Documentary films & series
Our analyses and companions to the great documentaries on prehistory and antiquity: what science actually says, with sources.
Who carved and painted the tombs of the Valley of the Kings? An elite workforce lived in seclusion at Deir el-Medina, leaving behind a unique archive of daily life in ancient Egypt.
Watch the documentary →In thé frozen burial mounds of thé Altai, archaeologists found mummified Scythian warriors alongside their horses, weapons, and carpets. This documentary dives into thèse exceptional tombs preserved for 2,500 years.
Watch the documentary →Discovered in 1961 in Afghanistan, Ai Khanoum is one of thé few Greek cities excavated in Central Asia. This documentary traces thé fascinating history of this Hellenistic city founded in thé wake of Alexander's conquests.
Watch the documentary →Thonis-Heracleion, Canopus, Menouthis: three cities submerged in Abu Qir Bay have been revealing their secrets for twenty years. Colossal statues, temples and ancient shipwrecks are emerging from thé Mediterranean seabed.
Watch the documentary →Beneath thé waters of Alexandria's bay lie thé remains of thé Ptolemaic royal palace, thé lighthouse foundations, and colossal statues. Underwater archaeology has been uncovering its best-kept secrets for thirty years.
Watch the documentary →At Kromdraai in South Africa, palaeoanthropologist Jose Braga unearthed two children aged 2.5 million years side by side: one Homo, one Paranthropus. This award-winning documentary follows the scientific investigation at the heart of the Cradle of Humankind.
Watch the documentary →Hisarlik, Turkey: for 150 years, archaeologists have been excavating the site believed to be Homer's ancient Troy. Between myth and reality, science and controversy, a fascinating inquiry into Antiquity's most famous city.
Watch the documentary →Beneath the frozen steppes of Mongolia and the Altai, Scythian kurgans have kept their secrets intact for over 2,500 years: tattooed mummies, ancient carpets, sacrificed horses. A journey into these timeless burials.
Watch the documentary →For eight years, a Franco-Saudi mission excavated Hegra (Mada'in Saleh), the ancient Nabataean capital of Arabia. Over 130 monumental tombs, a sophisticated hydraulic network, and Aramaic inscriptions reveal a crossroads city at the heart of ancient caravan routes.
Watch the documentary →Beneath the sands of Saqqara, the world's oldest royal necropolis keeps delivering: 59 sarcophagi in 2020, a gold-covered 4,400-year-old mummy, the Serapeum's underground labyrinth. Imhotep built for eternity.
Watch the documentary →Beyond its monumental palaces, Persepolis concealed an entire city: artisan quarters, cuneiform archives, royal workshops. Recent excavations reveal the true nature of the Achaemenid capital.
Watch the documentary →A team of palaeontologists ventures into the Namibian Kalahari for Mission HON (Human Origins in Namibia), searching for limestone caves sealed for 3 to 4 million years. Following in the footsteps of Little Foot and the Australopithecines of South Africa, they develop a novel calcite-detection method to unlock the buried secrets of humanity's origins.
Watch the documentary →In July 2001, Michel Brunet announced the discovery of a 7-million-year-old skull in Chad's Djurab desert. This documentary retraces the scientific adventure that redefined the origins of humanity.
Watch the documentary →