Great Expeditions

China's second imperial dynasty, the Han, constructed a true city of the dead a series of spectacular tombs, many of which still exist today. They built the tombs large enough to command respect and establish their right to rule, but were challenged to do so without bankrupting the national treasury and oppressing thousands of workers. NGC journeys back to this ancient world to see how the Han expanded the mega-tomb concept.

Roald Amundsen was the first explorer to reach the South Pole and a pop star of his time but he disappeared in 1928 after his plane crashed in the Arctic. Now, his great-grandson joins a large-scale navy expedition to uncover the truth behind the legendary explorer's disappearance. They head out into the icy Barents Sea, following the route laid out by a 1930s fisherman who snared a seaplane wing in his lines.

The Druids of Celtic Britain are remembered as mystical holy men, holding the secrets of nature. But ancient sources -- including Julius Caesar himself -- accused them of human sacrifice, even cannibalism. Now, new discoveries are uncovering the secrets of these Celtic pagan priests. Learn how a recent discovery of a cloaked man buried almost 2,000 years ago with mysterious metal rods has been linked with the Druids for the first time.

Seven years ago, on his third trip to the Black Sea, Dr. Robert Ballard discovered a miraculously well-preserved Byzantine shipwreck, but his team could only take pictures. Now, Ballard returns with state-of-the-art technology and a revolutionary $1.5 million robot known as "Hercules" to excavate two shipwrecks for the first time ever, including one of the most pristine ancient vessels ever found. Ballard and his team have only two weeks, so they must work in perfect precision on their hunt for the Ghost Ships of the Black Sea

With little direction aside from a survivors testimony and a cryptic clue, salvage expert Barry Clifford embarks on the search of a lifetime to uncover the near 300 year old wreck site of the Whydah Galley and its four and a half tons of treasure in The Pirate Code. The special brings to life Black Sam Bellamy - a legend during the Golden Age of Piracy and follows one mans quest to resurrect Black Sam's ship from its watery grave.

It's said to be over 5,000 years old and more than 4,000 miles long, but even today nobody really knows for sure. The Great Wall of China is one of the worlds most famous constructions, but it is still one of the least understood. For historian William Lindesay, exploring the Great Wall has become his lifetime obsession. Now he'll journey to some of the most remote parts of China's national monument.