© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Access to this video is a benefit to members
Member Sign In
Learn More
Secrets of the Dead

The Herculaneum Scrolls

Season 21 Episode 6 | 55m 15s

Making headlines around the world, Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,000-year-old carbonized scrolls found in the remains of a villa in Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD transformed the papyri, fusing together the layers of the scrolls and making them impossible to read. Can particle physics and AI finally reveal what the scrolls say?

Aired: 10/15/24 | Expires: 03/19/25
SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Extras
Watch • 3:37
The American Revolution
Inside Look | People Just Like Us
The filmmakers on how understanding the people of the Revolution can help us understand who we are.
Clip: 3:37
Watch • 10:33
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Voices of the Revolution
Filmmakers discuss how they used stories of both well-known and lesser known figures.
Clip: 10:33
Watch • 3:57
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Finding Facts
The filmmakers discuss how the story of The American Revolution came together.
Clip: 3:57
Watch • 6:29
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Making the Revolution
The filmmakers discuss how they crafted imagery to help tell the story of the American Revolution.
Clip: 6:29
Watch • 6:18
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Our Origin Story
Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt on the challenges of telling America's origin story.
Clip: 6:18
The American Revolution
Inside Look: Making The American Revolution
Step behind the scenes of Ken Burns’s new film to see how The American Revolution came to life.
Special:
Watch • 5:13
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Sounds of the Revolution
The filmmakers on how they tapped a broad range of influences to recreate the music of the era.
Clip: 5:13
Watch • 0:20
The American Revolution
'We Would Not Have Had a Country Without Him'
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Preview: 0:20
Watch • 2:20
The American Revolution
Official Trailer | The Revolution that Changed the World
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary from Ken Burns.
Preview: 2:20
Watch • 0:43
The American Revolution
The First Shot
A single shot echoes on Lexington Green, and the American Revolution begins.
Clip: 0:43
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 22
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 21
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 20
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 19
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 18
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 17
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 16
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 15
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 14
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 13
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 12
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 11
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 10
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 9
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 8
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 7
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 6
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 5
  • Secrets of the Dead Season 4
Secrets of the Dead
Cracking the Queen's Code
See how secret letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots, were finally decoded.
Episode: S22 E9
Secrets of the Dead
Cleopatra's Last Temple
An unprecedented discovery could reveal new information about Cleopatra’s reign.
Episode: S22 E8
Secrets of the Dead
The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
The spectacular arena showcasing Ancient Rome’s power also contributed to its downfall.
Episode: S22 E7
Watch • 54:25
Secrets of the Dead
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the post-war life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse.
Episode: S22 E6 | 54:25
Watch • 54:50
Secrets of the Dead
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part One)
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse.
Episode: S22 E5 | 54:50
Watch • 55:15
Secrets of the Dead
Lost Treasures of Angkor – King's Gold
Priceless artifacts in Laos reveal holy sites from the early days of the Khmer Empire.
Episode: S22 E4 | 55:15
Watch • 55:15
Secrets of the Dead
Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery
The discovery of priceless artifacts in Laos sheds light on the ancient Khmer Empire.
Episode: S22 E3 | 55:15
Watch • 55:15
Secrets of the Dead
Field of Vampires
Uncover the mystery behind the discovery of more than 50 "vampire" burials.
Episode: S22 E2 | 55:15
Watch • 55:23
Secrets of the Dead
The Civil War's Lost Massacre
A search for the remains of Black Union soldiers murdered toward the end of the Civil War.
Episode: S22 E1 | 55:23
Watch • 55:15
Secrets of the Dead
Mozart's Sister
Learn the untold story of Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister and collaborator.
Episode: S21 E5 | 55:15