Treasure Seekers

Season 12000

This is a tale of hidden treasure and the scientific shaping of our past, told through the stories of the adventures and discoveries of great archaeologists.

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13 Episodes

E01 Africa's Forgotten Kingdoms

Deep in the heart of southern Africa, in present-day Zimbabwe, a great civilization rose and flourished in the 9th century A.D. Its magnificent walled city stood as testament to a thriving, sophisticated culture called Great Zimbabwe. But in the 14th century, this society abruptly passed into oblivion. Obsessed by rumors of mysterious ruins, German geologist Carl Mauch survived kidnapping and robbery to rediscover Great Zimbabwe in 1871.

January 1, 2000

E02 Code of the Maya Kings

Great cities in ruins, lost in the jungles of Central America and Mexico. Who would have built these cities? It would take more than a century and two extraordinary people to uncover the secrets of ancient Maya. The american John Lloyd Stephens, together with his english companion Frederick Catherwood, enbarked upon the first of two epic voyages to central america in 1839. Facing many dangers and illnesses, they returned from the mysterious land with extraordinary stories and breath taking images from a once great civilization of native americans. One hundread years later, Mayan archaeology had made enormous advances, although the inscriptions that adorn the Mayan ruins had not been completely decyphered. It would be the extraordinary studies of the russian Tatiana Proskouriakoff, a woman in a world of men, that would reveal the true lives of the Maya to the world.

January 1, 2000

E03 Empires of India

Famed for its wealth, cultural treasures, and spirituality, India has beckoned the outsiders for centuries. Many have vied for control of this fabled and diverse land. Two great empires, one established by invading Moguls, the other by the British, flourished on this vast subcontinent.

January 1, 2000

E04 Glories of Angkor Wat

In 1858, a young French naturalist, Henri Mouhot, set out to discover new animal species in Southeast Asia. Instead, he stumbled on the lost city of Angkor. Uncovering temple after temple hidden by jungle, Mouhot wrote a stirring account of Asia's most bewitching and romantic ruins, sparking an explosion of interest around the world.

January 1, 2000

E05 In the Shadow of Ancient Rome

Wealthier and more powerful than any other ancient civilization, the Roman Empire enjoyed a long period of prosperity. But perhaps the greatest treasure of this period was not its riches, but its myth. The image of this extraordinary empire has inspired dreamers and dictators throughout the ages, luring some to return to Rome to fuel their own dreams of power.

January 1, 2000

E06 Lost Cities of the Inca

Setting out in search of Vilcabamba, a hidden jungle city built in one of the more remote and inaccessible regions of the Inca Empire, Hiram Bingham stumbled upon one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the century—the magnificent ruins of Macchu Picchu which opened up the glories of the Inca civilization to the entire world.

January 1, 2000

E07 Mysteries of the Nile

A former circus performer drawn to Egypt’s mystique, Giovanni Belzoni developed a passion for uncovering its secrets and discovered that he possessed an extraordinary talent for archaeological discovery. But another man made what is perhaps the most well known find in Egypt. Howard Carter worked in vain for seven years to locate the tomb of King Tutankhamun. In 1922, just as his funding was drying up, Carter and his team unearthed the elusive tomb. The rest is ancient history.

January 1, 2000

E08 Quest for the Grail

The legend of the Holy Grail, written in 1185, seized the European imagination and maintains its hold to the present day. It was the most sacred of relics, the vessel alleged to have held both the wine of the Last Supper as well as the blood of the crucified Christ. The legendary quest for the grail became the ultimate treasure hunt.

January 1, 2000

E09 The Edge of the Orient

Early in the 19th century, the fog that long had shrouded Mesopotamia began to lift, in large part due to French-born Austen Henry Layard. Journeying to the upper Tigris valley, Layard gained the right to excavate along the banks of the river, and discovered the most fantastic artwork and architectural remains found anywhere outside of Egypt.

January 1, 2000

E10 The Silk Road

When East met West along Asia’s silk route, the collision of culture and tradition changed the course of world history. Winding tens of thousands of miles between China and Europe, the Silk Road enabled the exchange of goods and ideas between peoples that knew virtually nothing of each other.

January 1, 2000

E11 Tibet's Hidden Kingdom

In the 19th century, as it became aware of the colonial designs of European power on central Asia, Tibet expelled westerners and closed its frontiers. As its isolation deepened, so did Tibet's allure and mystique. But in the early 1900s, Francis Younghusband, a British colonialist, managed to penetrate the hidden city of Lhasa and bring to an end the country's years of isolation.

January 1, 2000

E12 China's Frozen Desert

A Chinese monk's description of oasis cities during a 7th Century pilgrimage would prove invaluable to another explorer more than 1000 years later. Sir Aurel Stein found cities buried in sand and a 1000 year-old Buddhist library in near-perfect condition.

January 1, 2000

E13 Glories of the Ancient Aegean

Most people thought that the city of Troy was fictitious, but in the 19th Century a German industrialist followed the clues in Homer and uncovered the ruins of the great ancient cities of Troy and Mycenae, complete with fabulous treasures.

January 1, 2000

Treasure Seekers

E01 Africa's Forgotten Kingdoms

E02 Code of the Maya Kings

E03 Empires of India

E04 Glories of Angkor Wat

E05 In the Shadow of Ancient Rome

E06 Lost Cities of the Inca

E07 Mysteries of the Nile

E08 Quest for the Grail

E09 The Edge of the Orient

E10 The Silk Road

E11 Tibet's Hidden Kingdom

E12 China's Frozen Desert

E13 Glories of the Ancient Aegean

Pinocchio

Chicago Fire

1993

Start-Up

Backstreet Rookie

The Long Ballad

Heartstopper

Itaewon Class

She Was Pretty

Chicago Med

All of Us Are Dead

Lovestruck in the City

Continuum

Game of Thrones

Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings

Angel's Last Mission: Love

Breaking Bad

Scarlet Heart: Ryeo

The Knick

My First First Love

E01 Africa's Forgotten Kingdoms

E02 Code of the Maya Kings

E03 Empires of India

E04 Glories of Angkor Wat

E05 In the Shadow of Ancient Rome

E06 Lost Cities of the Inca

E07 Mysteries of the Nile

E08 Quest for the Grail

E09 The Edge of the Orient

E10 The Silk Road

E11 Tibet's Hidden Kingdom

E12 China's Frozen Desert

E13 Glories of the Ancient Aegean