Step into a time when the boundary between life and death was guided by magic, faith, and the written word. This documentary unearths an extraordinary artifact dating back to about 1880 BCE—a scroll known as potentially the oldest document in human history, lost for centuries and rediscovered in 1887. Through expert interviews, archeological evidence, and stunning visuals, viewers are taken on a journey across ancient Egypt: exploring how this manuscript shaped funerary beliefs, mortuary rituals, and the very concept of the afterlife. Witness the power of this papyrus as it reveals secrets of gods and judgment, spells to navigate dangerous gates, and the yearning for immortality. For anyone fascinated by history, spirituality, or mysteries from the distant past, this film brings alive a document that influenced civilization itself.
The Queen of Sheba - an exotic and mysterious woman of power - is immortalised in the world's great religious works, among them the Hebrew Bible and the Muslim Koran. She also appears in Turkish and Persian painting, in Kabbalistic treatises, and in medieval Christian mystical works, where she is viewed as the embodiment of Divine Wisdom and a foreteller of the cult of the Holy Cross. In Africa and Arabia her tale is still told to this day and, indeed, her tale has been told and retold in many lands for nearly 3,000 years.
For centuries, man has yearned for an earthly paradise, and no place better encapsulates this desire than Shangri-La - but was it ever real? The tale of an earthly paradise is among the most enduring myths in the world. From Sumerian epic to the 'islands of the blest' in Celtic literature, it has been a recurring theme through many bodies of literature and for thousands of years. Not surprisingly, then, modern people have also been drawn to the dream of a lost paradise where the ravages of time and history have been held back, where human beings live in harmony with nature, and where the wisdom of the planet is saved for future generations. In other words, to a Shangri-La.
The fantastical tale of King Arthur, the hero warrior, is one of the great themes of British literature. But was it just invented to restore British pride after the Norman invasion? Michael Wood puts the king in the spotlight.
A major new series exploring the wildlife of South America. This is a breathtaking aerial journey through the most spectacular locations on the continent, from the icy peaks of the Andes to the Amazon jungle and the Atacama desert. These extreme conditions are home to a mind-boggling variety of creatures, many of them rarely seen before on television.
A look at the unique habitat which is formed every year when the Amazon floods an area of forest the size of England. It creates a world that is home to turtles, caiman and giant otters, and where fish fly through the air and dolphins hunt amongst the tree tops.
Witness the power of this papyrus as it reveals secrets of gods and judgment, spells to navigate dangerous gates, and the yearning for immortality. For anyone fascinated by history, spirituality, or mysteries from the distant past, this film brings alive a document that influenced civilization itself.