Wednesday, May 4 at 10:00 p.m.
China's Terracotta Army
The extraordinary story of China’s 8,000 terracotta warriors begins two centuries before the birth of Christ. The first emperor of China was preparing an extravagant tomb for his journey into the afterlife — and decreed that he be protected forever by a monumental army. Since then no one has seen these ancient warriors in their original splendor, brightly painted and fully armed, ready to protect their Emperor for all eternity. Now this once mighty army will be returned to its former glory for the first time.

 

Wednesday, May 11 at 10:00 p.m.
Sinking Atlantis
Five thousand years ago, the Minoans, Europe’s first great civilization, flourished on the island of Crete. They were the first Europeans to use writing, and their technologically advanced and rich artistic culture became the setting for famous Greek myths about Theseus, Icarus and the Minotaur. Yet in their heyday, the Minoans were wiped from the pages of history. The cause of their downfall has remained one of the foremost mysteries of the ancient world … until now. “Sinking Atlantis” explores — and discounts — all the usual theories about the disappearance of the Minoans — from a massive volcano that buried them in ash to Greek invaders who conquered and killed them.

Wednesday, May 18 at 10:00 p.m.
The Silver Pharaoh
The royal tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I is one of the most spectacular of all the ancient Egyptian treasures - even more remarkable than that of Tutankhamen. So why hasn’t the world heard about it? What mysteries does it contain? And what does it reveal about ancient Egypt? The tomb was discovered filled with lavish jewels and treasure almost by accident in 1939 by the French archaeologist Pierre Montet while he was excavating in northern Egypt. The royal burial chamber came as a complete surprise – no Egyptologist had anticipated a tomb of such grandeur in this area.

Wednesday, May 25 at 10:00 p.m.
Lost Ships of Rome
In 2009 a team of marine archeologists carrying out a sonar survey of the seabed around the remote Italian island of Ventotene made an astonishing discovery. The wrecks of five ancient Roman ships were found in pristine condition, each one fully laden with exotic goods. Remarkably, much of the cargo remained exactly as the ancient Roman crews had loaded it, suggesting that these ships had not capsized but had gone to the bottom of the sea intact and upright. What happened to these ancient ships? What were they carrying and why had they traveled to this remote, rocky island in the first place?

Visit the website at www.pbs.org/secrets.