Indie prodco Woodcut Media and distributor Woodcut International have unveiled their latest factual doc series Ancients: The Greatest Finds, commissioned by BBC Select.

Currently in production and scheduled for delivery in December, this exciting new series will be presented to buyers at the upcoming MIPCOM market.

Ancients: The Greatest Finds (6 x 45’) explores how Archaeology has transformed our understanding of the ancient world; a 4,000-year period that began with one of the greatest turning points in human history: the shift from mobile hunter-gatherers to settled societies. As people learned to farm, developed writing, built cities and created powerful civilisations, the foundations of the modern world began.  Hidden beneath the waves, in the earth and the sand lie the clues to how our ancestors worshipped, fought, explored, entertained themselves and shaped the world around them.  Across six episodes, Ancients: The Greatest Finds explores six defining themes: Cities, Belief, Warfare, Innovation, Exploration and Entertainment. Each episode examines some of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries ever made, revealing what they tell us about how ancient people lived, and how their societies were shaped.

Woodcut Media’s Andre Holzinger is series producer with Kate Beal and Tom Adams serving as executive producers.  The series was ordered by Michael DiMattesa for BBC Select and brokered by Sophie Judge for BBC Studios Distribution and Diane Tripp for Woodcut International (who are handling worldwide sales).  

Michael DiMattesa, Head of Programming & Content Strategy, BBC Select said, “BBC Select audiences have a proven appetite for comprehensive, definitive histories. This series pairs that editorial approach with a highly returnable format, inviting audiences back each episode to explore key societal themes through some of archaeology’s greatest discoveries. We are excited to partner with Woodcut Media on this authoritative guide to the ancient world.”

 

André Holzinger, Series Producer, said: “Archaeology offers a fascinating window into the ancient world, revealing how different cultures and societies lived, believed and shaped their world across the ages. We are delighted to be working on such a fascinating series, exploring remarkable stories from across the globe, from the Maya ball game at Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Tutankhamun in Egypt to Pompeii in Italy and Dura Europos in Syria.”