TIME TEAM AMERICA, the PBS series that combines archaeological discovery with good storytelling, is back for a second season. Each of the four new episodes explores a different region and time in U.S. history through the eyes, ears and expertise of a team of adventurous archaeologists. The first two episodes of TIME TEAM AMERICA debut Tuesday, August 19, 2014, followed by the second two on August 26, 9 p.m. EST and PST, and 8 p.m. Central, on PBS.
In each one-hour episode, scientists Joe Watkins, Allan Maca, Meg Watters, Jeff Brown and Chelsea Rose join forces with host Justine Shapiro to uncover historical secrets buried beneath the soil. The series combines technologically advanced tools and old-fashioned elbow grease to take viewers on a journey into the earth and back in time.
“We’re thrilled to be back for a second season of this terrific series,” says co-executive producer David Davis. “There’s nothing else quite like it on TV. Viewers will feel they are right in the trenches with working archeologists as they uncover the artifacts of our past.”
Here’s what’s in store for the team in season two:
• Tucked between upscale homes in suburban Maryland just outside Washington, DC, are the remains of an 1830’s plantation—once home to Josiah Henson, the enslaved person who inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. What remains here of his life and legacy?
• In western Oklahoma, the bones of massive 10,000-year-old bison mingle with the remnants of early human-made weapons. What strategies did hunters use against these mammoth beasts before the advent of bows and arrows? What can these bison bones teach us about our ancient past?
• Camp Lawton, near Millen, Georgia, housed 10,000 Union prisoners at the end of the Civil War. The remains of the camp have long been lost to history. Can TIME TEAM AMERICA find the original site of the camp? What artifacts are buried beneath the ground and what do they tell us of the hellish experiences of the prisoners once held captive here?
• The site of what is believed to have been a 1,200-year-old village is located near Mesa Verde, Colorado, where ancient people built one of the first permanent settlements in North America. What did this settlement look like and how did life here shape human history?
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The team uncovers the site of a pueblo village in Colorado. Courtesy Ann McGary/Oregon Public Broadcasting
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The team hard at work excavating 10,000-year-old bison bones. Courtesy Shervin Hess/Oregon Public Broadcasting
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The hosts of TIME TEAM AMERICA are:
• Justine Shapiro, documentary filmmaker and television host;
• Dr. Joe Watkins, lead archaeologist;
• Dr. Meg Watters, remote sensing and visualization specialist;
• Dr. Allan Maca, archaeologist;
• Chelsea Rose, archaeologist; and
• Jeff Brown, excavator.
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View past episodes of TIME TEAM AMERICA online at pbs.org/time-team.
TIME TEAM AMERICA is a co-production of Oregon Public Broadcasting and Videotext Communications, Ltd. and is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. The co-executive producer for OPB is David Davis and the co-executive producer for Videotext is Tim Taylor.
Source: Adapted and editied from a press release of PBS and Oregon Public Broadcasting.
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