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The Best Episodes of Secrets of the Dead

Every episode of Secrets of the Dead ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Secrets of the Dead!

The Best Episodes of Secrets of the Dead

Part detective story, part true-life drama, long-running series explores some of the most iconic moments in history to debunk myths and shed new light on...
  1. Background image for Vampire Legend
    10.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Vampire Legend

    S15:E1

    Information gathered about aberrant, unorthodox burial practices from medieval times shed some light on how today's myths about vampires may have started.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for The Woman in the Iron Coffin
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - The Woman in the Iron Coffin

    S17:E3

    On October 4, 2011, construction workers were shocked to uncover human remains in an abandoned lot in the Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens, New York. So great was the level of preservation, witnesses first assumed they had stumbled upon a recent homicide. Forensic analysis, however, revealed a remarkably different story. Buried in an elaborate and expensive iron coffin, the body belonged to a young African American woman who died in the first half of the 19th century, before the Civil War and the federal abolishment of slavery. But who was she? Secrets of the Dead: The Woman in the Iron Coffin follows forensic archaeologist Scott Warnasch and a team of historians and scientists as they investigate this woman’s story and the time in which she lived, revealing a vivid picture of what life was like for free African American people in the North.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for Catastrophe (1)
    8.4/10(20 votes)

    #3 - Catastrophe (1)

    S1:E1

    Did a cataclysmic event plunge humankind into the period known as the early Dark Ages? Scientists now believe the early Dark Ages may have been triggered by a natural event that occurred around 535 A.D. Science writer David Keys is convinced that the cause was a phenomenon of cataclysmic proportions. At the center of a complex chain of events seems to be "a loud bang" -- a volcanic explosion equal to "two thousand million Hiroshima size bombs." The subsequent environmental calamity, Keys believes, affected human civilization from Mongolia to Constantinople, precipitating plague, famine, death, great migration, the fall of the great Mexican city of Teotihuacan, the Anglo-Saxon victory over the Celts and perhaps even the rise of Islam. (UK / PBS) Released to video (VHS) as a single episode. Run time 1:50.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Blood Red Roses
    8.4/10(21 votes)

    #4 - Blood Red Roses

    S4:E1

    The Battle of Towton in North Yorkshire, fought during the Wars of the Roses, was reputedly the bloodiest battle ever seen on English soil. In 1996 a mass grave of soldiers was discovered there by chance. This was the catalyst for a multi-disciplinary research project, still unique in Britain ten years after the initial discovery, which included a study of the skeletal remains, the battlefield landscape, the historical evidence and contemporary arms and armour. The discoveries were dramatic and moving; the individuals had clearly suffered traumatic deaths and subsequent research highlighted the often multiple wounds each individual had received before and, in some cases, after they had died. As well as the exciting forensic work the project also revealed much about medieval weaponry and fighting. Blood Red Roses contains all the information about this fascinating discovery, as well as discussing its wider historical, heritage and archaeological implications. (UK/PBS)

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for Bombing Nazi Dams
    8.3/10(23 votes)

    #5 - Bombing Nazi Dams

    S3:E6

    In the spring of 1943, Allied forces to begin preparations for a top secret Allied raid. Each aircraft carried a top-secret weapon -- a newly-invented bouncing bomb -- designed to shatter Germany's major dams.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for Catastrophe (2)
    8.1/10(20 votes)

    #6 - Catastrophe (2)

    S1:E2

    Did a cataclysmic event plunge humankind into the period known as the early Dark Ages? Scientists now believe the early Dark Ages may have been triggered by a natural event that occurred around 535 A.D. Science writer David Keys is convinced that the cause was a phenomenon of cataclysmic proportions. At the center of a complex chain of events seems to be "a loud bang" -- a volcanic explosion equal to "two thousand million Hiroshima size bombs." The subsequent environmental calamity, Keys believes, affected human civilization from Mongolia to Constantinople, precipitating plague, famine, death, great migration, the fall of the great Mexican city of Teotihuacan, the Anglo-Saxon victory over the Celts and perhaps even the rise of Islam. (UK / PBS) Released to video (VHS) as a single episode. Run time 1:50.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for The Hunt for Nazi Scientists
    8.1/10(34 votes)

    #7 - The Hunt for Nazi Scientists

    S5:E1

    Days after D-Day, Allied forces joined together for a different kind of mission. Through rare footage, eyewitness testimonies, and real-life accounts, the story is told of the race to capture the German physicists and other scientists and any secrets they may hold of advanced 'vengeance' weapons. Finding the scientists could mean gaining significant advantage in the looming Cold War. Liev Schreiber narrates the story of the scientists' dramatic capture and the influences they have on wars today.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Last Days of Pompeii
    8.1/10(35 votes)

    #8 - Last Days of Pompeii

    S20:E2

    An ornate ceremonial chariot was recently discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, offering insights into the lives of wealthy, high-ranking landowners who lived outside the city. Buried by the Vesuvius eruption 2,000 years ago, this is not a humble transport cart. “It's the Lamborghini of this ancient world,” says Eric Poehler, an expert on ancient infrastructure in Pompeii.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for Field of Vampires
    8.1/10(35 votes)

    #9 - Field of Vampires

    S22:E2

    In 2022, a terrifying discovery: a female skeleton dating from 1650, buried with a sickle across her neck and giant padlock on her toe — double protection to keep her from rising from the dead. All the evidence points to her being buried as a vampire... and she’s not alone, with more than 50 deviant burials around her. Who was she and what did these burial rituals mean?

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Ultimate Tut
    8.0/10(84 votes)

    #10 - Ultimate Tut

    S12:E5

    New scientific research provides insights into how King Tutankhamen was buried, why his tomb remained intact and how he died.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Dick Cavett's Watergate
    8.0/10(54 votes)

    #11 - Dick Cavett's Watergate

    S13:E6

    Dick Cavett's Watergate offers a unique opportunity to mark the 40th anniversary of a defining moment in American history. From 1972 to 1974 the Watergate scandal unfolded on The Dick Cavett Show, as Cavett interviewed nearly every major Watergate figure, even non-political guests expressed their opinions. Dick Cavett's Watergate documents the scandal in the words of the people who lived it.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for King Arthur's Lost Kingdom
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #12 - King Arthur's Lost Kingdom

    S17:E5

    Uncover new archaeological evidence rewriting our understanding of the Dark Ages in 5th– and 6th-century Britain that might also explain the legend of King Arthur.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for World War Speed
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #13 - World War Speed

    S17:E7

    Follow historian James Holland on his quest to understand how the use of amphetamines affected the course of World War II and unleashed the first pharmacological arms race.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for The Civil War's Lost Massacre
    8.0/10(30 votes)

    #14 - The Civil War's Lost Massacre

    S22:E1

    Originally a supply depot for Union forces in Kentucky, Camp Nelson became the site where 10,000 Black soldiers trained in the Civil War. But in the war’s last months, these soldiers were attacked by bitter Southerners. Their remains have never been found, and a team is dedicated to finding them to memorialize their service and heroism.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part One)
    8.0/10(21 votes)

    #15 - Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part One)

    S22:E5

    Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse, who became Hermann Göring’s personal collector in Paris, tasked with finding the most desirable works of art the Nazis stole from Jews. Post-war, Lohse spent a brief time in prison, but then returned to Munich and resumed his career as a dealer, more often than not trading in art looted during World War II.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)
    8.0/10(21 votes)

    #16 - Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)

    S22:E6

    Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse, who became Hermann Göring’s personal collector in Paris, tasked with finding the most desirable works of art the Nazis stole from Jews. Post-war, Lohse spent a brief time in prison, but then returned to Munich and resumed his career as a dealer, more often than not trading in art looted during World War II.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Bridge on the River Kwai
    7.9/10(33 votes)

    #17 - Bridge on the River Kwai

    S4:E2

    (Modern Mysteries) While remnants of the abandoned structure exist today, jungles have consumed much of what remains. Construction records and documents revealing the railway’s route are scarce. So just how did a team of men in such poor condition and confronted with so many obstacles manage to build the railway? And how did their Allied brethren achieve its demolition?

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for Bones of the Buddha
    7.9/10(60 votes)

    #18 - Bones of the Buddha

    S12:E6

    Bones of the Buddha is a 2013 television documentary produced by Icon Films and commissioned by WNET/THIRTEEN and ARTE France for the National Geographic Channels. It concerns a controversial Buddhist reliquary from the Piprahwa Stupa in Uttar Pradesh, India. It was released in May, 2013, and was broadcast in July 2013 in the US on PBS as part of the Secrets of the Dead series.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Graveyard of the Giant Beasts
    7.9/10(36 votes)

    #19 - Graveyard of the Giant Beasts

    S16:E2

    A mining operation in Cerrejon, Northern Colombia reveals a large cache of fossils dating to ten millions years after the KT extinction of the dinosaurs.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Bugging Hitler's Soldiers
    7.8/10(87 votes)

    #20 - Bugging Hitler's Soldiers

    S12:E2

    German POWs reveal inner thoughts about the Third Reich, including military secrets that helped the Allies win World War II.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery
    7.8/10(27 votes)

    #21 - Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery

    S22:E3

    Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire, which controlled much of the region between the 9th and 15th centuries. The stunning accomplishments of Angkor’s great kings are clear to see –but the period preceding the foundation of their great city is shrouded in mystery. Now, the discovery of an incredible hoard of stunning artifacts is providing surprising new clues about this early Khmer society.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Day of the Zulu
    7.7/10(18 votes)

    #22 - Day of the Zulu

    S2:E4

    During the Anglo-Zulu wars in South Africa, the success of small British regiments against huge numbers of native warriors became the stuff of legend. But in one key 1879 battle, Zulu fighting unites known as Impis decimated the British forces at the battle of Isandlwana. Historian Ian Knight and forensic archaeologist Tony Pollard investigate the battle scene, trying to assess the impact of a solar eclipse on the outcome, and discovering the Zulu use of performance enhancing "battle drugs" that included cannabis and a powerful hallucinogenic mushroom. New evidence reveals the changing tide of the battle, the innovative strategy of the Zulu and one Critical, irreversible British mistake. (UK/PBS 55 min)

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Search for the First Human
    7.7/10(19 votes)

    #23 - Search for the First Human

    S3:E1

    Explore the scientific mystery of human genesis through a close investigation of 13 fossils found in October 2000. The bones are the oldest hominid remains ever discovered — so old that they come from the time when the divergence of man and ape is thought to have occurred — and could be the blueprint for the first generation of the species that ultimately evolved into modern humans

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for Magellan’s Crossing
    7.7/10(49 votes)

    #24 - Magellan’s Crossing

    S19:E1

    500 years ago, Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set sail to gain control of the global spice trade. What resulted was the first circumnavigation of the earth, laying the groundwork for colonization and globalization still felt today.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for The First Circle of Stonehenge
    7.7/10(42 votes)

    #25 - The First Circle of Stonehenge

    S19:E3

    A decade-long archaeological quest reveals that the oldest stones of Stonehenge originally belonged to a much earlier sacred site – a stone circle built on a rugged, remote hillside in west Wales.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"Vampire Legend" is the best rated episode of "Secrets of the Dead". It scored 10/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/27/2015. This episode scored 1.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Woman in the Iron Coffin".