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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, February 8
4.00 p.m. | SCI | MythBusters: Ancient Death Ray
Jamie and Adam reflect on one of the world's oldest urban legends -- did the Greek scientist Archimedes set fire to a Roman fleet using only mirrors and sunlight? And moving to more modern times, have you ever tried to remove the fetid funk of a skunk?
6.00 p.m. | HINT | History's Mysteries-The Roman Emperors
When the power of Rome was concentrated into the hands of supreme rulers, the empire began to corrode as the emperors led lives of increasing depravity. We'll visit their mansions to get an inside look at the splendor--and squalor--in which they lived, and insight into their sometimes inexplicable acts.
9.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
9.00 p.m. | HISTC | LOST WORLDS II | Herod the Great
Herod, king of Judea, was famous for creating a series of great buildings, and laying the foundations for Jerusalem. Watch as Herod's impressive projects are charted, including his masterpiece, Herod's Temple. Follow a team of historical detectives who use evidence from recent excavations, scientific studies and historical documents to piece together clues to what ancient locations looked like. They are brought to life by computer graphics which allow viewers to fly over, enter the streets, walk through the halls and peer into these vanished worlds.
10.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
Tuesday, February 9
3.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
4.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
6.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENTS BEHAVING BADLY | Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was a tremendous military strategist. He conquered much of the then known world by the tender age of 31. But he was immensely badly behaved. He was a serious drunk. In fact, he seldom made a military decision sober, and was known to go into drunken rages, in one killing his best friend. He was brutal in his military approach - responsible for the death of over thirty million people. In the later years of his campaign he saw himself as a god and alienated most of his commanders.
7.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENT DISCOVERIES | Machines Of the Gods
At Olympia in Greece in the 5th century, a colossal statue of the God Zeus stood in its temple. Reaching an incredible height of 14 meters it was an awe inspiring sight. Its function was to show that the Gods were an elemental force which had to be obeyed. It would later be labelled as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
8.00 p.m. | HISTC | CITIES OF THE UNDERWORLD I | Freemason's Underground
Boston and Philadelphia are renowned for their part in America's revolutionary saga, but these cities harbor an unseen connection...the Freemasons. From the whispers of hidden tunnels and tombs beneath Boston's North End, to the incredible waterworld still intact under Philadelphia, the legendary secret society has left behind the blueprints to America's rise. And their enigmatic influence stretches from the Revolutionary Battles of Fort Mifflin to the secret struggles of the Underground Railroad. Host Don Wildman receives exclusive access to newly discovered sites and clues, and delves into a part of America's past that can only be revealed in the underworld. We're peeling back the layers of time on Cities of the Underworld: The Freemason Underground.
8.00 p.m. | NG | Secrets of the Freemasons
9.00 p.m. | NG | The Real George Washington
10.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENTS BEHAVING BADLY | Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was a tremendous military strategist. He conquered much of the then known world by the tender age of 31. But he was immensely badly behaved. He was a serious drunk. In fact, he seldom made a military decision sober, and was known to go into drunken rages, in one killing his best friend. He was brutal in his military approach - responsible for the death of over thirty million people. In the later years of his campaign he saw himself as a god and alienated most of his commanders.
Wednesday, February 10
11.00 p.m. | HISTU | What The Ancients Knew: The Egyptians
Explore the Roman Empire, Chinese Dynasties and the early Egyptians, and journey into the technological past that shaped our world. Travel back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions.
Thursday, February 11
4.00 p.m. | HISTU | Battlefield Detectives: The Civil War: Gettysburg
July 1-3, 1863: Over three hot days, Union and Confederate forces clashed in and around a small Pennsylvania town. When the Battle of Gettysburg ended, the two exhausted sides had inflicted more than 50,000 casualties upon one another--the largest battle ever fought on American soil. The third day is considered the Confederacy's "high-water mark"--when General Robert E. Lee lost the decisive battle of the Civil War. But scientific battlefield evidence now suggests that by the time the artillery began firing that day, the Confederate fight was already doomed. And when Pickett's Charge--the famous full frontal attack against Union lines--got underway, the battle effectively was over. Experts in physics, geology, crowd control, and cartography join forces with military historians to better understand this epic battle.
5.00 p.m. | HISTU | Battlefield Detectives: The Civil War: Antietam
General Robert E. Lee's first invasion into the North ended in the Battle of Antietam--the bloodiest single day in the Civil War--and in all US history. Just 12 hours of fighting resulted in nearly 23,000 casualties. On September 17, 1862, two determined armies gathered near Sharpsburg, a quiet backwater near Antietam Creek in western Maryland. Union forces were desperate to repel the South's invasion of their territory. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, its back to the Potomac River, was fighting for its very existence. Much was at stake. But just why was Antietam such a terrible killing field? Now the latest forensic techniques are shedding new light on the question. Experts from the fields of archaeology, geology, weapons technology, and pathology investigate this uniquely horrific moment in American history.
8.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENT DISCOVERIES III | Ancient Torture Techniques
The rack. New investigations re-write History by revealing that the rack actually ripped bone apart, not joints as was previously thought. The whip was used extensively by the Romans, famously against Jesus. But there was a lot more biology and materials science involved than purely hitting someone. The pear of anguish was inserted into a person's body cavity and then a screw twisted that caused it to expand ripping the cavity apart. We discover how this might have worked and what damage could have been done. Hundreds of people were burnt at the stake by the Spanish Inquisition. But what actually killed them? Flame, smoke or heat? We answer this question.
Friday, February 12
4.00 p.m. | HISTU | Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the first "common-man" President. Orphaned at 14, he became a lawyer with no formal education, an Army General with no military experience and President without being rich. Jackson survived the nation's first Presidential assassination attempt, defeated the British in the battle of New Orleans and passed the controversial Indian Removal Act which resulted in the death of nearly 10,000 Native Americans. His portrait on the $20 bill conveys an image of passion, strength and confidence, but most historians will admit that he was often a "cruel" man.
7.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENTS BEHAVING BADLY | Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was a tremendous military strategist. He conquered much of the then known world by the tender age of 31. But he was immensely badly behaved. He was a serious drunk. In fact, he seldom made a military decision sober, and was known to go into drunken rages, in one killing his best friend. He was brutal in his military approach - responsible for the death of over thirty million people. In the later years of his campaign he saw himself as a god and alienated most of his commanders.
8.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
9.00 p.m. | DCIVC | What The Ancients Knew II: The Japanese
10.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Egypt's New Tomb Revealed
A new tomb is found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, with 28 jars and 7 coffins; what lies sealed inside the jars?; are there mummies in the coffins, and if so, are they tied to King Tut's tomb?; the answer may change history.
Saturday, February 13
8.00 p.m. | HISTC | CITIES OF THE UNDERWORLD I | Naples - Beneath Vesuvius
Naples, Italy narrowly escaped meeting the same fate as its neighboring city, Pompeii in 79 AD when Mount Vesuvius wiped out everything around it. The wind saved Naples that day, but life in the shadow of this massive volcano is unlike any other - and so is its underground. For centuries, Neapolitans have carved out their underground, creating a parallel world where their secrets are safe. Entire neighborhoods line the underworld, time capsules of ancient life - with banks, bakeries and homes preserved below. From repelling into an ancient Greek cavern to uncovering Nero's famous stage underneath a modern apartment, Don Wildman steps back almost 2000 years to discover the world hidden beneath this volcano. We're peeling back the layers of time on Cities of the Underworld: Beneath Vesuvius.
Sunday, February 14
4.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
5.00 p.m. | DCIVC | Bone Detectives: Violence Along The Nile
Scotty travels to a remote village along the Nile, where an ancient fortress once stood; archaeologists have unearthed several mummies that seem to have been buried at the same time.
7.00 p.m. | HISTC | ANCIENT DISCOVERIES III | Ancient Torture Techniques
The rack. New investigations re-write History by revealing that the rack actually ripped bone apart, not joints as was previously thought. The whip was used extensively by the Romans, famously against Jesus. But there was a lot more biology and materials science involved than purely hitting someone. The pear of anguish was inserted into a person's body cavity and then a screw twisted that caused it to expand ripping the cavity apart. We discover how this might have worked and what damage could have been done. Hundreds of people were burnt at the stake by the Spanish Inquisition. But what actually killed them? Flame, smoke or heat? We answer this question.
8.00 p.m. | DCIVC | What The Ancients Knew: The Romans
Explore the Roman Empire, Chinese Dynasties and the early Egyptians, and journey into the technological past that shaped our world. Travel back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions.
9.00 p.m. | DCIVC | What The Ancients Knew: The Chinese
Explore the Roman Empire, Chinese Dynasties and the early Egyptians, and journey into the technological past that shaped our world. Travel back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions.
10.00 p.m. | DCIVC | What The Ancients Knew: The Egyptians
Explore the Roman Empire, Chinese Dynasties and the early Egyptians, and journey into the technological past that shaped our world. Travel back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions.
| 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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