Immigration Nation. Mysteries of Asia: Lost Temples of India. Ancient Refuge in the Holy Land. Will secrets buried in an ancient cave rewrite the story of a desperate time? Nearly 2,000 years ago, a dark, inhospitable cave located in a canyon near the Dead Sea was a secret refuge for Jewish refugees fleeing for their lives from the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire.
In 1960, archaeologists discovered dramatic letters written by Bar-Kokhba, the heroic Jewish rebel who led a guerrilla uprising against the Romans. Could the cave conceal more historical treasure from that desperate time? Armed with high-tech equipment, a new team led by archaeologist Richard Freund returns to explore a place that has intrigued the experts for decades. With the help of ingeniously improvised devices, they unearth long-lost artifacts and relics that provide tantalizing clues to turbulent times of messianic fervor, oppression, and revolt. Watch the full documentary now. History’s Turning Points. Martin Luther: Reluctant Revolutionary. Few if any men have changed the course of history like Martin Luther. In less than ten years, this fevered German monk plunged a knife into the heart of an empire that had ruled for a thousand years, and set in motion a train of revolution, war and conflict that would reshape Western civilization, and lift it out of the Dark Ages.
Luther's is a drama that still resonates half a millennium on. It's an epic tale that stretches from the gilded corridors of the Vatican to the weathered church door of a small South German town; from the barbarous pyres of heretics to the technological triumph of printing. It is the story of the birth of the modern age, of the collapse of medieval feudalism, and the first shaping of ideals of freedom and liberty that lie at the heart of the 21st century. But this is also an intensely human tale, a story that hurtles from the depths of despair to the heights of triumph and back again. Watch the full documentary now. The Story of India. In this landmark six-part series for PBS and the BBC, Michael Wood embarked on a dazzling and exciting journey through today's India, seeking in the present for clues to her past, and in the past for clues to her future. The world's largest democracy and a rising economic giant, India is now as well known across the globe for its mastery of computer technology as it is for its many-armed gods and its famous spiritual traditions.
But India is also the world's most ancient surviving civilization, with unbroken continuity back into prehistory. Like other great civilizations - Greece or Egypt, for example - over the millennia it has enjoyed not just one but several brilliant golden ages in art and culture. Its great thinkers and religious leaders have permanently changed the face of the globe. But while the glories of Rome, Egypt, and Greece, have all been the subject of TV portraits, as yet there has been no television story of India on our screens. Beginnings. The Power of Ideas. Freedom. The Most Evil Men in History. This series of programmes consists of episodes which profile evil men throughout history who have used their power to torture, kill, maim and eradicate millions of people. Attila The Hun. Attila was Khan of the Huns. He is remembered as the epitome of cruelty and rapacity. Bad King John. He murdered his nephew, inspired the legend of Robin Hood and caused the creation of Magna Carta.
Caligula. Francisco Pizarro. Hitler. Idi Amin. Ivan the Terrible. Joseph Stalin. Nero. Pol Pot. Rasputin. Torquemada. Vlad the Impaler. The Jews: A People’s History | Top Documentary Films. This five-part documentary explores 4,000 years of Jewish history, starting with the origins of the Jewish people in the Middle East right through to present day Judaism. The series researches the roots of the Jewish people, seeking clues about Judaism at the archaeological excavation sites, the centers of culture and in the written evidence of the Jewish Diaspora. The purpose of the documentary is to give the public deeper insight, beyond the Holocaust and Israeli politics, into the Jewish people, Nina Koshofer, director of the documentary, said. We wanted to enlighten people on the historical development of Jews and their faith. We chose people with whom the public could identify. Koshofer has focused most of her attention on known personalities.
Koshofer is aiming to show that the answers to many questions are as varied as the number of Jews who live in the world today. This documentary is available for preview only. The First Australians. First Australians is an Australian historical documentary series produced over the course of 6 years and first aired in October 2008. The documentary is part of a greater project that further consists of a hard-cover book, a community outreach program and a substantial website featuring over 200 mini-documentaries. The series chronicles the history of contemporary Australia, from the perspective of its first people, or Aborigines. The series is essentially a synthesis of well documented historical information.
It relies heavily on archival documents and interpretations from historians and members of both the Indigenous and European community and leaders. The story begins in 1788 in Sydney, with the arrival of the First Fleet and ends in 1993 with Koiki Mabo's legal challenge to the foundation of Australia. The series comprises seven episodes, in which it explores what unfolded when the oldest living culture in the world was confronted by the British Empire. The Legends of Santa | Top Documentary Films. Santa's image is almost universally recognizable as one of Christianity's most enduring and popular legends, yet the seemingly timeless jolly old man with his bag of toys, steering his reindeer and sliding down chimneys, is a relatively modern image. The Legends of Santa shows how today's image of Father Christmas is a culmination of centuries of history and legend.
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. One of the best known of the St. Over the course of many years, Nicholas's popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This is just a preview. Cities of the Underworld. In every major metropolis, skyscrapers loom above, taxis and vendors clamor at street level, and subways rumble below. But deeper beneath the hectic surface lie other, silent worlds, each with its own mysterious and fascinating history. Cities of the Underworld peels away the layers of time-often literally hundreds of feet thick-to expose the incredible pasts lurking beneath some of the most populous cities on earth.
Throughout the world, cities such as Paris, New York, Rome and Shanghai all harbor long-submerged networks that once served crucial functions, from eerie catacombs to clandestine hideouts and ancient aqueducts to underground societies. Cities of the Underworld examines these mysterious realms, from the technological feats of their construction and the myths and lore that have cloaked these subterranean marvels for centuries. Featuring rare location hi-definition footage, The History Channel shows a world filled with mysteries and secrets just below the ground we walk on.