Watch Mysteries of Ancient Medicine

Hidden in coins, bones and ancient texts, the struggle to defeat disease spans continents and millennia. In England, hundreds of angel coins uncover a royal healing ritual once believed to cure the king's evil through the monarch's touch, revealing why kings risked contact with the sick. In India, a 4,000-year-old skull bearing unmistakable signs of leprosy offers rare insight into a disease that shaped human history and the lengths healers went to combat it. In Egypt, papyri filled with diagnoses and prescriptions combine with newly examined skeletal evidence to suggest one of the earliest known attempts to surgically treat cancer. Together, these discoveries reveal how belief, authority and experimentation shaped the earliest fights against humanity's most feared illnesses.

Hidden beneath seas, sands and stone, ancient medicine comes back into view. Off the coast of Italy, a Roman shipwreck preserves a sealed medical chest containing tablets and tinctures that mirror remedies still recognized today, including treatments for eye disease. In the Levant, poppy-shaped jars point to the world's earliest known use of opium, raising questions about healing, pain relief and post-mortem ritual. Far earlier, deep within the caves of Borneo, a 31,000-year-old skeleton bearing a carefully healed leg amputation reveals advanced anatomical knowledge, long-term care, and surgical planning once thought impossible in the Stone Age. Together, these discoveries uncover a medical sophistication far deeper — and far older — than once imagined.

Across history, healing has taken many surprising forms. Medieval Europe turns to barber-surgeons, who cut hair, draw blood and perform surgery amid plague and conflict, laying the groundwork for professional medicine. In Elizabethan England, physicians trained in astrology consulted the heavens, believing planetary movements held the key to diagnosis and cure. Centuries earlier in ancient India, an extraordinary innovator defied social taboos to advance surgery, develop specialized tools, and expand anatomical knowledge through Ayurvedic principles. From battlefield care to star-guided medicine and pioneering surgery, these practices uncover the diverse foundations of medical science.

Across the ancient world, healing often relied on forces unseen. Roman scholars recorded spoken incantations believed to shield the body from malaria, revealing faith in the power of words themselves. In China, the Longmen Grottoes preserve an extraordinary stone-carved medical record that lists remedies made from human hair, animal dung and other unlikely ingredients. Meanwhile, in medieval Poland, archaeologists uncover fossilized squid tails placed in graves, hinting at protective rituals or medicinal symbolism now long forgotten. From spoken spells to carved cures and ritual objects, these clues uncover a world where medicine, magic and belief were deeply entwined.

Explore some of history’s most extreme medical practices. Aboard the wreck of the infamous pirate ship Queen Anne’s Revenge, archaeologists uncover surgical tools once used to treat injured sailors — but they reveal a brutal reality of pain, infection and limited care on the high seas. In Peru, excavations at the fortress of Kuelap expose human remains bearing signs of trepanation, an ancient form of skull surgery that required remarkable anatomical knowledge and steady hands. Meanwhile, on the American frontier, evidence recovered from Lewis and Clark’s expedition latrines reveals the use of “thunderbolts,” a powerful mercury-based medicine carried to treat illnesses during their journey. Across oceans, mountains and continents, these discoveries reveal the desperate and daring measures people once took to survive.

Explore three fascinating chapters in the history of healing. An 18th-century antimony cup linked to Capt. James Cook promised to promote health at sea — but its toxic design raises troubling questions about medicine and risk. In the ruins of a Roman army hospital, archaeologists uncover evidence of a remarkable medical organization, where trained personnel treated wounded soldiers while advancing surgical knowledge. Far to the east, bamboo scrolls discovered in Chengdu offer a rare glimpse into second-century Chinese medicine. The texts may even confirm the existence of a legendary physician credited with shaping key principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Drawing on archaeology and expert insight, the episode traces how different cultures refined the art of healing.

From the bizarre to the brilliant, ancient medicine reveals humanity’s boldest attempts to heal. European medical texts once praised powdered mummy as a cure all, spurring demand for human remains taken from Egyptian tombs. In Austria, villagers consumed arsenic, believing controlled doses improved their complexion, breathing and vitality — despite its lethal nature. Far across the world, in ancient Mayan lands, a sweat bath carved with a powerful deity offers insight into rituals surrounding pregnancy and birth. Through archaeology and expert insight, the episode reveals how different cultures embraced unconventional treatments, each shaped by fear, tradition, and a desire to understand the body.

Strange stones, electric catfish and ancient cannabis reveal healing's hidden past.

A Chinese emperor gambles on a glittering elixir promising eternal life, while a fearless Renaissance anatomist challenges ancient medical doctrine. As the black death spreads across continents, desperate physicians search for answers in a race against unimaginable devastation.

From gold dental bands in Etruscan tombs to the blood stained remains of a medieval hospital in Scotland, archaeologists reveal the gritty realities of ancient care. A crafted Egyptian prosthetic adds a final twist, raising new questions about innovation in early medicine.