Archaeology

This program discusses the history of the right to bear arms" Amendment. It details the controversy over the amendment as it relates to current gun control laws. Numerous court cases are cited as experts present both sides of the issue in this thorough and evenhanded analysis of the meaning of the 2nd Amendment. A Cambridge Educational Production. (7 minutes)"

Hidden beneath the modern city of Alexandria is the ancient one. How was that Alexandria laid out? Where are its legendary signature structures located? And how is renowned archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur to gather the information he needs when rapidly encroaching construction projects and a proposed breakwater in the harbor force him to do in months what rightly should be done over years? This program films Empereur and his team performing salvage archaeology as they scramble to find clues to the Pharos Lighthouse-one of the seven wonders of the ancient world-and the magnificent Caesareum. (50 minutes)

The remains of more than 10,000 Native Americans unearthed at archaeological sites across the U.S. are in the possession of museums such as the Smithsonian. Is the analysis of the bones valid scientific research, or is it a desecration of Native American culture? This program focuses on the tensions between scientists, historians, and museum curators and Native American groups, as the bones take on a central role in a war of alternate perspectives. In examining this debate, the program provides an excellent survey of Native American archaeology in the U.S. A BBC Production. (49 minutes)

Britain's legendary warrior-queen Boudica led an uprising against Roman occupation in 60 AD. After a few victories, her army was slaughtered. But what happened to the surviving members of her tribe, the Iceni? This program describes archaeological work that is filling in the gaps in Boudica's story, focusing on a site in Norfolk which may provide some important clues. Following archaeologists Neil Faulkner and David Thorpe as they study recently discovered artifacts-including gold coins, part of a chariot harness, and a heavy necklace designed for Brythonic royalty-the program explores the intriguing theory that the dig site was a seat of Iceni power. (48 minutes)

Its Phoenician founders called it Kart Hadasht, The New Town, but history knows it as Carthage-the heart of the Punic Empire and base of the Mediterranean's renowned merchant mariners. Blending archaeology and virtual reality, this program depicts the city as it was during its heyday as a major economic, political, and cultural center. Its ingenious military port, bustling streets, and comfortable homes illustrate why it occupied a key position in the geopolitics of the ancient world and a prized place in the literature of antiquity. Site conservator Abdelmajid Ennabli is featured with M'Hamed Hassine Fantar, of the Institute of National Cultural Heritage, Tunisia. (27 minutes)

The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with later elements from central Mexico makes Chichen Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatan. In this program, archaeological footage and computer re-creations spotlight prominent locations in the city, including the imposing Pyramid of Kukulcan, the Temple of the Warriors, the circular observatory known as El Caracol, the largest ball court in Mesoamerica, and the Well of Sacrifice-a sacred water-filled cenote into which votive offerings and human sacrifices were cast. (27 minutes)

Hatshepsut, Egypt's only female pharaoh, was said to be a ruler with two faces: one political, the other artistic. This program tours her architectural masterpiece, the terraced and rock-cut temple at Deir el-Bahri that her people called djeser-djeseru, sacred of sacreds." Numerous paintings adorning the interior chronicle her achievements and peace-loving enterprises, and a computer-generated reconstruction of frescoes gives a glimpse of the exotic land of Punt. Why did Hatshepsut's successor desecrate her beautiful works and strive to erase her very existence from history? (27 minutes)"

What led the great powers of antiquity to install themselves on the minuscule island of Delos? And how did Delos, one of the most important religious centers in Greece, come to be an international trading hub, as well? To answer these questions, this program traces the island's history between the 9th and 1st centuries BC: Delos' renown as the mythological birthplace of Apollo; the subsequent struggles among the Greek city-states to possess Delos; the destruction of Carthage, Corinth, and Beirut, which left Delos the leading commercial center of its time; and Delos' subsequent decline into irrelevancy. Generous footage of ruins and monuments marking each era-and memorializing the many peoples who fought for control of this speck of sand and rock-is included. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (29 minutes)

In ancient Greece, Delphi held a central position between Attica, governed from Athens, and the Peloponnese, ruled by Sparta. Using the ruins at Delphi as a lens, this program views the continuous struggle for power that characterized the Greek city-states through accounts of the big dig" carried out between 1892 and 1902 and recent archaeological studies conducted by researchers at the French School of Athens. Home to the Pythic games, elaborate state-financed commemorative structures, and oracular divination, sacred Delphi was a safe outlet for state rivalries that constantly threatened to tear Greek civilization apart. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (27 minutes)"

When Dutch sailors landed on Easter Island, they found a warlike people recovering from anarchy and cannibalism. What had gone wrong with a civilization that had lived in peace for nearly a thousand years? In this program, Claudio Cristino, the island's resident archaeologist; William Liller, of the Easter Island Foundation; Patricia Vargas Casanova, of the Easter Island Studies Institute at the University of Chile; and others offer their views on moai, rongorongo tablets, the Birdman Cult, and the devastating effects of overpopulation, to provide a captivating glimpse of a complex culture driven to the brink of extinction. Images of artifacts, 3-D computer graphics, and artwork enhance the program. (51 minutes)

At the height of its power and influence, the Etruscan civilization extended from the Po Valley to Campania, and its merchant fleet was the master of the Mediterranean. This program documents the salvaging of the first Etruscan ship ever found: a spectacular wreck off the coast of southern France with a perfectly preserved lower hull and laden with hundreds of amphorae. What artifacts are waiting to be found among the many containers of wine? Lying on the seabed for thousands of years, this vessel and its cargo are a tantalizing link to a civilization that has, as yet, given up too few of its mysteries. (50 minutes)

The Decapolis was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire, and Gerasa, known also in antiquity as Antioch on the Golden River and today as Jerash, is the best-preserved of them all. In this program, Jean-Francois Salles and other members of the French Institute of the Near East-Amman exhibit their efforts at Gerasa, including the ongoing stone-by-stone restoration of the immense Temple of Zeus. The rich history of this region-a place of contest and conquest for the Greeks, Nabateans, Hasmoneans, and Romans-and the curious plan of the city itself are given special attention. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (28 minutes)

To the ancient Greeks, the pantheon of Zeus, Apollo, and other gods seemed immutable. This program explores the world over which they presided-until they were replaced by a new faith, transforming Greece into a Christian land. Topics include the long-held significance of Mt. Olympus; the spiritual role of the city of Delphi, site of the temple of Apollo; the Acropolis, a majestic fortress and shrine to Athena, including the Parthenon and Erechtheum; Corinth, historically a hub of trade and diversity, as well as one of the first centers of Greek Christianity; and biographical aspects of the apostles Paul and John, including the cave on the island of Patmos traditionally held as the site of John's revelations. A Discovery Channel Production. (26 minutes)

How do archaeologists go about choosing where to dig? What research must be conducted, and what preparations must be made, before the actual excavations begin? This documentary examines the challenges and triumphs of the research team that worked for four years to find the remains of Fort St. Joseph, a structure originally built by 17th-century French colonists in what is now Niles, Michigan. Viewers will learn about several excavation techniques and preparatory methods, including the use of ground-penetrating radar and the removal of excess water from a 2,200-square-meter area where Western Michigan University anthropologists Dr. Michael Nassaney and Dr. William Cremin believed the fort was located. (31 minutes)

The construction of a high-speed train line in eastern France quickly turned into the start of a major archaeological dig when a Celtic necropolis was discovered. Who were the Celts, a people that dominated broad stretches of Europe for more than 500 years? In this program, archaeologists, paleoanthropologists, and other team members follow the migratory trail of the Celts across Europe, unearthing vestiges of a civilization vaster and more sophisticated than previously believed-including traces of a cultural blending of Celts and Etruscans and evidence of a well-developed knowledge of mathematics. (52 minutes)