or


[09/10/14 - 07:57 AM]
Smithsonian Channel(TM) - "Stonehenge Empire" - Two-Hour Program Premieres Sunday, September 21 at 8PM ET/PT
The two-hour special exclusively reveals the results of a five-year project that utilized revolutionary new technology to map the whole area around the site and reveal what lies beneath the surface.

[via press release from Smithsonian Channel]

SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL(TM)

"STONEHENGE EMPIRE"

TWO-HOUR PROGRAM PREMIERES SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 AT 8PM ET/PT

Five-year Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project Reveals Lost Monuments, Dramatic Picture of Stone Circle As Hub of Ancient Valley of the Kings

New York, NY, September 10, 2014 - Stonehenge is one of the world's most iconic monuments, yet despite centuries of intense scrutiny many of the biggest questions about its inspiration, origins and evolution remain unanswered. Now, STONEHENGE EMPIRE, a new two-hour Smithsonian Channel special premiering Sunday, September 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively reveals the results of a five-year project that utilized revolutionary new technology to map the whole area around the site and reveal what lies beneath the surface. Drawing on this new data, alongside state-of-the art CGI and dramatic reconstructions, STONEHENGE EMPIRE provides the most complete picture ever of Stonehenge and the prehistoric culture that flourished around it.

Stonehenge has been a magnet for archaeologists for centuries, but this new 21st Century research has achieved, in just a few years, what conventional excavation would have taken a lifetime to complete. Led by experts from the University of Birmingham in the UK, and the Ludwig Boltzman Institute in Austria, the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project used state of the art survey equipment, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and aerial photography, to "peel away" the surface of about 5-1/2 square miles around the site, and show how seemingly empty fields contain myriad hidden structures.

"This is the culmination of five years of research, a two-hour special which reveals for the first time a megalithic Valley of the Kings," said David Royle, Smithsonian Channel's Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. "Smithsonian Channel prides itself on bringing this scale of groundbreaking scientific discovery to the American public."

"The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project is unique at a global level. Not only has it revolutionized how archaeologists use new technologies to interpret the past, it has transformed how we understand Stonehenge and its landscape," said British project leader Professor Vincent Gaffney, Chair in Landscape Archaeology and Geomatics at the University of Birmingham. "This project has revealed that the area around Stonehenge is teeming with previously unseen archaeology and that the application of new technology can transform how archaeologists and the wider public understand one of the best-studied landscapes on Earth. Stonehenge may never be the same again."

"A site like Stonehenge can only be understood by looking at the monuments around it and how that landscape has evolved," said Dr. Henry Chapman, archaeologist at the University of Birmingham, who appears in the film. Thanks to these new technologies, he added "we've got as complete a picture as we can ever have of the entire landscape. We're reinventing Stonehenge for this generation."

The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project is the largest project of its kind. Remote sensing has discovered hundreds of new features enabling the creation of the most detailed archaeological digital map of the Stonehenge landscape ever produced. The startling results of the survey, unveiled today at the British Science Festival, include 17 previously unknown ritual monuments dating to the period when Stonehenge achieved its iconic shape. Dozens of burial mounds have been mapped in minute detail, including a long barrow (a burial mound dating to before Stonehenge) which reveals a massive timber building, probably used to prepare the dead for burial, a ritual that involved exposure and removal of flesh from the body.

With the benefit of this new archaeological evidence, STONEHENGE EMPIRE also features other new scientific discoveries. The program delivers an unprecedented and comprehensive assessment of the whole site and its 10,000 year chronology, demonstrating that Stonehenge was the crowning achievement and epicenter of a truly remarkable and highly sophisticated civilization that had mastered deep mining, precision engineering, intricate gold working and state-of-the art metallurgy, alongside complex astronomy and mathematics.

STONEHENGE EMPIRE unveils new evidence about why and how the site grew and developed, from its earliest prototype into its current form; how the large stones were transported to the iconic circle; and how and where the people who built Stonehenge over centuries lived.

The project has also revealed new and unexpected information on previously known monuments. Among the most significant relate to the Durrington Walls "super henge," situated a short distance from Stonehenge. This immense ritual monument, probably the largest of its type in the world, has a circumference of nearly a mile. The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project reveals that at one stage the monument was flanked with a row of massive posts or stones, perhaps up to 10 feet high and up to 60 in number - some of which may still survive beneath the massive banks surrounding the monument. Only revealed by the cutting-edge technology used in the project, the survey has added yet another dimension to this vast and enigmatic structure.

STONEHENGE EMPIRE is produced by October Films, Lightship Entertainment and Interspot Films and is a co-production of Smithsonian Channel, BBC Two, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), France 5, ORF Austria and ZDF Germany. Executive Producers for October Films are Adam Bullmore, Terence McKeown and Heinrich Mayer-Moroni. Executive Producers for Smithsonian Channel are David Royle and Charles Poe.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

Smithsonian Channel(TM), owned by Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution, is where curiosity lives, inspiration strikes and wonders never cease. This is the place for awe-inspiring stories, powerful documentaries and amazing entertainment across multiple platforms. Smithsonian Channel combines the storytelling prowess of SHOWTIME(R) with the unmatched resources and rich traditions of the Smithsonian, to create award-winning programming that shines new light on popular genres such as air and space, history, science, nature, and pop culture. Among the network's offerings are series including Aerial America, L.A. Frock Stars, Secrets, Mighty Ships, Mighty Planes and Air Disasters, as well as critically-acclaimed specials that include Civil War 360, 9/11: The Heartland Tapes; MLK: The Assassination Tapes and The Day Kennedy Died. Find out more at www.smithsonianchannel.com.





  [september 2014]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[03/28/24 - 11:07 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion" Debuts April 9
The film uncovers the toxic culture of the teen brand Brandy Melville and the global ramifications of mass-produced clothing known as fast fashion.

[03/28/24 - 11:02 AM]
FX's "Welcome to Wrexham" Shifts Season Three Premiere Date
The May 2 premiere will include the first two episodes of the eight-episode season, with a new episode available each following Thursday.

[03/28/24 - 10:36 AM]
Claire Danes Will Reunite with "Homeland" Showrunner & Executive Producer Howard Gordon on the Netflix Limited Series "The Beast in Me"
A grieving author finds a new subject in a real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance. Her investigation spirals into a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.

[03/28/24 - 10:32 AM]
Roku Originals Reunites "The Real Bros of Simi Valley" for New Movie; Directed by Jimmy Tatro
"The Real Bros of Simi Valley: High School Reunion" is a continuation of the beloved original series, co-created by Jimmy Tatro and Christian Pierce, which became a social media phenomenon generating over a billion views across video platforms.

[03/28/24 - 10:04 AM]
Bravo Reveals Returning Cast for "The Real Housewives of New York City" Season 15
After a successful first bite out of the Big Apple, all six ladies of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York City" will return for season 15, including Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy, Jenna Lyons, Jessel Taank and Brynn Whitfield.

[03/28/24 - 10:03 AM]
Matt Barnes and Anansa Sims Give a Close-Up Look at Navigating Love, Co-Parenting, Fame and More in New Series, "The Barnes Bunch," Premiering Friday, April 19 at 10PM ET on WE tv
This endearing new series follows NBA champion and successful Podcaster, Matt Barnes, alongside his fiancée, model and reality personality, Anansa Sims, as they navigate love, forgiveness, and personal growth while reconciling their past.

[03/28/24 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Dan Da Dan" - Official Trailer - Netflix Anime
This is the story of Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult freak.

[03/28/24 - 10:01 AM]
"Karamo" Renewed for Third Season in National Syndication
"Karamo" is hosted by reality television personality, author, actor, producer and activist Karamo.

[03/28/24 - 09:31 AM]
Video: "Neal Brennan: Crazy Good" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Comedian Neal Brennan riffs in this stand-up special on crypto, social media flexes, sex compliments and the link between greatness and mental health.

[03/28/24 - 09:03 AM]
ESPN+ Unveils Major League Baseball Game Schedule for March and April
ESPN+ will stream a game every day in April, featuring all thirty Major League Baseball Clubs.

[03/28/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory" - Teaser Trailer - Netflix After School
Set six years after the events at Camp Cretaceous, members of "The Nublar Six" are struggling to find their footing off the islands, navigating a world now filled with dinosaurs and people who want to hurt them.

[03/28/24 - 09:01 AM]
WWE on A&E Continues with Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias Joining "WWE Rivals" & More "WWE's Most Wanted Treasures" & "Biography: WWE Legends"
Kicking off on Sunday, April 14, "WWE's Most Wanted Treasures" will feature WWE Hall of Famers Booker T, Mick Foley, and Lita as they hunt for iconic memorabilia and share the history behind some of the most famous items in WWE history.

[03/28/24 - 09:00 AM]
"The Omen" Complete Franchise, Streaming Now on Hulu
To celebrate the new theatrical release, catch up on the supernatural saga with all five films available to stream on Hulu!

[03/28/24 - 08:29 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases the Official Trailer for Horror Anthology Series "THEM: THE SCARE" Starring Deborah Ayorinde, Luke James, Pam Grier, and More!
This second installment will consist of eight episodes and premieres on Thursday, April 25, in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

[03/28/24 - 08:16 AM]
Netflix Lights Up the Sky with 1,000 Drones to Reveal May 1 Launch Date for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Epic Saga, "Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar"
In the series, arch nemeses Mallikajaan and Fareedan are locked in a battle for succession of Heeramandi, where courtesans reign as queens.