Moments in Time

Episode 1

Valley Forge: The Crucible

Wed, Jul 2, 2003 45 mins

James Woods travels to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in the winter of 1777-78, to examine the state of the Continental Army and its leader, George Washington and Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who drilled the troops. He gains insight into George Washington's Valley Forge boot camp in Pennsylvania, which revived the flagging fortunes of revolutionary forces in 1778 as they struggled against the elements and low morale.

Episode 2

Jamestown: Against All Odds

Wed, Jul 9, 2003

An investigation into the history of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, created by pioneers who had been instructed by James I to find gold and a water route to the Orient. Details the power struggle between John Smith and George Percy and the ultimate fate of the colony and its inhabitants.

Episode 3

Curse of the Rat

Wed, Jul 16, 2003

Archaeologists from the University of Bristol study historical records, grave sites and DNA from a medieval body to determine whether Black Death and the bubonic plague are the same disease.

Episode 4

Napoleon's Lost Army

Wed, Jul 23, 2003

Archaeologists uncover a huge mass grave in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, which contains the remains of the soldiers of Napoleon's army and evidence of Napoleon Bonaparte's catastrophic attempt to conquer Russia in 1812. The many bones, coins, buttons and pieces of clothing provide a new perspective on the final days of the dictator's military forces. The documentary asks who these men were and how they died and also details the strategy of Tsar Alexander I that helped to defeat the French.

Episode 5

Letters from the Roman Front

Wed, Jul 30, 2003

Episode 6

Famine to Freedom: The Great Irish Journey

Fri, Oct 17, 2003

Examining the great migration of Irish in 1845, and the potato famine that caused it. A team of scientists excavate a 19th-century village in an attempt to discover what life was like for farmers and residents during the great famine, when more than a million people were killed by starvation or disease.

Episode 7

St. John's Slave Revolt

Wed, Sep 17, 2003

In 1733, slaves rise up to take St. John's, an island controlled by the Danish and Dutch. This examines the slave revolt led by King June and Prince Aquashi. The slave trade of the era is also detailed.

Episode 9

The Crusades

Wed, Aug 27, 2003

The last battle of the Crusades in 1291 is examined as the Muslim Saracens lay siege to the town of Acre, defeating the Christians who hold it and bringing to an end Christendom's 300-year struggle to control the holy city of Jerusalem. Includes a comparison of weapons technology and defensive and offensive strategies.

Episode 10

Anthony & Cleopatra: Battle at Actium

Wed, Sep 17, 2003

The legendary romance of Antony and Cleopatra is revealed, including their ill-fated alliance as they attempted to defeat Octavian in the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C. Octavian mobilized his army and navy against the demoralized forces of his adversaries, launching a series of guerrilla attacks that gradually wore them down, and culminated in a bloody confrontation on a promontory in western Greece.