How did an insignificant cluster of Latin hill villages on the edge of the civilised world become the greatest empire the world has known? In the fifth programme of the series, archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the phenomenon of the Roman Republic, from its fratricidal mythical beginnings, with the legend of Romulus and Remus, to the all too real violence of its end, dragged to destruction by war lords like Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar.

Alexander the Great united the Greek city-states and built the largest empire in history. Richard discovers that it was his successors who had to make sense of the legacy he left.

Richard Miles explores the power and the paradox of the Greek Thing; - a blossoming in art, philosophy and science that went hand in hand with political discord, social injustice and endless war. He paints a fascinating picture of the internal and external pressures that fuelled this unique political and social experiment, one that would pioneer many of the political systems that we still live with today, from oligarchy to tyranny, from totalitarianism to democracy.

Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles looks at the winners, losers and survivors of the great Bronze Age collapse, a regional catastrophe that wiped out the hard-won achievements of civilisation in the eastern Mediterranean about 3,000 years ago. In the new age of iron, civilisation would re-emerge, tempered in the flames of conflict, tougher and more resilient than ever before.

Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles explores the roots of one of the most profound innovations in the human story - civilisation - in the first episode of an epic series that runs from the creation of the first cities in Mesopotamia some 6,000 years ago, to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Starting in Uruk, the 'mother of all cities', in southern Iraq, Richard travels to Syria, Egypt, Anatolia and Greece, tracing the birth and development of technology and culture.

In a newly excavated tomb in the Valley of the Kings, a team from the University of Basel have found at least 30 bodies. But who are all these people? To solve this puzzle, the team must work with the fragments of evidence that remain, including dozens of broken pots. When these are reassembled they reveal the names of many of the occupants, including several royal princesses. The team turn to Professor Frank Ruehli, world-renowned physical anthropologist from Zurich University, to see what information he can glean from the broken mummies themselves. He soon establishes that there are not 30 bodies, but more than 90, and most of them are women from the time of Amenhotep III.

In 2011 a team from the University of Basel made two astonishing discoveries in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. By chance they came across a new tomb that was the first to contain a body since the discovery of Tutankhamun. Then they discovered that the tomb beside it, which had never been excavated before, held the bodies of around 50 people. But who were all the people in these two linked tombs? This film follows the archaeological detective story to uncover the answer. It pursues the trail that leads to one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs, Amenhotep III - and to the women he was close to. And the film also reveals the astonishing project behind the re-emergence nearby of the largest temple ever built in ancient Egypt - the lost mortuary temple of the same pharaoh, Amenhotep III.

This episode unlocks the secrets of one of the most sophisticated and mysterious civilisations the world has ever known.

An epic series that deciphers the life of Jesus through six extraordinary objects associated with his life and death. We discover fascinating new insights into the historical Jesus, utilising the latest state-of-the-art scientific techniques and archaeological research. We investigate the value and authenticity of six objects which could shed new light on Jesus - the Shroud of Turin, relics venerated as part of the True Cross, the Gospel of Judas, relics believed to be of John the Baptist, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the secret brother of Jesus. We are guided by breathtaking dramatic reconstruction and a first-class panel of on-screen contributors. We hear from representatives of the world's best universities including Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Oxford, as they provide historical and theological insight, while the likes of Fr James Martin SJ, Rev Paul Raushenbush and Erwin MacManus help bring our characters and their emotional journeys to life for our audience.

An epic series that deciphers the life of Jesus through six extraordinary objects associated with his life and death. We discover fascinating new insights into the historical Jesus, utilising the latest state-of-the-art scientific techniques and archaeological research. We investigate the value and authenticity of six objects which could shed new light on Jesus - the Shroud of Turin, relics venerated as part of the True Cross, the Gospel of Judas, relics believed to be of John the Baptist, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the secret brother of Jesus. We are guided by breathtaking dramatic reconstruction and a first-class panel of on-screen contributors. We hear from representatives of the world's best universities including Yale, Harvard, Princeton and Oxford, as they provide historical and theological insight, while the likes of Fr James Martin SJ, Rev Paul Raushenbush and Erwin MacManus help bring our characters and their emotional journeys to life for our audience.

This final episode charts how Egypt's enemies exploit a country weakened by internal strife, ultimately leading to its destruction.

The ancient city of Petra, a city carved from desert rock, has baffled experts for decades. Now, new technologies resurrect the city and reveal why the spectacular civilisation was suddenly abandoned.

Historian Bettany Hughes recalls the time that marked Rome's symbolic break with its 1000-year pagan past - the day in 337 AD that Emperor Constantine the Great was baptised a Christian. It was a moment of profound significance not just for the empire, but for the history of the world and one of its major religions. Constantine was one of the last great Roman emperors to rule over a united empire, giving it a new capital - Constantinople, today known as Istanbul - a city which would one day eclipse Rome as the greatest city on Earth.

Historian Bettany Hughes explores the day in AD 80 when the Colosseum opened its gates for the first time. For new emperor Titus, the spectacular games and events were an opportunity to win over the people and secure his place on the imperial throne, but why did the Romans - cultured and civilised in so many ways - enjoy witnessing such brutality and bloodletting? Bettany travels across the Roman world in a bid to find answers.

New evidence uncovers the ancient mysteries behind the iconic Colosseum. Archaeologists uncover the secret lives of the gladiators and make new discoveries that help explain the rise and sudden fall of the Roman Empire.

Examine the treasures of antiquity: the Great Pyramid, the Easter Island Heads, the Nefertiti Bust, Blackbeard's Ship, the Ark of the Covenant and the Spear of Destiny. Each object will be scrutinised by experts using a range of new techniques including state-of-the art forensics, which will unlock the mind-blowing truth for the first time ever. Filming with archaeologists, historians, scholars, and scientists, no stone is left unturned in search of answers. In this series, explore the history and possible implications of exposing the fascinating truth about each treasure. The extraordinary story behind one of the most famous images from the ancient world. Who was Queen Nefertiti? Who made the blue-crowned bust which turned her into a modern icon? Could the Nefertiti bust be a fake?

The Terracotta Army is one of China's greatest treasures, but there are still dark secrets surrounding this super-tomb. Newly discovered artefacts reveal the soldiers' supernatural enemy, and human remains point to ancient China's violent origins.

Historian Bettany Hughes focuses on events leading up to and after June 9, 68 AD, when Emperor Nero took his life. She examines his relationship with his mother, fondness for debauchery and how casual violence and murder began to destabilise what had once been touted as a new 'golden age' for Rome. Nero's death plunged the empire into anarchy and civil war. From here on in, the Roman Empire would be plagued by military coups and revolt, one of the crucial factors in its eventual decline.

The 15th-century city of Machu Picchu is one of the greatest mysteries in archaeology. Scientists do not know why this city in the clouds was built, but investigations into secret Inca codes and deformed skeletons might finally reveal its ultimate mystery.

Examine the treasures of antiquity: the Great Pyramid, the Easter Island Heads, the Nefertiti Bust, Blackbeard's ship, the Ark of the Covenant and the Spear of Destiny. Each object will be scrutinised by experts using a range of new techniques, including state-of-the art forensics, which will unlock the mind-blowing truth for the first time ever. Filming with archaeologists, historians, scholars, and scientists, no stone is left unturned in search of answers. In this series, explore the history and possible implications of exposing the fascinating truth about each treasure.

Historian Bettany Hughes focuses on the day when Roman troops earned the undying hatred of a fierce and fearless queen who led a revolt that came perilously close to ending the Roman occupation of Britannia. Around 60 AD, troops invaded Boudica's settlement, flogged her and raped her daughters. The outrage provoked the Iceni queen to lead a revolt that came perilously close to ending the Roman occupation of Britannia.

Armed with a 4500-year-old diary, and a radical new approach, engineer Peter James and leading archaeologist Mark Lehner set out to solve Ancient Egypt's greatest mystery. How was the Great Pyramid built? Examine the treasures of antiquity: the Great Pyramid, the Easter Island Heads, the Nefertiti Bust, Blackbeard's ship, the Ark of the Covenant and the Spear of Destiny. Each object will be scrutinised by experts using a range of new techniques, including state-of-the art forensics, which will unlock the mind-blowing truth for the first time ever. Filming with archaeologists, historians, scholars, and scientists, no stone is left unturned in search of answers. In this series, explore the history and possible implications of exposing the fascinating truth about each treasure.

The Taj Mahal is one of the world's most beautiful monuments, but new investigations reveal its dark secrets. Scientists are uncovering codes that tell a shocking story of power and betrayal, challenging everything we thought we knew about the Taj Mahal.

Historian Bettany Hughes focuses on the day in 32 BC when Octavian stole the secret will of his most dangerous political rival, Mark Antony. It is a moment that casts a light on what it took to win in Roman politics, as the cunning, brilliant subterfuge required paved Octavian's path to power by undermining Antony's popularity and giving Octavian the crucial support of Rome's Senate and people in the civil war that followed.

Stonehenge is the ancient world's greatest wonder and biggest mystery. Now, new discoveries are revealing its deepest and darkest secrets, showing how ancient magic, bizarre rituals, and brutal murder built this strange monument.

Nat Geo explorer Albert Lin takes viewers into the tomb of China's first emperor and unearths the terrible secrets that lie hidden with the Terracotta Warriors. Will the glittering and grim treasures that we are about to uncover rewrite history?

Historian Bettany Hughes looks at the day in 49 BC that Julius Caesar led his army across the River Rubicon. By doing so he ignored the orders of the Roman Senate, and effectively declared war on his rivals in Rome. In time, it would prove a fatal blow to the republic - the system of elected officials that had governed for nearly half a millennium. Hughes analyses Caesar's character and reveals how new theories about his health shed light on his decision-making, while archaeological finds recently dredged from a Dutch river reveal the true genocidal horror of his conquest of Gaul.

Executive produced by James Cameron this is a detective thriller following clues left behind in photographs, manuscripts and artefacts all over the world in an attempt to discover the true resting place of the lost city of Atlantis.

A castle in Scotland could be the home of King Arthur's legendary Round Table. Scientists have made a gruesome discovery at this mysterious site: a disfigured skeleton that could reveal the castle's bloody secrets and rewrite the history books.

Historian Bettany Hughes looks at the day in 73 BC that Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator fighting for the entertainment of the Romans, broke out of gladiator school and started a slave revolt. The republic's rulers were so panicked by the protest that they offered unprecedented power to a single, ambitious individual - Crassus - who promised victory in what would prove a dark foreshadowing of Rome's slide into dictatorship.