Teotihuacán home of the Mexican Pyramids, the great Avenue of the Dead and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent it is a two thousand-year old urban wonder. Claimed by Aztecs as the City of the Gods, it was not until the turn of this century that archaeologists realized that the eight mile square city was not Aztec at all, but built by a much earlier civilization. Planned and mapped out according to the stars and built over a series of sacred caves, at its height, Teotihuacán was the seventh largest city of the ancient world. Its power and influence was felt throughout Mexico and as far away as the western jungles of the Mayan Empire. Despite its advanced civilization, however, Teotihuacán remains wrapped in silence; the Teotihuacános never developed a writing system they left neither stories nor statues behind. We know little of who they really were. Who were their kings, their priests? Why did they build the pyramids? Did they, like their Maya neighbors, practice human sacrifice? This program explores the recent excavations made by on-site archaeologists as they look for clues hidden in the city's sacred caves and in the abstract images of its many murals clues that will someday reveal the secrets and stories of this once mighty empire.
Ramses II was perhaps the greatest pharaoh to rule ancient Egypt. His reign lasted 67 years--it was one of the longest in Egyptian history. As king of one of the most powerful civilizations in the world--he possessed endless energy and a determination to insure his name and his civilization would stand immortal. He was seemingly a true patron of family life. He had at least half-a-dozen principal wives--the most notable being Nefertari. He has also been credited for having sired over 100 chil... Continue reading...
This episode takes viewers on an archaeological expedition to modern-day Turkey and the site of the legendary fallen city of Troy. Scholars examine evidence and discuss their recent discoveries about the Trojan War, shedding new light on the legends of the Trojan Horse, Achilles, the abduction of Helen of Troy, and on the renowned Greek poet Homer, who told the story of Troy in his celebrated work the Iliad.
A man thinks he knows the location of the biblical ark. 3000 years ago in the holy city of Jerusalem King Solomon ordered the construction of a magnificent temple. It's purpose was to house one of the holiest objects of the old testament faith. A golden chest known as the ark of the covenant and the stones upon which the 10 commandments were reportedly engraved. According to the Bible these stones had unimaginable supernatural powers. For centuries the stones lay safe inside Solomon's temple,... Continue reading...
Using the latest forensic technology, investigators re-examine evidence that could possibly lay to rest the identity of the infamous Zodiac Killer, whose murder spree terrorized the residents and baffled the police in the San Francisco Bay Area of the 1960s.
The Amityville Horror was perhaps history's most famous haunting. Nearly every known form of paranormal activity was experienced in this Long Island home. Could the spirit have returned? There are eerily similar phenomena occurring in a new location. MysteryQuest investigates using new technology built specifically for their investigation as they try to prove that these demonic spirits not only exist but that they've taken over. [http://www.history.com/shows/mysteryquest/episodes]
To this day no one knows the true purpose of Stonehenge, the ancient monument in the British countryside. There are many theories: a shrine celebrating a god; an ancient solar calendar; or maybe a sacrificial altar for an unknown pagan religion. MysteryQuest travels to the ancient ruin with a new theory--that ancient people may have used the sound reverberations inside this circle to induce a trance-like state among participants in ancient rituals. Were there bizarre rituals, even sacrifices,... Continue reading...
In one of the earliest documented serial murder cases, five prostitutes in the Whitechapel district of London were found brutally murdered with throats slashed and bodies mutilated. All the deaths were attributed to one man: Jack the Ripper. Never solved, the accepted theory is that the killer was a local madman. Now, 120 years later new evidence indicates two surprising new theories: the killer might have been a woman, or the killer was not English, but American. MysteryQuest's team of exper... Continue reading...
This island in the middle of San Francisco Bay has a forbidding reputation. Native Americans believed it to be a place of evil spirits. When it became a federal prison in 1934, only the most violent and difficult prisoners in the U.S. were sent there. It was reputed to be escape proof; only three men have ever managed to get off the island. They left in 1962 and have never been found. MysteryQuest investigates to determine whether they could have survived the icy waters of San Francisco Bay. ... Continue reading...