engineers investigate the true story of its construction. They crawl inside age-old tunnels to discover its engineering secrets. New discoveries beneath the desert sand reveal the ruins of a magnificent lost temple and an opulent palace fit for a king. Was this strange pyramid always intended to look like this? Or did something go catastrophically wrong?

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Destroyed by an eruption from Vesuvius in AD 79 and buried beneath rock and ash, the doomed Roman city of Pompeii is one of the greatest treasures of the classical world. One third of the city has remained untouched ever since its discovery. Now archaeologists are finally digging inside this mysterious sector. New discoveries reveal the horror of the cataclysm that wiped out this metropolis. Can archaeologists answer some of Pompeii’s most enduring mysteries: who founded this city and why did they build it in the blast zone of mainland Europe’s most active volcano?

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