Mysteries of the Ancient Dead

From a dizzying burial tradition found on the cliffs of the Cordillera Mountain range, to Kom El Shoqafa, a catacomb network, and Scythian burial mounds all over the Eurasian Steppe, what do burial practices reveal about death through the ages?

Expansive cities are carved into limestone by the Lycians to house their dead. For the Lhop, the transition between life and death is a perilous path. As the age of the pyramid winds down in Egypt, the Nubians build pyramids of their own.

Shattered skulls found suggest a violence but also reverence for the deceased. From the ruins of an iconic temple, the remains of Aztec human sacrifices provide new insights. A kiln is unearthed, bearing the bodies of two mysterious women.

In caves on the Canary Islands, mummies offer a window into a lost civilization. Haniwa clay figures connect the earthly to the otherworldly in a Japanese tomb. Under Stonehenge, cremated remains challenge theories about the site's purpose.