Naked History – Unearthed

Ramses' Buried Treasures

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 reveal his strategy for eclipsing his predecessors’ achievements. Why did he align the temple with the sunrise on two specific dates? What was the reason he dedicated a second temple to his wife? Does Abu Simbel reveal Ramses’ plans for a project unprecedented in Egyptian history? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curse of the Jungle Treasure

On Mexico’s Gulf coast, archaeologists uncover strange stone heads beside a concealed 100-foot tall mud pyramid. They mark the site of La Venta – the lost capital city of the mysterious Olmec.  Who were these people?  Why did they vanish 1000 years after founding this mighty metropolis?  In the search for answers, brand new research reveals the Olmec built the very first giant structures in North America; and a recently-unearthed artefact proves they communicated using the continent’s first written language.  Piecing together the evidence reveals an incredible possibility: before they disappeared, the Olmec laid the foundations for the whole of Mesoamerican civilisation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lost City of the Maya

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Avebury: Ghosts of the Stone Age

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Egypt's Lost Skyscrapers

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices