SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Africa's Golden City

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published October 5, 2026 at 2:37 PM PDT

default — Aerial view of the Great Enclosure at the Great Zimbabwe National Monument.

Stream with KPBS+ / Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV + Encore Thursday, Oct. 15 on KPBS 2

Great Zimbabwe was one of the most prominent ancient civilizations of the African continent. Built between the 11th and 15th centuries by ancestors of today’s Shona people, it was the thriving capital of a massive trading empire — but for hundreds of years was dismissed by European explorers. Now, new archeological discoveries are revealing the true scope of the ancient city's global importance.

New archeological discoveries reveal how pivotal the ancient empire of Great Zimbabwe was to global trade between the 11th and 15th centuries.

Shadreck Chirikure, Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford.

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Professor Shadreck Chirikure at the archaeological site at Great Zimbabwe.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD is part detective story, part true-life drama that unearths evidence from around the world, challenging prevailing ideas and throwing fresh light on unexplained events.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Africa's Golden City

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