General Arts and Science - History

1000-500BC. It is the height of the bronze age. Then for some mysterious reason, everything begins to go wrong. The great international bronze trading economy of Europe collapses. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with iron, but when this new metal is discovered it heralds an age of hill forts and brochs.

In the first episode of his series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis starts in Venice and explores how its Renaissance architecture and art has been shaped by the east and by thousands of exchanges along the Silk Road. From Venice Sam travels to China's ancient capital, Xian.

This program captures the feverish work of the multinational rescue archaeology team that excavated low-lying areas of Zeugma and key portions of Apamea before inundation by the Birecik Dam, in Turkey. Catherine Abadie-Reynal, director of the French contingent, and other experts describe their efforts to map the cities and to discern the tides of Greco-Roman history that once flowed through the region.

Yasmin El Shazly and Mahmoud Rashad travel across Egypt, hoping to answer some of the many questions surrounding the life and death of Tutankhamun. They speak with leading scholars, enjoy exclusive access to the tomb British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered 100 years ago in the Valley of the Kings, and visit several active dig sites--they even see the face of the pharaoh!