Stéphane Bégoin

Invisible but fundamental to life on the planet, wind has inspired many myths in human civilizations. A key player in oxygenating the oceans, it governs the movements of insect and bird populations, shapes the plant world, influences transportation, and is an inexhaustible source of energy. By turns devastating and beneficial, whether dry, violent, hot, cold, or humid, it lays down the law wherever it blows. There are thousands of them around the globe, each with its own characteristics. At the crossroads of geography, history, human adventure, and science, Grands Vents follows the path of five iconic winds—the Mistral of Provence, the Chinook of the Rockies, the transatlantic trade winds, the North African Sirocco, and the Indian monsoon—through the eyes of those who study them, await them, fear them, or even enjoy them.

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The once most magnificent imperial city in China is located in what is now Fengyang. The first city of the Ming dynasty was a model for all those who followed - including Beijing. After around 600 years underground, the ruined city is now being excavated again. Archaeologists, researchers, historians and workers are following in the footsteps of a bygone era and gaining new insights into the fate of a mysterious city every day.

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Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

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Nicknamed the "Versailles of Andalucia", Medina Azahara is one of the most important Islamic archaeological sites in the world. Recognized as Heritage of Humanity, this unique caliphal city, built four centuries before the Alhambra, is the object of a new excavation campaign, led by a team of international researchers.

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From China to Venice, each country preciously kept the secret of its specialty. Industrial espionage, kidnappings, debauchery or innovations, the royal envoys will not shrink from anything and intrigue in often incredible conditions to victoriously impose French splendour in Europe.

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In Summer 2008, a mysterious submarine, German U-boat U-455 is discovered off the coast of Italy at 120 meters deep. For Lorenzo del Veneziano, an underwater marine archeologist, it's an amazing sight. The U-boat is intact! It stands almost vertically at the bottom of the sea, it's hull stuck in the sediment. What is the story of this ship? The history of U-455 & cause of the sinking are revealed.

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Why do 600 inhabitants of the small southern Spanish town of Coria del Río bear the surname "Japón"? It is the legacy of an unusual expedition that took place 400 years ago: In October 1613, the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga boarded the galleon "San Juan Bautista" on behalf of the ruler Date Masamune in Sendai, Japan. In addition to merchants, warriors and Spanish sailors, the Spanish Franciscan monk Luis Sotelo, who spoke fluent Japanese, also embarked. The legation wanted to obtain permission from the Spanish King Philip III and Pope Paul V to open a new sea route to India alongside the spice route; in return, Christian missionaries were to be sent to Japan. When he set off, Hasekura Tsunenaga had no idea that the journey would take seven years. Who was this Japanese samurai? What is known about his motives and what is known about the actual background to the expedition?

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A look at relevant scientific issues

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Mixing in-depth excavation work and scientific analysis of the forgotten city of Naachtun, this documentary traces the dawn and dusk of the once-flourishing Mayan civilisation.

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Coming in all shapes and sizes, bacteria are present in every corner of the Earth. Their purposes and types are even more diverse, with only 1% being truly harmful. Dive into the world of Bacteria to experience the latest discoveries and scientific knowledge surrounding these plentiful and necessary microbes.

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Our planet’s lakes make up a huge freshwater reserve delicately balanced between the water that feeds them and the rivers they feed.

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In 2008, German U- boat U-455 was discovered off the coast of Italy. 400 feet down, the submarine stands almost vertically on the ocean floor. This documentary will reveal its history and the cause of its demise.

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A magnificent trading vessel embarks on a royal expedition to a mysterious, treasure-laden land called Punt. Is this journey, intricately depicted on the wall of one of Egypt's most impressive temples, mere myth--or was it a reality? NOVA follows a team of archeologists and boat builders as they reconstruct the mighty vessel shown in the mysterious carving, and then finally launch it in to the Red Sea on a unique voyage of discovery.

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Legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent ships to the land of Punt. Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage, in search of this mythical land.

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Over three thousand years ago, legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent a fleet of ships to the wonderful, distant land of Punt. A bas-relief in the temple where she is entombed in Luxor shows them bringing back extraordinary treasures. But did this expedition really happen? And if it did, where exactly is the land of Punt? Drawing upon recent finds, the archaeologist Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage, in a full-size replica of one of these ancient ships, sailing it in the wake of Hatshepsut's fleet, in search of the mythical land of Punt. A human adventure as well as a scientific challenge, the expedition proves that, contrary to popular belief, the ancient Egyptians had the necessary tools, science and techniques to sail the seas.

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Cheryl Ward, American archaeologist and world specialist in ancient navigation, is coordinating the design and construction of the replica of an Egyptian ship from the time of the New Kingdom. Details for building the ship come from a bas-relief from the temple of Deir el-Bahri in Luxor. This inscriptions recounts that a fleet of five ships, supplied by Queen Hatshepsut in the year 1500 BC, succeeded in finding the marvelous and far-off land of Punt, from whence they brought back the most extraordinary riches. Once the reconstruction is completed, the team intends to sail in the wake of Hatshepsut’s fleet aboard their reconstructed vessel to find the mythical land of Punt and prove that the Egyptians were a seafaring people. This film proposes a unique explanation of this historic voyage, following the true adventure of historians, Egyptologists and archaeologists, and sheds new light on the reign of Queen Hatshepsut.

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Cave paintings and lunar calendars exist in the caves and remains of prehistoric hunters studied recently. What if Prehistoric Man were clever enough to develop in depth scientific knowledge? As unlikely as it may seem, new data tend to prove that Prehistoric Man actually invented Astronomy!

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PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

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Invisible but fundamental to life on the planet, wind has inspired many myths in human civilizations. A key player in oxygenating the oceans, it governs the movements of insect and bird populations, shapes the plant world, influences transportation, and is an inexhaustible source of energy. By turns devastating and beneficial, whether dry, violent, hot, cold, or humid, it lays down the law wherever it blows. There are thousands of them around the globe, each with its own characteristics. At the crossroads of geography, history, human adventure, and science, Grands Vents follows the path of five iconic winds—the Mistral of Provence, the Chinook of the Rockies, the transatlantic trade winds, the North African Sirocco, and the Indian monsoon—through the eyes of those who study them, await them, fear them, or even enjoy them.

Open details →

Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

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Through unreleased archives and contemporary footage shot in the archeological digs of World War I's battlefields, this film tells the heroic and tragic tale of the American soldiers in this terrible conflict.

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A look at relevant scientific issues

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Legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent ships to the land of Punt. Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage, in search of this mythical land.

Open details →