Back From the Dead

Three-hundred-and-fifty skeletons, exhumed from Royal Navy graveyards from the age of Nelson's Navy, are throwing an extraordinary new light on how these sailors lived, fought, outwitted their enemy, and, from the oldest to youngest, suffered for victory. These men were the beating heart of the most victorious fleet in history and never have so many of these sailors' remains been available for forensic investigation. Six remarkable stories stand out: the child sailor, the top man, the American gunner, the freed slave, the marine and the victim of the sailor's most dreaded disease: syphilis. No longer just bones in a box, the men of Nelson's Navy are back from the dead.

Excavations along the Israel/Jordan border are unearthing skeletons and rewriting the history of the First Crusade. The site at Jacob's Ford is the only known Crusader battle site with complete skeletons. Back from the Dead joins the excavation and examines the remains of some of the 80 Crusader Knights and 750 foot soldiers stationed at the fort when it was attacked and its Crusaders massacred by Saladin's army in 1179, in the battle that changed the course of history in the Middle East.

The unearthing of a gruesome grave filled with thousands of skeletons at Kamakura in Japan could be about to unlock the mystery surrounding the true origins of one of the most feared and revered warriors of all time: the Samurai. The chilling burial ground dates back to 1333. Kamakura was one of the most heavily fortified regions of Japan.