Cities of the Underworld — Season 1

Aired 2 March 2007 • 43 min

Istanbul is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic and exotic cities in the world. Once the capital city of three of the world's most powerful empires--The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman--its strategic location made it the perfect spot for empires to rise, fall...and rise again. Residents of Istanbul walk on top of remnants of these fallen civilizations...literally. Taxis drive over parts of Constantine's Lost Great Palace; children play on cobblestone streets concealing a massive Byzantine dungeon; a high school sits on a 3rd century wall leading to the bowels of a 100,000 seat ancient Roman Hippodrome; and basement's of old Ottoman homes lead to subterranean tunnels and secret cisterns. Join host Eric Geller as he leaves the buzz of the city streets behind and follows the pull of the past. Teamed with leading archeologists and experts, Eric peels back the layers of the past--to reveal a hidden history that hasn't seen the light of day for ages.

Aired 23 April 2007 • 43 min

Constrained for space by a stone defensive wall and steep terrain, the people of Edinburgh build both high rises and subterranean dwellings to provide living space. Out of sight, the underworld attracts all manor of seedy activities.

Aired 30 April 2007 • 43 min

This program reviews Adolf Hilter's and Albert Speer's plans for a building boom that would turn Berlin into the capital city of the world. The plan included substantial below ground ...

Aired 7 May 2007 • 43 min

Much of modern Rome is built upon the foundations of the first century Roman city and was above Goraud at that time. Eric visits some of these ruins and his guides explain the activities that occurred there two thousand years ago.

Aired 14 May 2007 • 43 min

Eric finds some knowledgeable guides to take him on a clandestine tour of the catacombs of Paris. Originally a limestone quarry, the vacant space produced its own utility and a rich history in war and in peace to hide things better kept unseen. But the catacombs also represent cracks in the foundation that threaten the stability of the city above the surface.

Aired 21 May 2007 • 43 min

Budapest is built upon on network of natural limestone caves that have been in use since humans first moved into the area. While exploring the caves Eric shares their color history which includes several violent periods in Budapest's past.

Aired 4 June 2007 • 43 min

New York City's underground harbors secrets and surprises befitting the most important city on earth. Eric shares these secrets in tours under Grand Central Terminal, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center and New York's original aqueduct.

Aired 11 June 2007 • 43 min

For thousands of years London has been among the most powerful cities in the world, below the busy streets and marketplaces another city hides--a city of Roman baths, secret crypts, lost rivers, indestructible bunkers that could hold up to 8,000 people, Winston Churchill's hidden war-rooms; host Eric Geller.

Aired 18 June 2007 • 43 min

The bombardment of Naples during World War Two revealed a forgotten underground world of ancient buildings, caverns and tunnels. This was fortunate because the underground provided shelter from the bombing as well as a window into Naples past all the back to the Greek Empire.

Aired 25 June 2007 • 43 min

Discover the fascinating and unknown history that lies below major cities around the world today. Explore these layers, which are often hundreds of feet deep. Discover everything form dank dungeons to underground shipwrecks that have been lost for centuries.

Aired 9 July 2007 • 43 min

Visit the city of Bucharest, Romania and learn about its most famous citizen, Vlad the Impaler, more commonly known as Dracula. Travel underground as secret prisons, caves and dungeons are revealed. Only through the bleak subterranean stretches can one come face-to-face with the truth about this infamous Romanian ruler.

Aired 16 July 2007 • 43 min

4000 years ago, a mysterious pagan society called the Hittites dug deep into the soft volcanic rock to carve out an intricate underworld. But after almost 800 years of rule, the Hittite Empire vanished without a trace. Where did their people go and what clues have they left behind in their complex subterranean world?

Aired 23 July 2007 • 43 min

100 years ago Portland, Oregon was a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth.

Aired 30 July 2007 • 43 min

What was the secret to the success of ancient Rome? Aqueducts, underground neighborhoods and one of the oldest sewer systems reveal many secrets. The largest and most influential empire in history leaves clues to her greatness under nearly every street.