Up Next
Back to Show
Secrets of the Dead
Preview | The Herculaneum Scrolls
Making headlines around the world, Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,000-year-old carbonized scrolls found in the remains of a villa in Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD transformed the papyri, fusing together the layers of the scrolls and making them impossible to read. Can particle physics and AI finally reveal what the scrolls say?
Support Provided By
Season
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Priceless artifacts in Laos reveal holy sites from the early days of the Khmer Empire.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
The discovery of priceless artifacts in Laos sheds light on the ancient Khmer Empire.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Uncover the mystery behind the discovery of more than 50 "vampire" burials.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:23
A search for the remains of Black Union soldiers murdered toward the end of the Civil War.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Scientists attempt to read ancient scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Learn the untold story of Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister and collaborator.
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:45
Archaeologists search for Assyrian artifacts that survived the Isis occupation of Mosul.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Find out if the 15th-century murder of two princes in the Tower of London can be solved.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Uncover the only evidence of crucifixion in Roman-occupied Britain.
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:45
Discover the untold story of Paris’ most famous landmark and the race to top 1,000 feet.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:01
Discover the world of dinosaur fossil collecting, an unusual hobby with a growing market.
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Explore the sunken remains of an early Christian basilica in western Turkey.