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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?

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The Herculaneum Scrolls
55:15
Scientists attempt to read ancient scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Mozart's Sister
55:15
Learn the untold story of Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister and collaborator.
Returning to Babylon
54:45
Archaeologists search for Assyrian artifacts that survived the Isis occupation of Mosul.
The Princes in the Tower
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55:16
Find out if the 15th-century murder of two princes in the Tower of London can be solved.
Death in Britannia
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55:16
Uncover the only evidence of crucifixion in Roman-occupied Britain.
Eiffel's Race to the Top
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54:46
Discover the untold story of Paris’ most famous landmark and the race to top 1,000 feet.
Secrets of the Dead Season 20
55:02
Discover the world of dinosaur fossil collecting, an unusual hobby with a growing market.
The Sunken Basilica
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55:16
Explore the sunken remains of an early Christian basilica in western Turkey.
Hidden in the Amazon
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55:25
New evidence sheds light on the early indigenous societies of the Amazon.
Decoding Hieroglyphics
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55:25
Research is revealing the hieroglyphic texts from within the tomb of an Egyptian scribe.
Last Days of Pompeii
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55:30
Explore the last days in Pompeii, before the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius 2,000 years ago.
Archaeology at Althorp
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55:30
Discover one of the most significant British archaeological finds of the century.
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