Documentary AreaSimply the best Documentaries

Why were the most fearsome warriors our planet has ever known stopped by a flaming light in the sky? How did Columbus use secret knowledge of the heavens to cheat death in the New World? Our ancestors saw a universe filled with bad omens. The film examines the interpretations by ancient peoples of celestial phenomena as bad omens, and the impact that the perceived omens may have had on history.

The end is coming. But which cosmic catastrophe will deliver the death blow? Were the Vikings right to fear the frozen apocalypse of an endless winter? Did the Buddhists correctly predict a fiery end to life on Earth? Or will the thunderous Christian vision of Armageddon come crashing down from the stars? Which ancient prophesy do scientists believe accurately foretells our doom? And how close are we to the end of the world?
This film explores all the possibilities Apocalyptic Visions to the Future.

We are the generation of human beings that are going to know whether or not we're alone in the universe. This episode explores the search of exoplanets, from ancient Greek philosophers to the discoveries made possible with the Kepler Telescope. Unbelievable new worlds, planets made of diamond, planets of raining glass, worlds in collision, some plunging into stars, and others that just might harbor life.
Thanks to today's planet hunters, our views of the universe and of our place in it are undergoing one of the greatest revolutions in scientific history.

Astrology, the celestial movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets among the stars, governing our personality and destiny. For centuries, millions of people, from paupers to powerful world leaders, have relied on the ancient system for answers. This episode examines whether tracking astronomical phenomena can actually predict the future.

Millions of tourists photograph the ancient monuments of Rome every year. But is there more to them than people guess? There's new evidence that these ruins were once machines, designed by Rome's emperors to connect their power with the sun. Did Roman emperors harness the power of the universe to awe and terrify the people of Rome? We uncover the last, great mysteries of the ancient world's greatest empire.

More than 2,000 years ago, the thriving city of Petra rose up in the bone-dry desert of what is now Jordan. An oasis of culture and abundance, the city was built by wealthy merchants whose camel caravans transported incense and spices from the Arabian Gulf. They carved spectacular temple-tombs into its soaring cliffs, raised a monumental Great Temple at its heart, and devised an ingenious system that channeled water to vineyards, bathhouses, fountains, and pools. But following a catastrophic earthquake and a slump in its desert trade routes, Petra's unique culture faded and was lost to most of the world for nearly a thousand years. Now, in a daring experiment, an archaeologist and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancient people of Petra built their city of stone. Meanwhile, scientists using remote sensors and hydraulic flumes uncover the vast city and its sophisticated water system. The race is on to discover how these nomads created this oasis of culture in one of the harshest climates on Earth.