Chronicle (1966)
Season 1967
Series tracing new developments in historical research.
Where to Watch Season 1967
20 Episodes
- The Finds of the YearE1
Episode 1The Finds of the YearThe Swan Jewel from Dunstable, medieval bronze from Barnard Castle, weird stone heads from Celtic Yorkshire... These treasures and many more, all acquired in the past year, are now, thanks to the efforts of the public from coal-miners to school-children, part of the national inheritance in our museums. Nicholas Thomas and Magnus Magnusson tell the story behind their discovery with the help of the finders, the curators, and the objects themselves. - The Other ConquestE2
Episode 2The Other ConquestAt about the same time as their attack on England the Normans invaded Sicily. Tonight John Julius Norwich tells the remarkable story of their hard-fought victory over that rugged island defended by a fierce Saracen enemy. The Normans set up a great dynasty which has left dazzling achievements in marble and gold. - The City That VanishedE3
Episode 3The City That VanishedThe ancient Greek city of Sybaris even to its contemporaries was synonymous with luxury and high living, but the actual city itself has disappeared almost without trace. Now there is fresh hope of finding it with the help of a new electronic instrument, developed in England the proton magnetometer. - Diagnosis - A.D. 70E4
Episode 4Diagnosis - A.D. 70How can you possibly diagnose an illness suffered 2,000 years ago? Dr. Charles Newman, Harveian Librarian of the Royal College of Physicians, can do this from one of the most remarkable finds of recent years-nearly 200 wooden carvings of the Roman period. Many show details of ill health and were brought to the source of the Seine by pilgrims in search of a cure. Lady Brogan, an authority on Roman Gaul, discusses with Magnus Magnusson what these carvings also reveal about daily life then. - The Lost LeonardosE6
Episode 6The Lost LeonardosThe recent announcement of the existence of 700 drawings of mechanical inventions by Leonardo Da Vinci has caused a furore among scholars. Charles Gibbs-Smith, of the Victoria and Albert Museum, examines this important discovery and the new light which this sheds on Leonardo's missing years. - Arthur: The Peerless KingE8
Episode 8Arthur: The Peerless KingHow much history? How much romance? How much nonsense? An enquiry into what is really known about King Arthur, what has been added through the centuries, and what the latest excavations at South Cadbury, the reputed stronghold of Camelot, have revealed. - The Claws of the GriffinE9
Episode 9The Claws of the GriffinOn a hot night in July A.D. 1500 a series of savage murders decimated the Baglioni family. The story of the downfall of this handsome and ambitious Renaissance family is told tonight in the actual palaces and streets of Perugia where it happened. - Dragons' BonesE10
Episode 10Dragons' BonesNo medieval dragon trailed greater clouds of misunderstanding than the great reptiles of a hundred-million years ago. Dr. Alan Charig of the Natural History Museum, London, describes to Magnus Magnusson his recent expedition to find dinosaur remains in Lesotho. - Collision CourseE11
Episode 11Collision CourseOn a stormy night in October 1707, Sir Cloudesley Shovell, victorious Admiral of the Fleet and national hero, ran his flagship on to the rocks of the Scillies. For three years a naval officer has been trying to pinpoint the site of this great disaster. Magnus Magnusson investigates whether the recent finds of cannon and other trophies mean he has at last succeeded. - 6000 Working DivesE15
Episode 156000 Working DivesThe story of the seabed exploration by Dr. George Bass of the Pennsylvania University Museum of a rich Byzantine merchant ship which sank off the coast of Turkey 1,100 years ago and was the first underwater wreck to be excavated in a truly scientific manner. - The Fall of ConstantinopleE16
Episode 16The Fall of ConstantinopleJohn Julius Norwich tells the dramatic story of the fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, followed by the rise of the Ottoman Turks in the 15th Century. Using monuments in Istanbul to show the formidable artistic and intellectual achievements of the Byzantines, Norwich vividly describes the last scenes of Greek Orthodox Christianity from within the Hagia Sophia. Norwich describes the calamitous scenes of the last progress of the sacred icons around Constantinople (Istanbul). - The Last Days of MinosE19
Episode 19The Last Days of MinosWas the legend of the Minotaur inspired by the worship of bulls at Knossos on Crete? Does the volcanic island of Santorini provide clues about the fabled city of Atlantis? Magnus Magnusson investigates through a detailed tour of Knossos and its archaeological finds, which date from 1700 to 1380 BC. He also explores the extraordinary life of Sir Arthur Evans, the archaeologist who discovered Knossos and the Minoan civilisation.