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The Ancient World on Television                March 14-20, 2005
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All times Eastern

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n.b. official descriptions are provided by the respective
networks' websites
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Monday, March 14
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7.00 p.m. |HINT|  Mystery Gold of the Black Sea Warriors
Long before Egypt and Babylon left their imprint on history, a remarkable culture crafted a vast treasure trove of exquisite golden objects that dazzles the eye and tantalizes the senses. They were the Thracians. Feared and ruthless warriors, they challenged the might of the Greek and Roman empires. According to Homer, they fought on the side of Troy during the Trojan Wars. They left behind an enduring legacy, epitomized by the renegade slave Spartacus, then disappeared into history's mists. 

8.00 p.m. |SCI| What the Ancients Knew: The Romans
Backed by the legions, military and engineering skills, the Romans built one of the largest empires in human history. Technology helped shape the ancient world and reverberates in our western lifestyle and amenities today.

9.00 p.m. |SCI| Seven Wonders of Ancient Rome
Recreate these spectacular, awe-inspiring monuments. The men who envisioned the Pantheon, the Aqueducts of Rome, the Via Appia, the Baths of Caracalla, Trajan's Markets, Circus Maximus and the Colosseum created the epitome of human achievement.

9.00 p.m. |HISTU| The Lost Tribe of Israel
The mystery of the 10 Lost Tribes of Israel has fascinated people through the ages. Explorers claim to have discovered evidence of the "lost tribes" all over the world, from Australia to Siberia, but few if any such claims have been backed up by solid evidence. But now a provocative possibility about the whereabouts of one of the tribes has emerged--and it's 4,000 miles from Israel--in Southern Africa. Host and explorer Josh Bernstein retraces the amazing journey that the Lemba people claim they made centuries ago. It stretches from the heart of modern South Africa to the ancient stone cities of Zimbabwe...and then onto the shores of the Mediterranean and the city of Jerusalem. And the evidence for this journey is more than anecdotal. As Josh discovers, recent DNA studies point to the Lemba's true origin in the Middle East.

10.00 p.m. |SCI| The Mummies of Rome
The discovery of two Roman-age mummies in a tomb outside Rome was a shock to the scientific community, since there is no record of mummification in Rome's annals. Trace the ongoing steps being taken to unravel this mystery.

10.00 p.m. |HISTU|  Mummy: The Inside Story
In an incredible investigation that uncovers the inside story of how the British Museum in London resurrected an Egyptian mummy in cyberspace, we begin in the museum basement and end where no one has gone before. Egyptologist John Taylor and a team of virtual reality experts from computer giant SGI transformed the mummified body of Nesperennub--an ancient Egyptian priest--into the world's first virtual mummy. From a set of 1500 CAT scans, they created a 3-D model of the mummy that could be "unwrapped" in the computer. The stunning stereoscopic images reveal Nesperennub's body in amazing clarity--and exactly like the embalmers left it in 800 BC! By going under the wraps of Nesperennub, we journey into the life and times of this ancient Egyptian.

11.00 p.m. |HISTU| Flying Pyramids Soaring Stones
How did the ancient Egyptians build the pyramids and lift obelisks? These spectacular feats of engineering defy explanation. Theories about ropes, ramps, ingenuity, and brute force abound. Even aliens have been credited. But no definitive answer to this enigma exists. Now, an extraordinary new theory is being tested. Expert sailors, Egyptians used wind power on the Nile. Could they also harness the power of the wind on land and use land sails, or kites, to help lift heavy stones?
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Tuesday, March 15
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3.00 p.m. |DISCC| Legend Hunters: The Holy Grail & Noah's Ark
Sought for millennia by kings, knights and adventurers, the Holy Grail represents the ultimate treasure to its possessor; researchers combines science with theology to prove that Noah and his ark actually existed.

7.00 p.m. |HINT|  Jerusalem: Holy Deadly City
The history of the city that is the spiritual center of three of the world's major religions. Explores the mysteries hidden under the city, far from the view of tourists, and shows what the city was like at the time of the great kings David and Solomon.

8.00 p.m. |DCIVC| Pyramid of Doom: An Ancient Murder Mystery
dna

9.00 p.m. |DCIVC| Mystery of the Persian Mummy
dna

10.00 p.m. |NGU| Stealing History
Vestiges of Egypt's proud history still stand aboveground--and are also buried below. This is the story of an ancient land and the priceless treasures it holds.

11.00 p.m. |HINT| Atlantis: The Lost Civilization
Why has the legend of a continent under the sea captivated the imaginations of generations of people that have searched for Atlantis? Did Atlantis really exist, and if so, where? Plato discussed the legend in two of his dialogues, Timaeus and Critias, the only known written accounts from ancient sources that refer specifically to Atlantis. Atlantis has been linked to Bimini, the Canary Islands, Santorini, and Troy, among other places. What kind of people were the Atlanteans? According to scholars of Atlantis, they developed a technologically advanced civilization that has yet to be surpassed. Did Atlantis sink to the bottom of the ocean in a day and a night? What catastrophic events may have led to its demise? Or is the tale pure fiction invented by a Plato to illustrate a philosophic argument?  
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Wednesday, March 16
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7.00 p.m. |HINT|  Secrets at Delphi
An exploration of the hallowed Greek ground at Delphi, where Zeus's two eagles crossed paths and the Oracle prophesied the fortunes of kings and countries.

8.00 p.m. |DISCC| Superweapons of the Ancient World: The Claw
History says that Archimedes created a terrifying secret weapon that plucked Roman warships from the sea and smashed them against the rocks; could such a devastating weapon have been built using available technology in 213 BC?
 
8.00 p.m. |HINT| The Road to El Dorado
Discover the gems of the 15th century Incan empire, a domain which covered much of South America. The splendid cities of Cuzco and Chairana and the grandeur of Machu Picchu captivated the imagination and, unfortunately, greed of the Spanish conquistadors. Lifelike virtual construction gives viewers a close look at the massive sacred grounds of the Temple of the Sun at Cuzco, religious and political capital of a world known to generations of European adventurers as El Dorado. 

8.30 p.m. |HINT| The Lost Cities of the Maya
Between the 3rd and 10th centuries AD, the Mayan civilization ruled much of Central America. Travel back to the magnificent Mayan cities of Uxmal, Tulúm, Chichén Itzá, and the capital Palenque, with its breathtaking pyramid built by master mathematicians. Experience the cutting edge of archaeological exploration as we take viewers on a virtual tour of these ancient cities to see them as only their inhabitants could have done. 

9.00 p.m. |DISCC| Superweapons of the Ancient World: The Ram
The team, including top military engineers from the U.S. military academy at West Point, re-creates a Roman tortoise ram and tests it by trying to demolish a specially re-created replica of an ancient six-metre-high, 3.5-metre-thick city wall.

10.00 p.m. |HINT|  Time Team: Hartlepool, Northumbria
In 640 AD, on a storm-swept headland surrounded on three sides by the sea, St. Aidan founded a monastery at what is now modern-day Hartlepool in Northumbria, England. Occupied by both monks and nuns, it survived for three centuries before finally being destroyed by the Danes in the 9th century. Join Time Team as they investigate the site and unearth a piece of metal thought to be a clasp from a book used in the monastery and a complete female burial--all in three days!  

11.00 p.m. |HINT| Aegean: Legacy of Atlantis
This episode of the Emmy Award-winning series explores ancient civilizations that spread through the Aegean Sea and searches for historical roots of some of Western civilization's oldest legends, including an examination of ruins on the Greek Island of Thera (modern-day Santorini) for the basis of the Atlantis legend. On Crete, the Greek mainland, and Turkey, we follow the trail of clues that leads from ancient myths to evidence of the Trojan War, Trojan Horse, Minoan civilization, and the Minotaur. Sam Waterston narrates.  
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Thursday, March 17
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4.00 p.m. |DISCC| Superweapons of the Ancient World: The Claw
History says that Archimedes created a terrifying secret weapon that plucked Roman warships from the sea and smashed them against the rocks; could such a devastating weapon have been built using available technology in 213 BC?
 
5.00 p.m. |DISCC| Superweapons of the Ancient World: The Ram
The team, including top military engineers from the U.S. military academy at West Point, re-creates a Roman tortoise ram and tests it by trying to demolish a specially re-created replica of an ancient six-metre-high, 3.5-metre-thick city wall.

7.00 p.m. |HINT|  The Greatest Pharaohs, Part 4
Cleopatra uses her cunning mix of politics and seduction in a desperate bid to maintain her power, but fails.

8.00 p.m. |HINT|But Whose Truth Was the Truth?
In Part 3, we examine how heresies emerged, the literature they produced, and the dangers they posed to the early Christian Church. Few have heard of the 50 "other" gospels that circulated in antiquity, including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and writings by Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate. Then, there are countless letters--some of them valid, others dangerously heretical, and a few that nearly made it into the accepted canon. And we learn in this investigation that if these "heresies" had been included in the New Testament, Christianity and our understanding of Christ would be fundamentally different.  

9.00 p.m. |NGU| Stonehenge
Why was it built? Who did it? These questions surround Stonehenge -- one of the history's greatest unsolved mysteries. Explore cutting edge theories and watch as a leading scientist attempts to crack the mystery.
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Friday, March 18
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7.00 p.m. |DCIVC| MTA: The Lost City of Roman Britain
dna

9.00 p.m. |DISCC| The Sphinx Unmasked
The Sphinx is the largest free-standing stone sculpture on Earth, but for most of the 4,500 years of its existence, its true origin and the identity of its face have been cloaked in mystery; an Egyptologist is on the verge of cracking the riddle.
 
10.00 p.m. |DCIVC| Conquerors: Alexander the Great
dna
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Sunday, March 20
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7.00 p.m. |HINT| Time Team: Hartlepool, Northumbria
In 640 AD, on a storm-swept headland surrounded on three sides by the sea, St. Aidan founded a monastery at what is now modern-day Hartlepool in Northumbria, England. Occupied by both monks and nuns, it survived for three centuries before finally being destroyed by the Danes in the 9th century. Join Time Team as they investigate the site and unearth a piece of metal thought to be a clasp from a book used in the monastery and a complete female burial--all in three days!

8.00 p.m. |DISCU| Secrets of the Great Wall
The greatest defensive structure ever built by man, China's Great Wall has remained a mystery. For 3,000 years, it dominated China's landscape and culture. With unprecedented access, discover the secrets of the Wall's design and construction.

9.00 p.m. |DISCU| Genghis Khan: Rise of the Conqueror
He was a man who combined savagery with sheer tactical genius. Follow the rise to glory of Genghis Kahn, a man who became the greatest conqueror the world has ever known, measuring his territories not in thousands but in millions of square miles.

9.00 p.m. |HINT|Viking! The Norse Raiders
During the long years of the Dark Ages, there was no more feared sight than that of a Viking longship on the horizon. The Norsemen were ruthless warriors who plundered for land and gold as they made settlements in Britain, most notably in York. We take viewers back to 991 BC to experience the Battle of Maldon--a battle for which history provides the only detailed description of an Anglo-Saxon army during the Viking era. Features groundbreaking 3-D CGI animation combined with atmospheric recreations. 

10.00 p.m. |DISCU| Khubla Khan: Fall of the Mongol Hordes
The night before his invasion of Japan, Kublai Khan's fleet of 4,000 ships was decimated by a catastrophic hurricane. Now, a team of underwater archaeologists uses the wreck of a huge Mongol warship to revisit the final moments of Khan's legendary glory.
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                        Channel Guide

A&E     The Arts and Entertainment Channel (cable)
DTC     Discovery Times Channel (U.S. Cable)*
DCIVC   Discovery Civilization (Canadian Cable)
DISCC   Discovery Channel (Canadian Cable)
DISCU   Discovery Channel (U.S. Cable)
HINT    History International (U.S. Cable)
HISTU   The History Channel (U.S. Cable)
HISTC   History Television (Canadian Cable)
NGU     National Geographic Channel (U.S. Cable)*
PBS     Public Broadcasting System (U.S. National Schedule)
TLC     The Learning Channel (cable)

*n.b. Canadian versions of these two channels have recently
been made available although the Canadian versions don't seem
to be making their schedules available yet. For what it's worth,
the Canadian version does seem to 'match up' in regards to
ancient programming most of the time.
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Copyright (c) 2005 David Meadows. Feel free to distribute these
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::Sunday, March 13, 2005 7:32:55 PM::
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