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Ancient World on TV
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The Ancient World on Television (AWOTV) lists programs dealing with the ancient world on PBS, A&E, The History Channel, Discovery Channel, and numerous other channels. These listings are compiled on a weekly basis by David Meadows.
Monday, October 26
8.00 p.m. | HISTU | Death Masks
Faces...and facts...fleshed out from the grave. Unprecedented technology brings to life extraordinary mirror images and powerful last impressions of history's most powerful men. Every line, every wrinkle, every expression tells a story. Forensic-science and anthropology experts have identified that history's most relevant figures left behind highly-detailed casts of their faces, created at their moment of death, to preserve their souls and physical memory for eternity. Using advanced facial-reconstruction techniques and 3-D imprint detailing, these death masks render an exact replica of every feature, and an intimate look at how their characteristics affected their lives. Includes startling new insights into the persistent mysteries surrounding these historic icons like Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon and George Washington, and just may reveal some secrets these men preferred to conceal.
9.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Mystery At The Monastery
Scotty travels to the eastern coast of Iceland, where archaeologists have unearthed a startling discovery; within the ruins of a 16th-century monastery the bones of a young man lie in perfect condition, except for two smashed shoulder blades.
9.00 p.m. | HISTC | BATTLES BC | Alexander: Lord of War
Alexander the Great faces a forced river crossing, a raging thunderstorm and a vicious enemy as he leads his army into India during his final campaign in 327 B.C.
10.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Egypt Detectives: The Mystery Of Tutankhamun's Treasure
Archaeologists have made an astonishing discovery that could change our understanding of the life and death of King Tut; the team tries to determine why Tut's tomb does not contain custom-made burial goods, like most Egyptian rulers' graves.
10.30 p.m. | DCIVC | Egypt Detectives: The Mystery Of The Animal Mummies
The catacombs at Saqqara contain 2.5 million animal mummies; the team tries to determine why the Egyptians mummified animals at all, and why so man
Tuesday, October 27
6.00 p.m. | HISTC | ULTIMATE ENGINEERING | Colosseum
The dramatic story behind the building of the Colosseum in Ancient Rome. To achieve this, the Romans used ground-breaking technology that we still use today, whilst the money to pay for this grand project enslaved a people and brought a temple crashing down.
7.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENT DISCOVERIES II | Ancient Super Ballistics
We reveal how the science and technology of ballistics actually dates back thousands of years to the ancient world. Using state of the art forensic techniques and the world's leading firearms experts, this groundbreaking show reveals the accuracy, power and range of ancient bullets, rockets and bombs.
10.00 p.m. | HISTU | Cities Of The Underworld: 11 - Dracula's Underground
Rich in legends and folklore visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground to separate the myth from reality as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the Impaler and the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler. Join host Don Wildman as he braves eerie tombs and clandestine tunnels to discover the "Son of the Devil."
11.00 p.m. | HISTU | Cities Of The Underworld: City of Blood
Hundreds of ghost stories lurk in the shadows of London, England, but behind every myth and legend is the terrifying truth that sheds light on one of the darkest periods of this city's history. In Victorian times, violent crimes, extreme poverty and lawlessness forced Londoners to band together to survive. In a time when science and medicine challenged the Church, and disease and overpopulation drove the poor to do jobs only the Devil himself could imagine, London set the stage for chaos. From body snatchers and serial killers to occult clubs and pagan rituals, Victorian Londoners lived by their own rules...both above and below ground. Don Wildman explores London from the bottom up and tells the stories most would rather remain buried.
Wednesday, October 28
8.00 p.m. | HISTU | MonsterQuest: American Werewolf
The werewolf is a centuries-old legend based on myth, not a real animal. However, local eyewitnesses in Wisconsin and Michigan report seeing a dogman--a tall hairy man-beast. Professional hunters and trackers armed with tranquilizer guns will be deployed in an area of recent sightings to find this creature. For the first time polygraphs and hypnosis will be used on eyewitnesses with astonishing results. One-part history, one-part science and one part monster, discover the truth behind legendary monsters.
9.00 p.m. | HISTU | The Real Wolfman
Follow veteran criminal profiler George Deuchar and renowned cryptozoologist, Ken Gerhardt as they investigate the legend of the notorious Wolfman. Between the years of 1764 and 1767, the small French hamlet of Gevaudan was plagued by a mysterious beast that attacked and killed 102 villagers. The victims (mostly women and children) were all maliciously mauled and decapitated. All bore the bite marks of a non-human creature, and even more bizarre, many victims were found undressed and sexually assaulted. For centuries, the true identify of this mysterious "wolfman" has remained a mystery. Digging deeply into the mythology of Werewolves, they uncover reported paranormal transformations, diseases that make men look and act like animals, strange but true stories of children raised by wolves, and the truth about wolfsbane and silver bullets. Their modern-day forensic investigation leads them to the horrific truth behind the Werewolf murders.
10.00 p.m. | HISTC | The Captain Bligh Conspiracy
By 1789, Captain Bligh had become victim to the most famous mutiny of naval history when he was thrown off his own ship, The Bounty, and left to fend for himself on the high seas. Join History Television for the story of William Bligh - a man with a grudge to bear and a tale to tell.
11.00 p.m. | HISTU | MonsterQuest: Vampire Beast
In the fall of 2007, residents of Bolivia, North Carolina started losing pets and farm animals to an unknown creature. Is it the same mystery predator with a taste for blood that preyed on goats and dogs in Bolivia more than 50 years ago? One-part history, one-part science and one part monsters, take a look at legendary creatures around the world.
Thursday, October 29
5.00 p.m. | HISTU | Cities Of The Underworld: 11 - Dracula's Underground
Rich in legends and folklore visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground to separate the myth from reality as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the Impaler and the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler. Join host Don Wildman as he braves eerie tombs and clandestine tunnels to discover the "Son of the Devil."
6.00 p.m. | HISTU | Bloodlines: The Dracula Family Tree
When a team of Dracula hunters, notably members of a family linked to the real-life Prince Vlad Dracul, tries to unearth the truth about the tyrant, they are haunted by mystifying events, misfortune, and tragedy 500 years after the 15th-century prince died.
8.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENT DISCOVERIES II | Ancient Death Machines
Military innovation is consistently at the cutting edge of technological advances. Almost all technology on the planet today owes its origins to inventions driven by one purpose...war. From apocalyptic skyscraper siege machines to ancient landmines and flamethrowers which had the potential to extinguish hundreds of lives in minutes, most of today's lethal weapons owe their origins to the inventors of the ancient world.
Friday, October 30
6.00 p.m. | HISTU | The Haunted History of Halloween
On October 31, when pint-sized ghouls and goblins trick or treat, they're upholding an ancient northern European ritual dating back thousands of years. From the Celtic festival of Samhain to the mumming tradition and the Christian feast day All Hallows' Eve, we find out why this night is the scariest of the year!
7.00 p.m. | HISTC | BATTLES BC | Alexander: Lord of War
Alexander the Great faces a forced river crossing, a raging thunderstorm and a vicious enemy as he leads his army into India during his final campaign in 327 B.C.
8.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Mystery At The Monastery
Scotty travels to the eastern coast of Iceland, where archaeologists have unearthed a startling discovery; within the ruins of a 16th-century monastery the bones of a young man lie in perfect condition, except for two smashed shoulder blades.
Saturday, October 31
6.00 p.m. | HINT | Roman Murder Mystery
During an excavation of Flixton quarry in Suffolk, England, archaeologists unearthed something unexpected--a shallow grave with four human skeletons lying haphazardly at the bottom. We join archaeologist Martin Brown as he tries to uncover who these people were, when they lived and why they seem to have suffered untimely deaths.
7.00 p.m. | HINT | Engineering An Empire The Maya: Death Empire
At the height of its glory, this mysterious civilization ruled a territory of 125,000 square miles across parts of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Belize. What began as a modest population of hunters and gatherers expanded into more than forty flourishing city-states who engineered sky-high temple-pyramids, ornate palaces and advanced hydraulic systems. Where did they come from and what catastrophes caused the collapse of this innovative civilization? From the Temple-Pyramids at Tikal, to the royal tomb at Palenque, to the star observatory at Chichen Itza, this episode will examine the architecture and infrastructure that enabled the rise and fall of the ancient Maya civilization
7.00 p.m. | HISTC | ULTIMATE ENGINEERING | Pyramid
The Great Pyramid of Giza is four-and-half thousand years old. It's the only ancient Wonder of the World still standing. It was conceived as a resurrection machine for the enigmatic pharaoh Khufu in 2551 BC and completed over 20 years later, just before his death. To cut and move the 2 million stones needed to build it would involve the organisation of the whole Egyptian state.
8.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Jekyll And Hyde - The True Story
Using dramatic re-creations, archival footage and interviews with leaders in science and literature, discover Deacon William Brodie's wild life, which inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's novel, "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde".
10.00 p.m. | HISTU | The Real Wolfman
Follow veteran criminal profiler George Deuchar and renowned cryptozoologist, Ken Gerhardt as they investigate the legend of the notorious Wolfman. Between the years of 1764 and 1767, the small French hamlet of Gevaudan was plagued by a mysterious beast that attacked and killed 102 villagers. The victims (mostly women and children) were all maliciously mauled and decapitated. All bore the bite marks of a non-human creature, and even more bizarre, many victims were found undressed and sexually assaulted. For centuries, the true identify of this mysterious "wolfman" has remained a mystery. Digging deeply into the mythology of Werewolves, they uncover reported paranormal transformations, diseases that make men look and act like animals, strange but true stories of children raised by wolves, and the truth about wolfsbane and silver bullets. Their modern-day forensic investigation leads them to the horrific truth behind the Werewolf murders.
Sunday, November 1
6.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENT DISCOVERIES II | Ancient Death Machines
Military innovation is consistently at the cutting edge of technological advances. Almost all technology on the planet today owes its origins to inventions driven by one purpose...war. From apocalyptic skyscraper siege machines to ancient landmines and flamethrowers which had the potential to extinguish hundreds of lives in minutes, most of today's lethal weapons owe their origins to the inventors of the ancient world.
| CHANNEL GUIDE |
| A&E | The Arts and Entertainment Channel (cable) |
| DCIVU | Discovery Civilizations (U.S. Cable)* |
| DCIVC | Discovery Civilization (Canadian Cable) |
| DISCU | Discovery Channel (U.S. Cable) |
| DISCC | Discovery Channel (Canadian Cable) |
| DTC | Discovery Times Channel (U.S. Cable) |
| HBO | Home Box Office (cable) |
| HINT | History International (U.S. Cable) |
| HISTU | The History Channel (U.S. Cable) |
| HISTC | History Television (Canadian Cable) |
| NGU | National Geographic Channel (U.S. Cable)* |
| PBS | Public Broadcasting System (U.S. National Schedule) |
| PBSU | PBS You (U.S. National Schedule) |
| TLC | The Learning Channel (cable) |
| SCI | The Science Channel (U.S. Cable) |
*n.b. Canadian versions of these two channels have recently been made available although the Canadian versions don't seem to be making their schedules available yet. For what it's worth, the Canadian version does seem to 'match up' in regards to ancient programming most of the time.
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