Thu, Apr 27, 2023
Since mankind has been able to count, it has tried to understand and measure the observable phenomena of time. Whether it is past, present or future, time is one of the most complex notions in the universe. From prehistoric times to the present, the fabrication of time has been the object of a perpetual scientific quest. A group of experts, composed of astrophysicists, engineers and historians, follows in the footsteps of these genius inventors who have revolutionized the perception of time and the world. This conquest provoked technological ruptures at the origin of today's world.
Thu, Nov 25, 2021
How did the human race appear? In Kromdraai, South Africa, the French paleoanthropologist José Braga discovered the remains of two children dating back 2.5 million years. These are the oldest bones ever found. One is human, the other paranthrop, a hominid that is our closest cousin. This archaeological investigation is the starting point of an unprecedented scientific adventure, which could finally lift the veil on the origins of humanity.
Thu, Oct 6, 2022
200 years ago, a young French scientist, Jean-François Champollion, succeeded in doing the impossible: deciphering the code of the hieroglyphs, which had remained silent for over a thousand years. Thanks to this key, an entire civilization buried under the sands of Egypt was reborn... In the south of the country, near Luxor, a palace of hieroglyphs intrigues Egyptologists: the tomb of a priest called Padiamenope, the most monumental in Egypt, larger than those of the pharaohs. An exclusive access to the heart of the archaeological mission of the tomb of Padiamenope "TT 33", of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO), reveals their latest discoveries. Thanks to a unique 3D virtual tour system, this film allows us to plunge into the dark depths and the scorching heat of the tomb and to penetrate the secrets of the priests, scribes, painters, engravers and builders who constructed this extraordinary funerary monument.
Thu, Dec 9, 2021
The Bayeux tapestry is a priceless and very special jewel. Although fragile, it has miraculously survived the centuries to reach the present day. Created in the 11th century, this giant 70-metre-long work recounts the capture of the kingdom of England by William the Conqueror, the man who would become one of the most powerful kings in Western Europe. Since its rediscovery in the 18th century, the Tapestry has intrigued with its apparent inconsistencies, its mysteries yet to be unraveled. Today, archaeologists, historians, biologists, anthropologists and even astrophysicists are pooling their research to keep the tapestry "talking".
Thu, Sep 7, 2023
In the heart of Paris, an entire palace has disappeared. It was the very first residence of the kings of France. Long before Versailles, long before the Louvre, the Palais de la Cité stood on the most prestigious island in Paris, the historic cradle of France, opposite Notre-Dame. So majestic in the Middle Ages, this palace has become a ghost of history. Over the centuries, this architectural masterpiece has almost completely disappeared. A trio of experts will bring it back to life in 3D. Using science and unprecedented excavations, they will track down the pieces of the puzzle to reconstitute it at its peak in the 14th century, and bring back to life the people who inhabited it. From the Romans to the Vikings, from Saint-Louis to the accursed kings, all have left clues to this "Versailles of the Middle Ages".