Pore over the remains of a ramp that was instrumental in the Roman victory at Masada. Then, take a closer look at controversies over the mass suicide of the Jewish rebels and the views of the historian Josephus: whose writings are our most important source of information about this event.

"By the end of April 1945 in Germany, the Third Reich had fallen and invasion was underway. As the Red Army advanced, horrifying stories spread about the depravity of its soldiers. For many German people, there seemed to be nothing left but disgrace and despair. For tens of thousands of them, the only option was to choose death -- for themselves and for their children. "Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself" recounts this little-known mass event. Using...

In the spring of 73 AD the rock fortress of Masada on the western shore of the Dead Sea was the site of an event that was breathtaking in its courage and self-sacrifice. Here the last of the Jewish Zealots who, for nearly eight years, had waged war against the Roman occupiers of their country made their last stand. The Zealots on Masada had withstood a two-year siege but with Roman victory finally assured, they were faced by two options: capture or...

The Despair has plagued the earth for five years. Most of the world's population has inexplicably died by its own hand, and the few survivors struggle to remain alive. A mysterious, shadowy group called the Collectors has emerged, inevitably appearing to remove the bodies of the dead. But in the crumbling state of Florida, a man named Norman takes an unprecedented stand against the Collectors, propelling him on a journey across North America. It's...

An inspiring and powerful memoir of surviving the Jonestown massacre and becoming a fearless voice against injustice and inequality by California congresswoman Jackie Speier. Jackie Speier was twenty-eight when she joined Congressman Leo Ryan's delegation to rescue defectors from cult leader Jim Jones's Peoples Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Ryan was killed on the airstrip tarmac. Jackie was shot five times at point-blank range. While recovering from...

Twenty years ago, an inexplicable unsolved mass suicide occurred in the millionaire Yang household. Only one heir secretly survived and years later he inherits the family mansion and returns there with his fiancee. Mysterious and deadly events begin to take place, the demented legacy of the Yang family curse is reborn and history is soon poised to repeat itself.

A lost city is discovered in an emerald jungle of Honduras; the remains of Viking settlements confirm the fierceness of these warriors, but also reveal that they were proud poets; recent excavations expose the story of the mass suicide on Masada in ancient Israel as a myth. ARCHAEOLOGY brings the diversity of our human past to life with dramatic stories, new discoveries, and exciting explorations. This series of 13 X 30 minute programs, hosted by...