ARTE Distribution

The incredible story of archaeologists discovering the remains of a Buddhist city of incredible wealth, from which they are unearthing thousands of treasures.

The ancient city of Mes Aynak, literally "the source of copper", built its power on the precious metal present in its subsoil. On this site, active for more than a thousand years, the monks did not just carry out religious activities. They abandoned their currency and created a banking network throughout the region. It is this wealth which gave them the means of an intense cultural production, as evidenced by the many treasures found by archaeologists: more than three thousand statues, but also parchments, pieces of goldsmith's work, jewels, pottery ...
The Mes Aynak site offers a unique opportunity to explore Afghan Buddhism, a period of history that still has many secrets to reveal. The remains could allow archaeologists to understand in what ways the religion of Buddha, born in the plain of the Ganges, was shaped here, in the heart of Central Asia, before spreading to the rest of Asia.

The Conquistadors wrote the story of the Inca Empire as we know it. 10 years of recent scientific and archeological research has allowed us to uncover another truth that contradicts history books. Where the Inca people come from, how they were organized, and why they disappeared so suddenly. 

A few decades ago, here is what we thought we knew about this mythical people, considered as a bloodthirsty giant with feet of clay. Born on the shores of Lake Titicaca in the 14th century, the Incas would have conquered, in just a hundred years, a boundless land of more than a million km2, comparable to the Roman Empire. Valley after valley, mountain after mountain, the Incas would have tamed the whole of the Andes.
 
This ruthless Empire, not possessing writing, and run with an iron fist by the Inca, the Son of the Sun, inflexible and cruel sovereign, would then have collapsed like a vulgar house of cards against a handful of Conquistadors. These are the preconceptions that have long prevailed, and which archeology is working to rectify.
 
A traveling investigation Inca Empire: a giant is revealed is above all a field survey which, over the course of the story, will help clarify the course of history of the Incas by answering 3 main questions: - What are the origins of the Incas: Were they really born on the banks of the mythical Titicaca? Is Pachacutec really the founder of the Empire? - How did the Inca giant develop: Was violence the only weapon of the Incas? How could they rule over such a vast empire without writing? - How did the Inca Empire collapse: How was their resistance organized? Where is their last stronghold? Through these questions, which will govern the story, the movie will ultimately answer a big question: who was the Inca giant?

Today, the Louvre Museum picks up where the Egyptologist Auguste Mariette left off in 1850! Exclusive access to follow a team of archeologists to (re)discover the Serapeum tomb of the bull Apis, one of the most sacred place in Saqqara, Egypt.

He also managed to map out a network of underground tunnels leading to other burial sites he did not have time to uncover. We have the exclusive access to follow a team of archeologists, mandated by the Louvre Museum, to pick up where Mariette had left off.

In 1945, Nasser’s project to build a lake in Southern Egypt threatened to submerge hundreds of ancient temples, including of Ramses II and Cleopatra. Thanks to an unprecedented international mobilization, discover how this exceptional heritage was saved.

When they returned from southern Egypt, travelers reported the existence of temples between the Nubian desert and the Nile. Majestic stone colossi emerging from the sands kept the doors and their secrets. For centuries, Abu Simbel, Dendur, Amada and other monuments were victims of looting, earthquakes, desert encroachment and floods, only to end up almost being swallowed up by the waters in the 20th century. In 1954, the announcement of the construction of a dam threatened the whole of Nubia and more than 20 ancient shrines. Some temples were dismantled in a hurry and relocated to artificial islands, others were even shipped abroad in places such as Madrid, Turin or even New York. Former construction site workers attest to the grueling working conditions during operations. We also present archives revealing the ingenious rescue plans explained in 3D animations.
 
This documentary directed by Olivier Lemaître won the "Alfredo Castiglioni" prize from the technical jury and the audience prize at the Archeofilm festival 2020 in Varese (Italy).

Almost 100 years after the discovery of King Tut's Tomb, it is time to tell the story in a new light. This film uses 2D and 3D imagery to reconstruct the tomb, the mummy, the funerary objects and the topography of the famous Valley of the Kings. 

Ninety years later, for the first time, most of these objects will finally be brought together in the precinct of the great Museum of Giza. Some of them will make their way to the U.S.A. and Paris, where they will be exposed at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industries in the autumn of 2018 - and then in London, Berlin, Tokyo and Sidney. This film is the story of the discovery of a treasure of which we know only a few artefacts. It is also an investigation, and these objects will be so many clues along the way. What do these artefacts tell us about the king and the period of his reign ? In what circumstances were they discovered and taken away from the pharaoh’s tomb ? These are some of the many elements of this documentary narrative. 
 

Best film prize for its scientific contribution at the 17th International Archeology Film Festival ICRONOS in 2020

This science documentary is led like a police investigation into pre-Colombian mummies from Chile and Peru, one of whom, RASPAR CAPAC, inspired The Seven Crystal Balls from The Adventures of Tintin by famous Belgian cartoonist Hergé. 

In reality, the mummy Rascar Capac arrived at the Art & History Museum in Brussels in the middle of the 19th century under unknown circumstances. By uncovering the origins of Rascar Capac, the film reveals previously unknown facts about his life, the reasons for his death and even which illnesses he had.
 
The documentary follows the investigation in the field, in specialised laboratories in Belgium and France and along the wild Pacific coast of Chile and Peru. Using modern technology to research and carry out tests on Rascar and other similar mummies will allow us to understand a lot more about these pre-Columbian mummies who, compared to their Egyptian counterparts, we still know very little about. 
 
©Panoramique Terre/Un film à la patte

Jules Vernes Prize at the Amiens Archeology Film Festival 2020 

A historical cold case: an investigation led by the best experts demonstrates that a significant temperature drop along with successive deadly diseases undermined the foundations of the Roman Empire.

165 AD. A pandemic strikes the Roman Empire when Marc èle was campaigning against the barbarian armies. At the same time, the climate experienced a sudden cooling: the study of old wood suggests a drop in temperatures of about 3 degrees. In the Roman catacombs, scientists discover collective graves. They thought they were seeing signs of smallpox: it would have decimated 15 to 20% of the population. This double environmental crisis led to a military crisis: for the first time, the inner Empire was hit by barbaric incursions.
 
The second crisis begins in 260 AD. A new epidemic hits the Empire. It corresponds to the first major defeats of the Roman army. In Abrittus, 25,000 Roman soldiers are killed: archaeologists exhume the remains of this battle. It is the beginning of the 3rd century crisis: invasions, usurpations, monetary crisis bring the Empire to its knees. No sooner has it started to recover that a new climate crisis in Eurasia is coming: scientists find its origin in the Altai Mountains. It pushes the Huns towards the Empire: this is the beginning of the end for the Western Empire.
 
The final blow took place 150 years later, at the very moment when Justinian launched an ambitious reconquest of the lost territories of the Empire. A series of volcanic eruptions causes a sudden drop in temperatures: scientists estimate it between 3 and 6 degrees. A few years later, an epidemic of bubonic plague hit the Empire: experts of ancient pandemics found it throughout its territory. Archaeologists in Israel are discovering the consequences of it. Abandonment of cities, end of agricultural activities, and interruption of trade circuits: the Empire is drawn into nothingness.
 

Discover the story of Paleolithic burials that challenge our preconceived notions of Prehistory. Who were these individuals buried with such worldly treasures?

Their great beauty also raises a cardinal question: who were these individuals, buried with such care and adornments: shamans? Chieftains? Or common individuals with a distinct flair? Through several burials in France, the Czech Republic, Italy and Russia, all these avenues will be explored in order to better understand one of these exceptional burials: that of the Lady of Cavillon, found in northern Italy, which will serve as a guiding thread throughout this investigation.
 
 

200 years ago, Champollion "cracked" the hieroglyph code. Follow a scientific investigation to discover this mysterious writing and a new expedition into the largest tomb in Egypt.

From the heart of the excavation site of Theban Tomb TT33 near Luxor, the largest in Egypt and a palace of hieroglyphs, we shall discover the secrets of this mysterious writing. We'll have exclusive access to follow the IFAO (French Institute of Oriental Archeology in Cairo) on their scientific mission to uncover the priests, scribes, painters, engravers and tomb builders who bequeathed the history of Ancient Egypt to us along the walls of burial chambers and on papyrus. Who where this class apart in the population at the service of Pharaohs who so intrigue today's archeologists? What do the inscriptions reveal about the daily life of Egyptians? A plunge into the great adventure of the hieroglyphs.
 
VIRTUAL VISITS DEIR-EL MÉDINA 
EVE RAMBOZ, VFX SUPERVISOR 

SUMMARIZED SYNOPSIS

In remote Morocco, in 1960, in the archeological site of Jebel Irhoud, a remarkable find was made: remains of Homo Sapiens. Today we can date them back to 300.000 years old.

A discovery that rewrites the story of Mankind’s origins, because up until now, the oldest remains found went back to 200.000 years ago! A revelation that not only stretches the timeline of Homo Sapiens’ story, but also changes the geography of where we came from, the whole sub-Sahara region.

Tales of love, sex, power, betrayal, heinous crimes, unbearable separations, atrocious revenge, and metamorphoses - the poetic force of the myths has crossed the centuries. 

This series sets out to recount these ancient stories using animations created especially for the occasion, and illustrations chosen from the entire history of art. This dynamic blend, a bridge between modernity and history, ancient narrative and contemporary dramatic art, is a new way to discover or re-discover this part of our universal heritage.