Mine Exploring on BBC2

"Ancient Invisible Cities" - a section where they go exploring and 3-D scanning a silver mine in Athens.

Looks like the mining bit has just finished - but will be available on iPlayer

<edit>There's another bit where they explore an underground Roman aqueduct, which is quite interesting.
 

Jenny P

Active member
Yes, both bits were quite interesting and good to see a presenter who didn't have a fit of the wobblies but pushed on through what looked like some very constricted areas.  Also noted that he seemed to be wearing a suitably scruffy oversuit, presumably borrowed from a real caver?

Both the silver mine and the underground aqueduct are clearly not open to the general public and it sounded as though the BBC were able to get special permission to enter and film the areas.  These two sections of the programme are well worth watching, even if you aren't bothered about ancient Greek architecture.
 

Jenny P

Active member
The presenter (can't bring his name to mind), is a reasonably well-known Historian who has presented a number of other programmes on ancient history for the BBC.  The most recent series has involved 3D scanning and mapping to provide a new way of looking at ancient remains. 

The forerunner was a similar series, presented in conjunction with Alexander Armstrong, about hidden aspects of cities, such as the Roman catacombs, and using the same 3D scanning techniques.

The 3D scanning technique is something which is now coming to the forefront in producing cave surveys but obviously has plenty of other applications, such as archaeology, which the present series makes good use of.

Maybe the chap does have some knowledge of or experience of cave or mine exploration, though he gives the impression that this is new to him, but he certainly gets on with it and doesn't quibble about squeezing through small openings or getting wet.
 

Jenny P

Active member
Another good section last night in a programme on Channel 5, Scotland Underground.  Lengthy section on the Bone Caves with Ivan Young explaining to the present, Rob Hall, exactly what had been found and when.  Excellent programme with some additional archaeological interest in the carbon dating of the bear bones - indicating that one was actually a polar bear and in Scotland during the Ice Age.
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Bob Mehew

Well-known member
Jenny P said:
Another good section last night in a programme on Channel 5, Scotland Underground. 
It looks like Channel 5 are not making this Secrets of Underground Britain episode from Saturday 15th  available on their catch up channel My5.
 
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