Cities of the Underworld

Season 1

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14 episodes · First aired 2007-03-02

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Episodes

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Showing 14 at a time

S1 E1Mar 2, 200743 min

Istanbul

Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and exotic cities in the world. Once the capital city of three of the world's most powerful empires--The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman--its strategic location made it the perfect spot for empires to rise, fall...and rise again. Residents of Istanbul walk on top of remnants of these fallen civilizations...literally. Taxis drive over parts of Constantine's Lost Great Palace; children play on cobblestone streets concealing a massive Byzantine dungeon; a high school sits on a 3rd century wall leading to the bowels of a 100,000 seat ancient Roman Hippodrome; and basement's of old Ottoman homes lead to subterranean tunnels and secret cisterns. Join host Eric Geller as he leaves the buzz of the city streets behind and follows the pull of the past. Teamed with leading archeologists and experts, Eric peels back the layers of the past--to reveal a hidden history that hasn't seen the light of day for ages.

S1 E2Apr 23, 200743 min

Scotland's Sin City

Constrained for space by a stone defensive wall and steep terrain, the people of Edinburgh build both high rises and subterranean dwellings to provide living space. Out of sight, the underworld attracts all manor of seedy activities.

S1 E3Apr 30, 200743 min

Hitler's Underground Lair

This program reviews Adolf Hilter's and Albert Speer's plans for a building boom that would turn Berlin into the capital city of the world. The plan included substantial below ground ...

S1 E4May 7, 200743 min

Rome's Hidden Empire

Much of modern Rome is built upon the foundations of the first century Roman city and was above Goraud at that time. Eric visits some of these ruins and his guides explain the activities that occurred there two thousand years ago.

S1 E5May 14, 200743 min

Catacombs of Death

Eric finds some knowledgeable guides to take him on a clandestine tour of the catacombs of Paris. Originally a limestone quarry, the vacant space produced its own utility and a rich history in war and in peace to hide things better kept unseen. But the catacombs also represent cracks in the foundation that threaten the stability of the city above the surface.

S1 E6May 21, 200743 min

City of Caves

Budapest is built upon on network of natural limestone caves that have been in use since humans first moved into the area. While exploring the caves Eric shares their color history which includes several violent periods in Budapest's past.

S1 E7Jun 4, 200743 min

New York

New York City's underground harbors secrets and surprises befitting the most important city on earth. Eric shares these secrets in tours under Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center and New York's original aqueduct.

S1 E8Jun 11, 200743 min

London's Lost Cities

For thousands of years London has been among the most powerful cities in the world, below the busy streets and marketplaces another city hides--a city of Roman baths, secret crypts, lost rivers, indestructible bunkers that could hold up to 8,000 people, Winston Churchill's hidden war-rooms; host Eric Geller.

S1 E9Jun 18, 200743 min

Beneath Vesuvius

The bombardment of Naples during World War Two revealed a forgotten underground world of ancient buildings, caverns and tunnels. This was fortunate because the underground provided shelter from the bombing as well as a window into Naples past all the back to the Greek Empire.

S1 E10Jun 25, 200743 min

Freemason Underground

Discover the fascinating and unknown history that lies below major cities around the world today. Explore these layers, which are often hundreds of feet deep. Discover everything form dank dungeons to underground shipwrecks that have been lost for centuries.

S1 E11Jul 9, 200743 min

Dracula's Underground

Visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler.

S1 E12Jul 16, 200743 min

Secret Pagan Underground

4000 years ago, a mysterious pagan society called the Hittites dug deep into the soft volcanic rock to carve out an intricate underworld. But after almost 800 years of rule, the Hittite Empire vanished without a trace. Where did their people go and what clues have they left behind in their complex subterranean world?

S1 E13Jul 23, 200743 min

Underground Bootleggers

100 years ago Portland, Oregon was a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth.

S1 E14Jul 30, 200743 min

Rome: The Rise

What was the secret to the success of ancient Rome? Aqueducts, underground neighborhoods and one of the oldest sewer systems reveal many secrets. The largest and most influential empire in history leaves clues to her greatness under nearly every street.