The eminent art historian Lord Clark was commissioned to write and present an epic examination of Western European culture, defining what he considered to be the crucial phases of its development. From the fall of the Roman Empire to the Industrial Revolution and beyond, Clark’s compelling narrative is accompanied by breathtaking color photography of Europe’s greatest landmarks.
The discovery of bones, tools and artefacts at two archaeological siteson Africa's southern coast have helped scientists to calculate that people indistinguishable from the modern human species (homo sapiens) first appeared in Africa about 150,000 years ago. This programme explains why these early African beach-dwellers left their homeland to colonise other continents.
Mary Magdalene's story is largely left out of the Bible, but several lost gospels paint a controversial new picture of this mysterious woman, placing her at the center of the formation of a new faith. Ancient artefacts that defy rational explanation come under the microscope, as this series explores the unsolved mysteries of the past.
Each year millions of people's lives are improved by the use of tissue from the dead. Bodies are used to supply spare parts, and for surgeons to practice on. Horizon investigates the medical revolution that has created an almost insatiable demand for body parts and uncovers the growing industry and grisly black market that supplies human bodies for a price.
The discovery during the eighties of a skeleton that was nick named Nariokotome Boy confirmed that "ape-man" lived about one-and-a-half million years ago in a body that was practically human, yet with a tiny brain and the nature of a wild animal. This episode looks at how the notion of a "missing link" moved from theory to fact.
To their friends and family, they are distinct people with very different personalities, needs, tastes and desires. But to the outside world they are a medical mystery – particularly given the fact that they can do virtually all the same things as their friends, including playing the piano, riding a bike, swimming and playing softball. "Their personalities make them inspirational,” says their mother Patty.
Who were our ancestors? When did they first walk the earth? Why didman survive when other species became extinct? These questions have inspired scientists throughout the ages to piece together the fragmentary clues the early humans left behind.
Around 8,000 years ago, the little known fishing communities of the Chinchorro began mummifying their dead in a sophisticated process that belies their otherwise primitive ways. Without the signature elaborate pottery, jewelry or textiles so common in the grander Inca, Mayan and Toltec civilizations, these humble folk desiccated their deceased relatives in an elaborate process before burial in family "plots”.
The discovery of 80 skeletons at a York archeological dig. Of the 80 skeletons the majority: large, powerfully built men dating from Roman times, were found at a dig in Driffield Terrace, Holgate. This fascinating discovery gives real insight into the world of archeology.
The world is affected by an obesity epidemic, but why is it that not everyone is succumbing? Medical science has been obsessed with this subject and is coming up with some unexpected answers. As it turns out, it is not all about exercise and diet. At the center of this program is a controversial overeating experiment that aims to identify exactly what it is about some people that makes it hard for them to bulk up.
