Lost Kingdoms Of Africa (Season 1)

Nubia in what is now northern Sudan dominated a vast area of the eastern Sahara for thousands of years. Its people were described as barbarians and mercenaries and yet Nubia has left us with some of the most spectacular monuments in the world.

When Emperor Haille Selassie was deposed by the Ethiopian military in 1974 an ancient kingdom came to an end. According to tradition the imperial dynasty stretched back unbroken to 950BC and its origins had links to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

In 1871 European explorers stumbled across an astonishing ruined city deep in the African interior. Great Zimbabwe has been a source of fascination and controversy ever since: a symbol of African genius and a fascinating insight into the empires which once dominated southern Africa.

In museums all over the world lie artifacts from Africa. Many were taken during the period of European colonial expansion in the late nineteenth century. Few were properly interpreted and their true significance was unknown for decades.