Arkeo

In the Dampier archipelago, Australia, archaeologists are deciphering one of the greatest books ever written. A million motifs carved in the rocks by the aborigines in the passing of time, are now threatened by industrialisation that is gradually eroding this territory. Archaeologists have been working to urgently decipher this great book of stone.

In southern Italy, an archaeologist and a chemist are joining forces to achieve the impossible. They are bringing back to life the perfumes of Antiquity. In the Mediterranean region, fragrance permeated every stage of life and guaranteed. Today, thanks to scientific advances and the alliance of archeology and chemistry, it is now possible to rediscover these forgotten fragrances.

Nestled in the Iranian highlands, lies the cradle of the Persian Empire. Persians built the city of Persepolis, an architectural masterpiece. The site was mainly known for its imposing royal terrace, used by Persian Kings a few months during the year. Recent discoveries are nevertheless shedding new light on Persepolis. It appears to have been one of the most opulent cities of the ancient world.

In Serra da Capivara, a national park in the Northeast Region of Brazil, a Franco-Brazilian team found traces of the very first Americans... In this renowned prehistoric site, archaeologist Eric Boëda has discovered man-made tools fashioned out of quartz pebbles, and dated between 22,000 and 25,000 years BC...

What if the veil was finally lifted on one of the greatest enigmas in the history of mankind, namely the disappearance of the Rapa Nui, the inhabitants of the mysterious Easter Island lost in the Pacific? It was long thought that the people had decimated themselves to the point of extinction a few centuries ago. Yet the findings of Nicolas Cauwe tell a different story...

A small town lost in the Ethiopian mountains, Lalibela, has attracted tens of thousands of Orthodox pilgrims every year for the past 800 years. They come to visit one of the 12 rock-hewn churches, listed as world heritage by UNESCO. Until now, the origins of these monolithic churches were shrouded in legend.

In Zimbabwe, at the heart of the Zambezi plateau, African archaeologists are attempting to shed light on the history of Great Zimbabwe, one of the most fascinating sites in Africa. According to late-nineteenth century explorers, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe could not possibly have been built by native African people. Local archaeologists have been trying to reclaim the history of their land...

In the Hijaz desert, in the north-west of Saudi Arabia, lies a mysterious ancient city called Hegra. These vestiges are the signature of a legendary people called the Nabataeans. This lost necropolis had fallen into oblivion until UNESCO listed the site as World Heritage in 2008. A team of Franco-Saudi archaeologists are now shedding light on these forgotten pre-Islamic vestiges.

In Ichijôdani, Japan, deep beneath the rice fields, archaeologists have excavated a medieval town abandoned 400 years earlier. In fact, they discovered an entire city as it was during the 16th century, with its streets, houses, and palaces. This discovery is the equivalent of a time capsule, representing a great source of knowledge about certain traditions still practiced in Japan today...

The Maya were one of the most knowledgeable pre-Columbian peoples of Central America. Their civilization flourished in the forests of Guatemala and Chiapas, before the arrival of the conquistadors in the sixteenth century. According to the recent findings of a team of archaeologists in Guatemala, astronomy was more than science for the Maya. In fact, it was a political propaganda tool!

In Peru, an Inca city buried under the desert sands has intrigued archaeologists for almost a hundred years. This ancient city is known as "Pachacamac". Archaeologist Peter Eeckhout has been excavating this site for over twenty years. Yet in the fifteenth century, the Inca city was deserted. Today, Peter Eeckhout has finally discovered the reason for this strange desertion...

In Italy's capital city, archaeologists of the École Française de Rome have discovered an exceptional building that had been sought for centuries... On the terraces of the Palatine Hill, they have uncovered an extravagant and astonishing piece of architecture dating back to the time of Nero: a revolving dining room, constantly rotating day and night!

On the borders of Scotland, in the Orkney Islands, archaeologists have been digging for nearly 13 years the remains of a mysterious set of very large buildings surrounded by a massive stone wall erected during the late Neolithic. What does this place - nowadays known as the "Ness of Brodgar" - reveal about the beliefs of civilizations which populated the United Kingdom 3000 years BCE?

The "El Argar" civilization ruled over all of southern Spain between 2200 and 1550 BCE, until it suddenly disappeared. Spanish archaeologists have nevertheless found traces of the Argaric culture a few kilometres from the city of Murcia. They have just recently uncovered a remarkable edifice, an ancient palatial construction, which makes up the oldest political precincts in Europe.

In the mountains of Cambodia, 50 km from Angkor and its famous temples, archaeologist Jean-Baptiste Chevance tirelessly excavates the remains of Mahendraparvata, another vast ancient Khmer city. Thanks to Chevance's work, this ancient capital hidden beneath jungle is gradually revealing its secrets. Founded in the 9th century, it is thought to be the first capital of the Khmer Empire.

The craziest theories have attempted to explain the famous Nasca lines. Astronomical calendar, divine frescoes, extra-terrestrial signals... Since 1997, German archaeologist Markus Reindel has been trying to bring science back at the forefront of this search for meaning. After almost 20 years of research, his theory now seems to win unanimous support among scientists.

Yakutia extends beneath the polar circle to the east of Siberia. This land is home to a unique people whose origins were completely unknown until the recent discoveries of a team of archaeologists and geneticists. Yakuts are basically divided into two groups, which despite having their own language and culture, have lived together in this region for centuries.

In the heart of the Andes, Peru and Bolivia share one of the most sacred places in Latin America: Lake Titicaca. This immense water mirror, roughly the size of Corsica, was considered a sacred site by the Incas. In the 15th century, they made it the cradle of their civilisation, the sun's place of birth. And yet, beneath the lake's waters, lies a different story.

Has the legendary city of Troy described by Homer in the Iliad ever existed? For centuries, the question has sparked much controversy. And if the answer is positive, did the Trojan War really take place? Today, modern archaeological techniques finally provide answers and give voice to the remains unearthed at the Hissarlik site in Turkey.

One of the driest deserts in the world lies at the foot of the Andes. 1,500 years ago, the Mochica culture, flourished in this environment. Between the 2nd and 8th century AD, they tamed the desert, and built huge adobe pyramids called "huacas". According to Santiago Uceda, the Moche actually rebelled against the theocracy that administered them, using ritual sacrifice as a political weapon.

For nearly 400 years, in north-eastern Colombia, one of the largest pre-Columbian cities remained unnoticed, submerged in the rainforest. Known for its gold, "cuidad perdida" - the lost city - remained a mystery until a team of Colombian archaeologists rediscovered it in the late 1970s. Beyond the gold, the researchers shed light on the capital city of an entire people, the Tairona.

The Minoan civilization flourished in Crete and demonstrated a high level of craftsmanship. A labyrinth sheltering a minotaur, royal palaces housing a tyrannical king... For a long time, the Greek myths served as the sole explanation for the architecture. Thanks to meticulous archaeological excavations, archaeologists have developed new ways to decipher the architecture of these buildings.

The Vikings were capable sailors who colonized a number of islands such as England, Ireland, and further north, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Greenland was long thought to be the only territory to have resisted the Vikings. They failed to establish settlements, due to their inability to adapt to the extreme climates. Yet the recent discoveries of a team tells a completely different story.

Mexico City, with a population of 22 million, it is North America's second largest urban agglomeration after New York City... In fact, according to a team of archaeologists, this urban lifestyle takes its roots in Mexico. They claim that tens of thousands of migrants from all over Mesoamerica populated the ancient city of Teotihuacan, America's oldest metropolis.

Stonehenge is one of the world's most famous and most enigmatic prehistoric monuments. Dozens of huge standing stones were erected here during the Neolithic period, around 2900 BC... Who were the men and women who erected such a monument? And why did they do it? These questions have long remained unanswered until recently.