The Holy Grail and The Minotaur

Ancient X Files travels around the world to solve some intriguing riddles. Each story is a piece of detective work by an expert trying to make sense of some puzzling ancient artifact to find the truth behind some extraordinary legend, to discover the origins of a bizarre myth or to establish the authenticity of a venerated religious relic. This series explores the bits of archaeology and history which seem to defy explanation. Our experts are following chains of clues and putting theories to the test, in an effort to explain the unexplained. In the modern information age, you would like to think you have all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips, yet some shocking secrets remain buried deep in the past. Join intrepid investigators as they delve into some of mankind’s most enduring mysteries.
Series 1
Episode The Holy Grail & The Minotaur – Follow investigators to a mountaintop monastery in the quest for answers about the legendary Holy Grail. And, meet the knights who’ve vowed to risk their lives to defend the Valencia Chalice, a sacred cup they believe to be the Grail. Then, enter the Minotaur – a terrifying monster of ancient myth. NGC investigates: was this blood curdling story based on real places? Watch as we descend into a dark, complex cave system in an attempt to uncover the mystery.
Episode The Blood of Christ & The Phaistos – Less famous then the Shroud of Turin could the Shroud of Oviedo actually be Christ’s burial cloth? NGC traces the blood-stained relic to Israel in a quest to determine whether it holds Christ’s DNA, and in a most chilling discovery finds that it contains no evidence of a father’s DNA. Later, a linguistic code cracker attempts to solve the riddle of one of the most mysterious ancient objects – the Phaistos Disk. The Phaistos Disk is a curious archaeological find, most likely dating from about 1700 B.C. Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture, remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology. The Phaistos Disk was discovered in the basement of room XL-101 of the Minoan site of Phaistos. The site is near Hagia Triada on the south coast of Crete. Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier recovered this remarkably intact dish about 15 cm. in diameter and uniformly just over 1 cm. thick, on July 3, 1908.
Episode Philosophers Stone the Lost Ark – Examining the medieval myth of the Philosopher’s Stone, a Holy Grail-type relic which supposedly held the key to alchemy and immortality. Many noted alchemists and adventurers searched obsessively for the artefact hoping to learn its powerful secrets, a quest which allegedly drove some to madness and others to celestial encounters. It’s one of the most coveted artefacts of the Bible: a gold-encrusted chest containing the Ten Commandments. Can modern scholarship explain the awful powers of the Ark of the Covenant and tell us how it vanished and where it is today?
Series 2
Episode Mona Lisa Code & The Bone Chamber – Her enigmatic smile has fascinated art lovers for centuries – but could the Mona Lisa really contain a secret message from Da Vinci? Also, see a grisly find in the oldest subterranean temple in the world.
Episode Crown Of Thorns & The Living Dead – Jesuit priest Father Patrick Hough examines an ancient relic that tradition holds as Christ’s crucifixion crown, then head to the mountains of Peru to investigate a hoard of mummies found preserved in disturbing positions.
Episode Incas Decoded & Viking Sun Stone – The puzzling mysteries of ancient Incan counting devices and the secret navigational systems of the Vikings come under scrutiny, as two more enigmas from the past face expert modern analysis.
Episode Sodom And Gomorrah & Voyinch Manuscript – Go in search of the infamous Biblical cities of sin supposedly destroyed by the wrath of God. Can they be found? Plus, British computer programmer Nick Pelling attempts to crack “the most mysterious document in the world”.
Episode Holy Shroud & Star God Temple – Ancient languages expert Mark Guscin attempts to shed light on the secrets of what some believe to be Jesus’ shroud by exploring digital analysis of the relic. Thenexplore the oldest astronomical temple in the Americas.
Episode Vampire Killers & Green Children Mystery – Following the trail of the oldest suspected vampire, and a look into alleged sightings of two alien-like children in an English village
Episode Mayan Underworld Underwater archaeologist Guillermo de Anda looks for evidence of the Mayan underworld off the coasts of Mexico and Guatemala.
Episode The Great Flood & Scottish Stone Mystery – After centuries of debate, archaeological evidence unearthed in Bulgaria may reveal not only where the Great Flood happened, but what caused it. Also investigating evidence of what prompted Noah to build his ark, as well as strange standing stones found in Scotland.
Episode Crucifixion Decoded & Bosnian Pyramids – Millions of Christians retrace Christ’s footsteps every year, but now an archaeologist claims that they may be worshipping at the wrong sites. Experts cast astounding new light on Jesus’s crucifixion.
Episode The Mystery of Mary Magdelene – Mary Magdalene has long been known as a repentant sinner and witness to the resurrection but newly uncovered Christian artefacts point to her as a victim of the biggest conspiracy in history.
Episode Joan of Arc Conspiracy & London’s New Jerusalem – Could Joan have survived her execution? New evidence suggests that France’s national heroine may not have been burnt at the stake after all, and architectural hints that suggest the New Jerusalem may have been built in London.
Episode Sword in the Stone & Orpheus Amulet – Could the mysterious medieval sword lodged in stone in a remote church in Italy be connected to the legend of King Arthur? A world expert on Arthurian legends is on a mission to find out how a tiny pendant challenges the origins of Christianity, and the mysteries surrounding the so-called Orpheus amulet.
Episode Death Cult Temple & Bog Bodies of Ireland – The archaeological findings of Gobekli Tepe, a Neolithic hilltop sanctuary in Turkey, and the discovery of a series of maimed bodies at a muddy landscape in Ireland.