Episode Guide

Mystery of the Abandoned Child 

We find Scotty high in the Bolivian Andes at the site of the ancient city of Tiwanaku, where archaeologists have uncovered the body of a young girl buried in a rubbish pile in front of an ancient temple. In a culture that revered the dead and buried their children in elaborate ways, this child's body appears to have been abandoned.

Was she the child of elite rulers and the victim of a terrible crime? A blood sacrifice as part an ancient ritual? Or was she the child of traders, travelling vast distances across the Andes to the highlands, only to die in a strange land? 
 
The Hidden Mummy

Scotty travels 7,000 miles to the famous necropolis of Saqqara - the ancient Egyptian 'City of the Dead'. Here, Dr Zahi Hawass has uncovered a bizarre mystery: an unmarked coffin hidden inside the crypt of a powerful ancient physician.

Scotty attempts to find out why this mummy is hidden in another man’s tomb. 
 
Cave of the Headless Corpse 

Scotty finds himself in Belize where a cave containing thousands of human bones has been discovered deep in the jungle. As he ventures deep into the cave, he discovers a skeleton in a hidden chamber - but the head is missing!

Scotty embarks on a search for the missing skull. If he can find it, he might be able to identify this victim, and solve the mystery of the cave known as 'Midnight Terror.

Was this man buried in the cave to honour his life? Or was he the victim of a violent ritual sacrifice deep inside the ancient Mayan underworld? 

Mystery of the Cracked Skull 

Scotty is in the remote reaches of northern Scotland, where archaeologists have discovered an ancient skeleton with an unusual face. Scotty investigates the teenager's strange deformity in an attempt to solve the mystery of his death.

The quest takes him from the world of ancient metalworking to the realm of modern dentistry, as he struggles to determine if this is the body of someone crippled by disease, or the victim of foul play. 
 
Celebration of Death 

Scotty explores the northern coast of Peru, where archaeologists have discovered a teenage girl buried outside an empty tomb. Scotty's investigation takes him deep into the world of the Moche, an ancient society where corn beer and blood offerings were part of their annual burial rituals.

Was this teenager sacrificed to the gods by a Moche overlord? Or was she worked to death, and then honoured after she died during a blood-soaked festival? 
 
Shadow of the Sun Lord 

Scotty explores the ancient Mayan city of Caracol deep inside the jungles of Belize in Central America. Archaeologists have discovered a body buried in an unusual manner along with the sacred symbol of a war god.

Scotty excavates the body and examines the bones to find out who this man was and how he died. He participates in rarely-seen Mayan rituals and treks across the country in search of answers.

Was this ancient warrior an honoured citizen of Caracol, or the victim of brutal sacrifice? 
 
Anatomy of Ancient Death 

Archaeologist Scotty Moore takes you around the world, as he looks inside the process of investigating archaeological mysteries. Featuring segments from all the episodes in season one, Scotty reveals how he and his crew get to the location of their unique dig sites (often the hardest part of the task), analyse the specimens, find critical evidence in high-tech labs, relate that evidence to the history of world cultures, and find solutions to mysteries that are centuries old.