Naked History – Unearthed

Secrets of Otzi the Ice Mummy

Otzi the Iceman is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time. He is a perfectly preserved ice ‘mummy’, frozen high in the Alps for 5000 years. Investigators have discovered that he lived and died before the Pyramids and Stonehenge. Who was the iceman, was he murdered and what can his remains tell us about the world he comes from? Now fresh investigations of his possessions – including an astonishing copper axe – are revealing a world far more sophisticated that we imagined. Otzi lived at a time of great change – did this contribute to his untimely death in the mountains? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Escape From Alcatraz

Alcatraz is one of the most famous prisons in the world. Known as the Rock, for decades it was home to the most wanted criminals in America. Men like Al Capone, ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly and Robert Stroud, the so-called ‘Birdman of Alcatraz’, all do time on the island. Why did this prison become an icon and crime and punishment? What really lies behind its unbreakable reputation? Today experts are investigating Alcatraz’s remarkable engineering secrets. They’re uncovering the Rock’s forgotten past, protecting its concrete cells and exploring why so many convicts tried and failed to escape the toughest jail in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mystery of the Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines in Peru are mysterious giant symbols; hundreds of alien looking drawings etched into the arid Atacama Desert, more than a thousand years ago. Why did their creators make vast images that only make sense from the air, centuries before the invention of aircraft?   Today investigators use pioneering drone technology to hunt for new lines and to solve the enduring riddle of why they were created. Some of the images such as the Hummingbird and the Condor are stunningly beautiful, many are made with incredible precision. Who were the mysterious Nazca people and why did their civilization disappear?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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