Fall 2026 Season Preview
Preview: Season 23 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Discover all-new Secrets of the Dead on Wednesdays this fall, starting October 14 at 10/9c.
Discover all-new Secrets of the Dead on Wednesdays this fall, starting October 14 at 10/9c on your local PBS station (check local listings), or stream anytime on the PBS App or pbs.org/secrets.
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Fall 2026 Season Preview
Preview: Season 23 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Discover all-new Secrets of the Dead on Wednesdays this fall, starting October 14 at 10/9c on your local PBS station (check local listings), or stream anytime on the PBS App or pbs.org/secrets.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Where to Watch Secrets of the Dead
Secrets of the Dead is available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS app.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThis fall on "Secrets of the Dead"... -We are here to reclaim the history of Great Zimbabwe.
-The Statue of Liberty is an immensely powerful metaphor for what the United States of America can be.
-Tangier Island may not be here forever.
But we came together and did something about it?
I mean, that's -- that's a legacy.
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So they deserve everything that we're trying to do for them.
Now PlayingVideo has Closed Captions
Preview: S23 | 30s | Discover all-new Secrets of the Dead on Wednesdays this fall, starting October 14 at 10/9c. (30s)
NewPreview | Africa's Golden City
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Preview: S23 Ep5 | 30s | New discoveries reveal how pivotal Great Zimbabwe was to global trade. (30s)
What This Bronze Figure Reveals About Ancient China
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Clip: S23 Ep4 | 2m 48s | A towering 3-meter bronze figure offers rare clues to a lost civilization uncovered in Sanxingdui. (2m 48s)
Rebuilding a 2,000-Year-Old Bronze Dragon with 3D Technology
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Clip: S23 Ep4 | 3m 4s | Using 3D scanning and modeling, archaeologists have spent decades reconstructing the "Divine Tree." (3m 4s)
Preview | China's Bronze Kingdom
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Preview: S23 Ep4 | 30s | The chance discovery of a jade artifact unearths an ancient Chinese city. (30s)
Inside the Ancient Capital of the Shu Kingdom
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Clip: S23 Ep4 | 2m 16s | Dating back 3,000 years, the site raises key questions about the city’s sudden disappearance. (2m 16s)
The Accidental Discovery That Revealed a Lost Civilization
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Clip: S23 Ep4 | 2m 50s | In 1986, workers found jade under a field, revealing ritual pits of a mysterious civilization. (2m 50s)
Was This City the Real Camelot?
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Clip: S23 Ep3 | 2m 53s | Did Cirencester remain the center of a prosperous post-Roman kingdom in the time of King Arthur? (2m 53s)
A Roman Dragon's Possible Link to King Arthur
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Clip: S23 Ep3 | 2m 10s | A Roman military belt bearing a dragon design may hint at the military roots of King Arthur. (2m 10s)
Preview | The Quest for Camelot
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Preview: S23 Ep3 | 32s | A professor seeks to prove Arthurian legends have roots in actual British history. (32s)
New Evidence That Roman Life Continued After the Empire's Fall
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Clip: S23 Ep3 | 3m 1s | New dating shows a Roman villa mosaic was laid in the 5th century, reshaping post-Roman Britain. (3m 1s)
How the Sword in the Stone May Have Begun
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Clip: S23 Ep3 | 1m 53s | Iron smelting at a temple site may have inspired the legend of King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur. (1m 53s)
Discovered Ruins May Have Inspired the Round Table
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Clip: S23 Ep3 | 3m 1s | New evidence suggests an amphitheater became a stronghold linked to Arthur’s Round Table. (3m 1s)
This Roman Law May Be Proof of Female Gladiators
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Clip: S23 Ep2 | 2m 54s | The ban hints at moral panic, and possibly the clearest proof that female gladiators truly existed. (2m 54s)
A Roman Satirist Mocked Female Fighters. Was He Describing Real Gladiators?
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Clip: S23 Ep2 | 2m 22s | Did Juvenal’s mockery prove female gladiators existed? (2m 22s)
A Roman Poet’s Clue to Women Gladiators in the Arena
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Clip: S23 Ep2 | 2m 34s | Martial described gladiatorial combat and hinted women fought—but can hand-copied texts be trusted? (2m 34s)
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Preview: S23 Ep2 | 32s | Experts search for evidence that female gladiators once existed in Ancient Rome. (32s)
The Only Relief of Named Female Gladiators Ever Found
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Clip: S23 Ep2 | 2m 39s | This rare depiction may be the greatest surviving monument to women in the Roman arena. (2m 39s)
New Analysis Changes the Identity of a Roman Statue
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Clip: S23 Ep2 | 3m 2s | Once thought an athlete, this Roman statuette may depict a female gladiator in combat pose. (3m 2s)
An Everyday Roman Object Suggests Female Gladiators
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Clip: S23 Ep2 | 2m 59s | A Roman oil lamp shows two female gladiators fighting like men—strong visual proof women fought. (2m 59s)
X-Rays Reveal Hidden Clues: Is This the Only Portrait of Shakespeare from Life?
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Clip: S23 Ep1 | 2m 2s | X-ray scans of the Wadlow Shakespeare portrait reveal details beneath several areas of overpaint. (2m 2s)
Preview | Picturing Shakespeare
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Preview: S23 Ep1 | 32s | Could the discovery of a third portrait of William Shakespeare be a genuine article? (32s)
Family Discovers Possible Shakespeare Portrait Hanging in Their Living Room
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Clip: S23 Ep1 | 2m 10s | The portrait hung above the family TV for 50 years before they realized it might be Shakespeare. (2m 10s)
Facial Recognition Finds 91% Match to Shakespeare
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Clip: S23 Ep1 | 1m 24s | Facial recognition software suggests the portrait may depict William Shakespeare. (1m 24s)
Experts Used Tree Rings to Date This Portrait to Shakespeare’s Lifetime
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Clip: S23 Ep1 | 2m 45s | Dendrochronology reveals surprising results about Steven’s portrait of Shakespeare. (2m 45s)
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SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.