Ancient Mysteries

- Season 5

(1997)

Tattooing. A form of art in which the canvas is the human skin. This ancient craft is not just a modern phenomenon but has also been practiced by tribal cultures from around the world for thousands of years. How did it originate?

It has been called the city of miracles - where the blind are made to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk. Could the waters of Lourdes in fact contain mysterious healing properties?

Nearly two thousand years ago, a shadowy group called alchemists embarked on a mysterious dangerous quest. In primitive laboratories they risked their lives trying to make gold. They also searched for divine wisdom - and the secret of immortality. Mysteries abound in alchemy's dark history. Was Sir Isaac Newton, one of history's greater minds, driven mad by his secret obsession with alchemy? Did masters of alchemy possess secret wisdom? What were they really seeking?

"The Search for the Abominable Snowman" attempts to determine if the creature, known by such names as Yeti and Temu, is more than a folk tale.

It is one of the holiest relics of Christianity and has inspired many a knightly adventure. But does this fabled chalice really exist?

Their courage struck terror in their enemies; their wealth made them the most powerful men in Europe; their rites inspired rumors of blasphemy. Did the Knights Templar find ancient secrets buried beneath Solomon's Temple?

Is death the ultimate end, or merely a stop on a continuing journey? From the Dalai Lama to claims of past lives, probe the riddles of reincarnation and examine real cases.

The Incas held lavish banquets for their mummified chiefs, where corpses were dressed in fine clothes, exquisite jewelry and offer the choicest food and drink. This program tries to uncover the secrets of the world's most mysterious death cult.

They are the oldest continual culture on earth. Enshrined in oral traditions stretching back perhaps 100,000 years are secrets which are memorized by initiates but strictly forbidden any outsiders. Their ancient chants and rites may bring fertility to the land, health to the sick and death to their enemies. Dreamtime of the Aborigines is a spellbinding journey into the mysteries of this ancient culture. Join host Leonard Nimoy as he investigates the astonishing philosophy that appears to bind the present, past and future into one and give these people stunning power. ...