Rare Etruscan Find

Follow an intrepid amateur archaeologist as he uncovers bronze vessels, pottery, and burial urns holding the remains of as many as 30 people in an undisturbed third-first century B.C. tomb at Civitella Paganico in the heart of ancient Etruria. The tomb is of particular interest as it is located in an area that influenced the great Etruscan powers of Chiusi and Volterra but is relatively unknown even in archaeological circles.

Great Wall of the Caucasus

Exploring a Sassanid-era citadel that marks the beginning of a 30-mile wall in Russia's Republic of Dagestan. But the wall is only a fraction of the 5,000-year history of this narrow strip of land that for millennia marked the edge of civilization.

Muon Archaeology

By analyzing the trajectory of high-energy particles, known as muons, archaeologists hope to create images of the interior of pyramids in Belize and Mexico.

Exploring the Catacombs

Beneath Rome lies another city--a city of the dead. Go down into this ancient world of the departed and learn why the Romans buried their dead in catacombs and hear from an excavator who has been digging under the city for decades. What's it like to be surrounded by the ghosts of thousands.

Thriving in the Amazon

The discovery of an elaborate network of canals, causeways, and raised fields in Bolivia's Beni region, whose alleged hostile environment was thought to have precluded the establishment of large civilizations, suggests not only that large numbers of ancient people inhabited the territory, but thrived in it. The author also examines the worldwide practice of such applied archaeology--what it means and where it's going.

Journey to Aksum

From newly discovered royal tombs at Aksum, to the rock-cut churches of Lalabella, to lesser-known sites, join award-winning photographer Chester Higgins as he explores the monuments of the Aksumite Empire, which at its height in the fourth century A.D. included northern Ethiopia and much of the Sudan, as well as Yemen and part of Saudi Arabia.