Myth Hunters

Frederick Bligh Bond had to prove that the legendary King Arthur had existed. His findings amazed the Church but they subsequently closed the excavation down. 30 years later Radford, excavating under the Abbey, found himself staring into a gigantic grave. Had he found the king's final resting place?

Dick Holmes' son set off into the Superstition Mountains and never returned. An expedition was mounted to find him. Weeks later his body was discovered, crumpled in a gully. It had two bullets in the head. What had happened and had he found the mine?

It is one of the most powerful myths ever created. The Garden of Eden is the very definition of paradise: But did it exist? Professor Juris Zanis thinks he knows where Eden was and why it disappeared. Now he has to confirm the stories using the latest land satellite technology.

Mel Fisher fell in love with diving for treasure. He became obsessed with the lost Spanish Galleon "Our Lady of Atocha". When it sank off the Florida coast it was loaded with fabulous treasure looted from the New World. For 16 years he found nothing, until July 20th, 1985.

Ivan the Terrible's lost library had the rarest of jewel encrusted books from all parts of the globe, and became an obsession of the archaeologist, Ignatius Stelletski. Its discovery would elevate him into the pantheon of history and acquire wealth beyond his wildest dreams.

Faced with annihilation by Spanish conquistadors, Montezuma ordered the hiding of his fabled treasure. In 1914, Freddie Crystal walked into Kanab, Utah, with a treasure map, claiming it revealed the hiding place. But was the treasure protected by an army of Aztec warriors and the curse of Montezuma?

Dr Philippe Charlier faced his biggest challenge yet: to uncover the truth behind the remains of France's most famous daughter - Joan of Arc. She beat the English at Orleans but her subsequent trial ended in her being burnt at the stake. Charlier put the fragments through a full forensic analysis.

Greek Mythology tells of the Labyrinth, an elaborate maze built by Daealus for King Minos of Crete. It was to hold the Minotaur, a mythical creature, half man and half bull. But was the Labyrinth the stuff of legend - or did it really exist?

South African President Paul Kruger ordered his gold bullion to be shipped out. In charge of the bullion was Fritz Duquesne. On the way, he buried the treasure near Ermelo, where he intended to reclaim it. But Duquesne was captured and deported. The legend of Kruger's millions was born.

Ernst Schaefer received a summons from Heinrich Himmler who was convinced that Tibet contained the remnants of a lost race - the people of Atlantis, to prove that Germans were their direct descendants. What followed was a tale of madness, lost integrity - and, amazingly, all was captured on film.

It's one of the most romantic images ever photographed: Sophia, wife of the adventurer Heinrich Schliemann, wearing fabulous bronze-age jewels. He had been on a quest to prove the tales of Helen of Troy true. But even if he was wrong about Troy, where were those fabulous jewels now?

The Dead Sea Scrolls of 1946. Of the 972 scrolls found, one was completely different. It consisted of two thin rolls of copper, with a list of 64 locations and descriptions of items buried at each one. Allegro realised that he was looking at clues to finding a haul of treasure - worth millions.

The lost treasure of the last shogun has captured three generations of two families. It is a story of betrayal, greed and an improbable belief in buried treasures. The story started in the 1860's, when a shogun ordered his gold coins to be buried. On his deathbed he revealed everything in a letter.