Mysteries of the Ancient Dead
Super Channel | Go Button | 2023 - 2025
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What happens when we die? This timeless question has shaped rituals, mythologies, and entire civilisations. Mysteries of the Ancient Dead explores how ancient cultures grappled with mortality, not only in how they buried their dead, but how they envisioned the afterlife. Through archaeological discoveries and cutting-edge interpretations, this series uncovers what the dead can tell us about the living.​
Archaeologist and public historian Natasha Billson features as an expert in Series 1 — and the upcoming Series 2 — of the unscripted documentary series Mysteries of the Ancient Dead by Go Button Media. Filmed in a studio setting, Natasha offers expert commentary on some of the most enigmatic burial rites, tombs, mummies, and afterlife beliefs from ancient cultures. Her insights help decode sacred sites from Chichen Itza to the mausoleum of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, revealing the hidden meanings behind how ancient peoples prepared for death and the hereafter.
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How to Watch
Mysteries of the Ancient Dead is available on Super Channel and distributed internationally by BossaNova Media. Check your local streaming platforms or TV listings for regional availability.
Episode Guide – Series 1
Episode 1: Egypt, Rome, Nepal
Explore the funerary magic of Ancient Egypt, the grand rituals of Rome, and death practices in Nepal — from massive tombs to magical incantations and preparations for the afterlife.
Episode 2: Persia, Mongolia, Sichuan
Discover a mysterious Persian well filled with bones, an elixir-encoded textile from Mongolia, and China’s hanging coffins.
Episode 3: Peru & Chacoan Society
At Ancon on Peru’s coast, one of the largest Incan burial grounds is unearthed. Evidence from New Mexico points to a possible matriarchal structure in Chacoan culture.
Episode 4: Chachapoya, Celts, Carthage
An earthquake reveals painted warrior statues with mummified remains in Peru. Bone arrangements in Britain and ashes in Slovenia hint at interconnected ancient rituals.
Episode 5: Qin Shi Huang & Chinchorro Mummies
A deep dive into the untouched tomb of China’s first emperor and the oldest mummified children of the Chinchorro culture in South America.
Episode 6: Maya Sacrifice & Bolivian Mortuary Finds
At El Castillo and Chichen Itza, thousands were sacrificed. At Khonkho Wankane, ceramic fragments and mortuary structures shed new light on death in the Andes.