Season 23

2025 · 8 episodes · 6h 27m in all · 7.5/10

1. Picturing Shakespeare
12 Nov 2025 · 55 min
There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered “official” – but could a portrait that has been hanging over a family’s mantelpiece for the last 50 years be the third? British window washer Steven Wadlow, whose father bought the portrait in the 1960s, is on the hunt to prove the painting is indeed genuine. If so, it could be worth as much as $200 million.
2. Queens of Combat
28 Jan 2026 · 55 min
What if women were hidden among the ranks of Ancient Rome’s fearsome gladiators? A group of experts searches for evidence to prove women once fought in the arena just like men. Combining history, archaeology, and forensic investigation, journey across Europe in a quest for answers. If a female gladiator's existence can be proven definitively, what can we learn about their lives?
3. The Quest for Camelot
4 Feb 2026 · 55 min
Can the stories about King Arthur be proven true? Was the legendary court of Camelot a real place? Join Prof. Mark Horton on his journey across Britain to prove real events and places inspired the chivalric myths. Horton scours medieval texts and archaeological sites for a new understanding of the Arthurian legends and what Britain was like after the Romans left in the fifth century.
4. China's Bronze Kingdom
27 May 2026 · 55 min
A mysterious ancient city lies hidden in the mountains of Sichuan—remnants of a kingdom consigned to oblivion for thousands of years, until the chance discovery of a jade artifact in 1986. More than 10,000 unusual items have been found at the site which experts believe may be as archaeologically important as the Terracotta Army of Xi'an. Could this be the capital of the ancient Shu kingdom?
5. Africa's Golden City
14 Oct 2026 · 56 min
Great Zimbabwe was one of the most prominent ancient civilizations of the African continent. Built between the 11th and 15th centuries by ancestors of today’s Shona people, it was the thriving capital of a massive trading empire — but for hundreds of years was dismissed by European explorers. Now, new archaeological discoveries are revealing the true scope of the ancient city's global importance.
6. Raising Lady Liberty
21 Oct 2026 · 55 min
She has stood at the entrance to the New York City harbor for nearly 150 years, welcoming millions who have come to start new lives. The Statue of Liberty is an enduring symbol of freedom and a metaphor for the American dream. With unseen documents and new sources, witness the story of how France and the United States came together to produce one of history's greatest monuments.
7. Saving Tangier Island
4 Nov 2026 · 56 min
Scientists race to save the historic island on the Chesapeake Bay from rising sea levels.
8
8. Finding America's Fallen
11 Nov 2026