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Secrets of the Dead

Rediscovering Assyrian Artifacts in War-Torn Iraq

Season 21 Episode 4 | 2m 20s

More than 2,500 years ago, the Assyrians in Nineveh built the first great empire in human history. Excelling in science, engineering and warfare, they were the beginnings of modern civilization. But Daesh occupied the Iraqi city of Mosul for three years and destroyed many ancient Assyrian treasures. Can archaeologists unearth new discoveries among the wreckage?

SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Extras
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Secrets of the Dead
Ascending the Summit of Mt. Phu Kao
An archaeological team recreates the ascent that Khmer kings would have made up the holy mountain.
Clip: S22 E4 | 2:08
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Secrets of the Dead
Signs of Human Habitation in Kurukshetra
Archaeologists dig through layers of earth in search of evidence of pre-Angkorian habitation.
Clip: S22 E4 | 2:11
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Cymbal Found at Ancient Khmer Temple Site
Archaeologists find a small cymbal dating back to the 7th century.
Clip: S22 E3 | 1:30
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A Gruesome Discovery in Rural Poland
In 2022, a team of archaeologists unearthed a strange burial in the Polish village of Pień.
Clip: S22 E2 | 2:50
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Secrets of the Dead
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A forensic artist reconstructs the face of a woman buried as a vampire in 17-century Poland.
Clip: S22 E2 | 1:44
Watch • 2:48
Secrets of the Dead
Radar Technologies Aid in Search for Civil War Burial Site
A team searches for the remains of the soldiers slain in the Simpsonville Massacre.
Clip: S22 E1 | 2:48
Watch • 2:17
Secrets of the Dead
Remembering the Fallen Soldiers of the Simpsonville Massacre
The search for the remains of 5th U.S. Colored Cavalry in Kentucky begins.
Clip: S22 E1 | 2:17
Watch • 2:53
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Researcher Valeria Piano discovers long-lost history of Rome written by Seneca the Elder.
Clip: S21 E6 | 2:53
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Clip: S21 E6 | 3:34
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Clip: S21 E5 | 2:25
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