Chronicle (1966)

The rags-to-riches life story of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann was as glamorous as the magnificent treasures he discovered at Troy and Mycenae. The wonders of his exploits in Turkey and Greece are so strong a part of archaeological folklore that they are still repeated by scholars exactly as Schliemann wrote them down 100 years ago. But those stories are about to change for ever. For when two American professors took a new look at the life of Schliemann they were staggered by their discoveries, particularly since their investigation even calls into question the discovery of 'The Treasure of King Priam' at Troy - scene of Schliemann's greatest triumph. Re-aired 31 July 1984

Flood, desolation, ruin-these have all been predicted as the fate of the world's most beautiful city. But a vast international rescue attempt is already under way. The British alone have restored the Church of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli to its original glittering brilliance, cleaned the principal entrance to the Doge's Palace and are contributing to the renewal of the marvellous Cathedral of Torcello. The Venetians themselves are tackling the problems of water and air pollution, renovating houses in the oldest parts of the city and taking measures to prevent the city sinking any further. But the greatest menace still remains - flooding from the sea. Can the Italians solve the problem? Can they learn from the Thames Barrier? How much have the city's chances of survival improved in the last decade?

Submerged beneath sand, sponges and sea grass are the wrecks of thousands of ships. During the past decade three of these ships have been carefully excavated, discovering a fascinating evolution in shipbuilding technology. They date from 300 BC, AD 625 and AD 1000, and lie off the coasts of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Archaeologists have discovered exquisite artefacts of glass, bronze and pottery. As a result of meticulous restoration, these artefacts are providing new insights into an ancient world of ships and commerce - a world not dissimilar to our own. An Odyssey film presented for Chronicle by Catherine Collis

Amelia B. Edwards was in the great tradition of Victorian travelling ladies. Her Egyptian holiday was to change not just her life, but the whole course of British excavation in Egypt.

In 1880 Flinders Petrie carried out the first thorough survey of the pyramids. His aim was to test the current theory that the Great Pyramid was divinely inspired. While disproving the theory, he became aware of the wholesale plundering of the ancient monuments of Egypt. He determined that something should be done and joined the newly-formed Egypt Exploration Fund to introduce proper scientific excavation. Nobody before him had recognised the significance of the small things, the potsherds and everyday domestic objects. Here, he saw, lay the true history of a country. For 70 years Petrie devoted himself passionately and untiringly to the study of the civilisations of Egypt and Palestine, laying the foundations of their archaeology. Re-aired 15 June 1983

'Great Britain has riots', say some social historians, 'while the Continent has revolutions'. Rioting has certainly played an important part in the development of our parliamentary democracy but was the summer violence of 1981 exceptional? Were there historical precedents? SIMON WINCHESTER investigates the role of the riot in Britain since the passing of the last Riot Act in 1714. He traces the different reasons why people have rioted and finds a strong underlying pattern in both the motive of the rioters and the reaction of government. But if there is a lesson from the past, have today's politicians learnt it?

Little is known of the earliest English settlements in America. But archaeologist Ivor Noel Hume, exploring an 18th-century tobacco plantation in Virginia, accidentally discovered a site that seemed to date from a century earlier. Was this the short-lived settlement of Wolstenholme? Were the mutilated skeletons victims of the great Indian attack of 1622? This film is a record of Hume's search for a century and reveals how he pieces together his archaeological evidence to produce an astonishingly vivid picture of the way the first English colonists lived, with all the trappings of European civilisation transplanted into a hostile environment.

A simple Victorian cottage, half-thatched, half-covered with corrugated iron, stands in the hamlet of Walderton in the Sussex Weald. This small, traditional English building tells us more about the lives of ordinary people than large buildings designed by important architects. For two years "Chronicle" followed the story of the cottage as it was dismantled, carefully investigated, restored and re-erected in the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum as a prime example of traditional English building. Re-aired 21 August 1990

During 1981 the archaeologists' work on the Mary Rose reached a new climax and the Mary Rose Trust's plans to raise the hull were finalised at last. The Trust is responsible for a part of our national heritage, in bringing to the surface what is left of the oldest English battleship. Chronicle reports on the Trust's progress from January 1981 until now. The Chronicle team will be back in the Solent for the lifting in September. Re-aired 9 October 1982

Nearly 5,000 years ago along the banks of the River Indus, now in Pakistan, a great city arose at Mohenjo-daro. Discovered early this century, it has proved to be the centre of one of the great civilisations of the world, which spread throughout much of the Indian sub-continent, and influenced how people live there today. This mysterious culture disappeared before 1800 bc, leaving only traces of how the people had lived. They had an apparently well organised system with straight roads and sophisticated drainage. They left behind small sealstones with still undeciphered writing. Professor Colin Renfrew takes the Chronicle cameras round the site. looks at the clues that have been excavated and tells the story of what has so far been discovered of this enigmatic society. Also aired: 21st Aug 1984