Sacred Sites

New discoveries reveal a hidden power structure in Egypt – one controlled by women. Archeology at Egypt's sacred sites reveal a succession of female priests who were said to be married to the King of Gods himself – Amun. These priestesses held control and influence throughout the entire Egyptian kingdom. The temples of ancient Egypt conceal evidence of their mysterious sexual rituals. Now, archaeologists investigate these sacred sites to recapture their story and piece together the puzzling source of their power.

A series of massive standing stones in Germany's Teutoburg Forest formed the center of an ancient Germanic religion – or so the Nazi party claimed. Led by SS commander Heinrich Himmler, Nazi archaeologists attempted to uncover the sacred sites of a pure Aryan religion. From the site of German victories over ancient Rome, to a medieval castle associated with the Holy Grail and a prehistoric site of human sacrifice, the Nazi propaganda machine turned real discoveries into dark myths that bore little relationship to history. But their warped ideology would have catastrophic consequences for millions.

For thousands of years, the world has been dominated by men. But at different times and places, women played a dynamic role in ancient civilizations--a role that has been all but written out of history...until now. Follow archaeologists to ancient sites in  Ireland, Greece, Egypt, Spain, and beyond, where wise women and priestesses communed with mother goddesses and fertility deities, held sacred rituals, and occupied a central place in society. Then see how shifts in technology and religion placed women under threat like never before, with shocking and horrific consequences.

Over millennia, human societies across the globe have been hit by cataclysms that have obliterated entire civilizations, leaving only the timeworn ruins of their great monuments and sacred sites. Follow archaeologists to Malta, Orkney Island, and the locations of ancient Mayan cities as they investigate evidence of past apocalyptic events. Then see how, in the wake of disaster, new societies have emerged, along with new understandings of who we are and what our place is in the universe.