Lost Worlds: Dawn of Civilisations

(Channel 4)

In this fascinating new 2-part Channel 4 series Renowned historian Bettany Hughes embarks on an epic journey across ancient Anatolia, modern-day Türkiye, in search of the dawnings of human civilisations. From the world’s first societies and weapons, to the birth of myths and empires, this is the story of where it all began.

Her journey opens at the extraordinary Neolithic sites of Karahantepe and Göbeklitepe, where life-sized stone figures, buried for 12,000 years, offer a glimpse into a world emerging from the last Ice Age. She then travels to Gordion, legendary home of King Midas – the man with the golden touch – and on to Sardis, seat of the fabled Croesus.

Crossing this rich and enchanting landscape, Bettany boards a breathtaking rail journey from the snowy Caucasus mountains in the remote northeast of the country, tracing the paths of the merchants who forged the Silk Roads—and the connections that helped shape our modern world.