History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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ANCIENT MYSTERIES: LEGENDS AND EMPIRES is an objective and illuminating look at some of mankind's most enduring mysteries. Narrated by Leonard Nimoy, this award-winning series from HISTORY travels the world to explore and recreate the enigmas that continue to defy science and spark our imagination. This collection focuses on the myths, legends and the amazing lost civilisations of our collective history that are constant sources of inspiration for fantasy literature and movies - exposing what is known, what is imagined and what is pure speculation and myth.
Before we unlock the future we must find the keys to the past. Mysteries of ancient humanity and lost civilizations can be found all over the world. Across the globe, temples and tombs harbor ancient secrets and give archaeologists a priceless window into the past. We can read only a small part of the story of the past in the great ruins that still stand and the tablets and scrolls that remain. Much is lost to time, more is still hidden, someday to be found. Many relics still keep their secrets. Come to explore the mysteries of our earliest cultures as historians investigate controversies and mysteries of the ancient past, and open the door to Ancient Mysteries.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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Part 1: Ancient Rome and Its Mysterious Cities
They were the fearsome rulers of the ancient world for over a thousand years. Some say their armies were the strongest the world has ever seen. Wherever they went, they conquered, and wherever they conquered, sprang another city. In fact, as we marvel at the sophistication and beauty of some of our modern cities, we are celebrating a legacy that was literally etched in stone over two thousand years ago by the Romans.
"Ancient Rome and its Mysterious Cities" explores the hidden treasures of our ancestors and uncovers the secrets of these mysterious ancient cities.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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Part 2: Atlantis: the Lost Civilisation
Why has the legend of a city under the sea so captivated the imaginations of generations of people who have searched for Atlantis? Did Atlantis really exist, and if so, where? Atlantis has been linked to Bimini, the Canary Islands, Santorini and Troy, but to this day no one can be sure of the exact location of this lost city. Who were the Atlantians? According to scholars, they developed a technologically advanced civilisation which has yet to be surpassed.
"Atlantis: The Lost Civilisation" investigates and aims to answer all of the fascinating questions that surround this mysterious ancient city.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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Part 3: Legends of the Arabian Nights
Few modern authors have not been influenced by "The Arabian Nights", but what is the origin of these mesmeric stories? Legend has it that over a thousand years ago, a beautiful young woman prevented her murder by telling adventure tales to a murderous sultan for a thousand and one nights. The tales she weaved are set in India, Persia, Egypt, Turkey and China and came to be known as "The Arabian Nights".
Journey back in time to an era long veiled in mystery, to a timeless world of myth and legend as this fascinating programme aims to uncover the origins and truths behind stories such as Aladdin, Sinbad and Ali Baba.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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Part 4: Lost Castles of England
When one thinks of medieval England, one of the first images that enter our mind is that of a castle: a great stone citadel that dominates the landscape with its vast walled battlements, lofty towers, drawbridge and moat. However, there is a remarkable history of medieval fortifications which have mysteriously all but disappeared, they were the timber castles.
Existing throughout much of the Middle Ages, timber rather than stone castles were the dominant fortifications of their period. Rather than small and temporary, timber castles were large, permanent and dotted the English countryside. Lords and and Ladies built them, communities lived in them and battles were fought over them; yet today only mounds of earth remain. This intriguing programme seeks to uncover the mystery of the lost castles of England.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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Part 5: Machu Picchu: City in the Sky
The structure of Machu Picchu, originally built by the Incas, is one of the most archaeologically stunning mysteries of the past. However, even today we are still unsure what its purpose was. Was it an observatory, a pleasure retreat or a fortress? One thing is certain, it draws thousands of tourists every year to experience its sacred and spiritual powers and many claim to have had extraterrestrial experience here.
"Machu Picchu : City in the sky" attempts to uncover the historical and spiritual mysteries of this magical place.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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Part 6: Mystical Monuments of Ancient Greece
The Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Agora, the Goddess Athena. Pericles, the king of Athens at the height of its power in the Golden Age of Western Civilisation, commissioned these tremendous monuments and had them dedicated to the Goddess Athena. Temples of such strength and beauty, they still entice and amaze modern day visitors. Yet what was the real purpose for constructing these magnificent, ancient marbled treasures? Was it to house a new brand of politics called "democracy", or to serve as a platform for a brutally intense cult of worship?
Watch as "Mystical Monuments of Ancient Greece" investigates the true motives behind the construction of Ancient Greece's most impressive landmarks.

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Part 7: Secrets of the Aztec Empire
Present day Mexico City sits atop of what was once a great civilisation, the Aztec Empire. Eighteen years ago, a group of workers digging a ditch in Mexico City found a decorated stone. That discovery led to even bigger finds, including the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Drawing on newly discovered artifacts, anthropologists can now give us a more in-depth picture and shed new light on what life was like for this ancient civilisation. Watch as "Ancient Mysteries" reveals the "Secrets of the Aztec Empire".

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Part 8: Lost Mummies of the Inca
Five hundred years ago, a powerful people called the Incas ruled over the largest empire in all the Americas. It was only when the Spanish conquistadors invaded that these ancient people and all their riches were discovered, and with them a bizarre cult of death. In ancient Peru, it was common practice for the Incas to worship their deceased ancestors. In fact the Incas held lavish banquets for their mummified chiefs, where corpses were dressed in fine clothes, exquisite jewelry and offered the choicest food and drinks.
Why did such mighty people treat mummies as though they were alive? Join us as we travel to the high Andes, and transcend the centuries to uncover the world's most mysterious death cult.

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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History Channel Ancient Mysteries - Legends and Empires (1996)

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