Strata: Portraits of Humanity is a monthly half-hour newsmagazine-style show. Each episode of the human story is a portrait building on the many layers of the human experience. This is a record we are just beginning to uncover. From that perspective, Strata delivers in-depth coverage of a wide variety of archaeological and cultural heritage topics all around the world.
In and near Istanbul; The Mountain Wars of Fiji
(1)The region surrounding Turkey’s Sea of Marmara, including the storied capitol city, Istanbul, is renowned for its visible reminders of antiquity. (2)Across the islands of Fiji, hilltop fortresses tell a tale of a warfare and cannibalism going back a thousand years, when the war gods demanded tribute or revenge...
Basque arborglyphs; abandoned US World War II base in the UK
For more than half-a-century, Jean and Phillip Earl of Reno, Nevada, have used clues from old maps, letters and books to hunt for and document “Mountain Picassos.” UK archaeology student Rebecca Kellawan journeys to uncover the use of a crumbling, abandoned US World War II base located on the grounds of a beautiful Victorian estate...
Betty's Hope
The Caribbean island of Antigua sat at the crossroads of the first transatlantic economy. This documentary is about how a sugar plantation, called Betty’s Hope, was started in 1650 during colonial rule and gave many Antiguans economic support. This plantation was owned by Sir Christopher Codrington, the governor of the Leeward Islands, and lasted from 1674 to 1944...
Historical archaeology in downtown Boise; South Carolina pottery kiln excavation
The unexpected discovery of a well associated with one of the earliest homes in Boise, Idaho, led to an archaeological excavation. The home was built by a leading citizen, Cyrus Jacobs, and later became a Basque boarding house. The University of Illinois excavates an industrial pottery kiln that began operation in the early 1800s producing the “tupperware” of the time, a commodity...
Historic wetland in England; Nevada Basque celebration
From King Arthur and the Isle of Avalon to the incredibly preserved remains of prehistoric trackways and lake villages, the unique wetland of the Somerset Levels and Moors in southwest England. For 50 years, Basque families across the American West have gathered in Elko, Nevada, on the July Fourth weekend to celebrate their culture...
Archaeology in 12 Minutes; Photographing the Invisible
Christian Ris explains the story of archaeology, its challenges and major advances in a narrative style with numerous archived images. Using black light and intricate exploitation of digital photography, the walls of the catacombs of Kom el-Shougafa in Alexandria, the mummies of the Taklamakan Desert in China...