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Kentucky Connections on Secrets of the Dead
One of public television’s most popular series, Secrets of the Dead, brings its historical analysis to Kentucky! This series uses the latest science to challenge prevailing ideas and share fresh perspectives on historical events.
Join us for a screening of Secrets of the Dead: The Herculaneum Scrolls
Making headlines worldwide, the University of Kentucky’s Dr. Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,000-year-old carbonized scrolls found in the remains of a villa in Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD transformed the papyri, fusing the layers of the scrolls and making them impossible to read. But can particle physics and AI finally reveal what the scrolls say?
KET will be hosting a screening of Secrets of the Dead: The Herculaneum Scrolls at The Kentucky Historical Society, Brown-Forman Room. Dr. Seales will lead a discussion after the screening.
Due to historic flooding in Frankfort, the event originally planned for April 10 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 14th, 6:30 – 8 pm EDT.
This event is free, but reservations are required.
Secrets of the Dead: The Civil War’s Lost Massacre
The Secrets of the Dead investigates an incident in Kentucky history known as the “Simpsonville Massacre,” when 22 Civil War soldiers from the 5th US Colored Cavalry on a cattle drive to Louisville were ambushed and slain by outlaws.
The episode “The Civil War’s Lost Massacre,” which was co-produced by KET, revisits the events of January 25, 1865, tracing the stories of several of the Kentucky soldiers and their families with help from guest historians, including two who hail from Kentucky: Jerry Miller, a former state legislator from Louisville, and Juanita White, a docent at the Farmington Historic Plantation in Louisville.
Aided by University of Kentucky archeologist Dr. Philip Mink and the university’s EduceLab Mobile Team, the historians search the land around where the massacre occurred, hoping to find the burial grounds of the slain soldiers. The episode also features interviews with Kentucky’s Civil War scholars, Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor, author and history professor at UK; Steve Phan, chief of interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument; Dr. W. Stephen McBride, former director of interpretation and archeology at Camp Nelson National Monument; and Joni House, former park manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.
Funding for Secrets of the Dead: The Civil War’s Lost Massacre was made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.
Recent Episodes
Season 22 Episodes
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TV Schedules
Upcoming
Hannibal in the Alps - S17 E2
Premiered On: 04/10/2018
Follow a team of experts as they solve the enduring mystery of exactly where Hannibal and his troops crossed the Alps to launch a surprise attack on Rome.
- Monday March 2, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday March 2, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
The Civil War's Lost Massacre - S22 E1
Historians, descendants and archaeologists search for information about the deaths - and lost burial site in Kentucky - of more than 20 African American Civil War soldiers.
- Wednesday March 4, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday March 4, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday March 6, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday March 6, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 6:00 am ET on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 5:00 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 12:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 11:00 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 6:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 5:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 9:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday March 11, 2026 8:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Saturday March 14, 2026 6:00 am ET on KETKY
- Saturday March 14, 2026 5:00 am CT on KETKY
- Saturday March 14, 2026 11:00 am ET on KETKY
- Saturday March 14, 2026 10:00 am CT on KETKY
- Monday March 16, 2026 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Monday March 16, 2026 6:00 am CT on KETKY
- Monday March 16, 2026 7:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday March 16, 2026 6:00 pm CT on KETKY
The Sunken Basilica - S20 E5
A survey flight over Lake Iznik in Turkey unexpectedly reveals the sunken remains of a 4th century basilica.
- Wednesday March 18, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday March 18, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday March 20, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday March 20, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Monday March 23, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday March 23, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
King Arthur's Lost Kingdom - S17 E3
Premiered On: 03/27/2019
Uncover new archaeological evidence at Tintagel that suggests the legend of King Arthur started in a prosperous and sophisticated trading village in 5th-century Britain following the departure of the Romans.
- Wednesday March 25, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday March 25, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday March 27, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday March 27, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Monday March 30, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday March 30, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
Recent
Hannibal in the Alps - S17 E2
- Friday February 27, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday February 27, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Wednesday February 25, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday February 25, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
Mozart's Sister - S21 E5
- Monday February 23, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday February 23, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday February 20, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday February 20, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Wednesday February 18, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
The Herculaneum Scrolls - S21 E6
- Monday February 16, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday February 16, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday February 13, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday February 13, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday February 11, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
The Quest for Camelot - S23 E4
- Monday February 9, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday February 9, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday February 6, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday February 6, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Wednesday February 4, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday February 4, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
Queens of Combat - S23 E3
- Monday February 2, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
- Monday February 2, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
- Friday January 30, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
- Friday January 30, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
- Wednesday January 28, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
- Wednesday January 28, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief - Part Two - S22 E6
- Tuesday January 27, 2026 4:00 pm ET on KET
- Tuesday January 27, 2026 3:00 pm CT on KET
Events
Join us!
Making headlines worldwide, the University of Kentucky’s Dr. Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,000-year-old carbonized scrolls found in the remains of a villa in Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD transformed the papyri, fusing the layers of the scrolls and making them impossible to read. But can particle physics and AI finally reveal what the scrolls say?
KET will be hosting a screening of Secrets of the Dead: The Herculaneum Scrolls at The Kentucky Historical Society, Brown-Forman Room. Dr. Seales will lead a discussion after the screening.
Due to historic flooding in Frankfort, the event originally planned for April 10 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, May 14th, 6:30 – 8 pm EDT.
This event is free, but registration is required.
Explore more great history programming at KET.org/History.
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