Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: Dawn of Civilisations

2026 • 1 Season

World-class historian Bettany Hughes journeys across modern-day Türkiye to uncover the origins of civilisation itself. With exclusive access to newly discovered sites and artifacts - including the world’s first square room, the oldest known swords, and the first life-sized human sculptures - she explores the birth of agriculture, religion, trade, urban life, myths, and empire. From Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe to Ephesus, Cappadocia, Istanbul, and the snowy Caucasus mountains, this cinematic journey reveals how ancient Anatolia became a crossroads of human history - and helped shape the world we know today.

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Episode 2

S01 E02 • Saturday, Aug 15, 2026 • Aug 15

In the concluding part of her journey across Turkey, Bettany goes back in time to the extraordinary Neolithic sites of Karahantepe and Göbeklitepe, where life-sized stone figures, which lay buried for 12,000 years, offer a glimpse into a world emerging from the last ice age. She also travels to Gordion, the legendary home of King Midas - the man with the golden touch - and on to Sardis, the seat of King Croesus, as she investigates the dramatic rise and fall of ancient civilisations, where myths and historical reality meet.

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