Volcanologist Floyd McCoy in Santorini.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD

Sinking Atlantis

Aired Wednesday, May 14, at 8:00 p.m. on CPTV

Five thousand years ago, the Minoans, Europe’s first great civilization, flourished on the island of Crete. They were the first Europeans to use writing, and their technologically advanced and rich artistic culture became the setting for famous Greek myths about Theseus, Icarus and the Minotaur. Yet in their heyday, the Minoans were wiped from the pages of history. The cause of their downfall has remained one of the foremost mysteries of the ancient world … until now. “Sinking Atlantis” explores — and discounts — all the usual theories about the disappearance of the Minoans — from a massive volcano that buried them in ash to Greek invaders who conquered and killed them. Then, the film digs deeper into the soil and the history, following archeologist Sandy MacGillivray as he finds startling evidence of a massive tsunami that struck the island and destroyed all the major Minoan cities. Was this the origin of the myth of Altantis? Drawing from the archaeological records, new revelations about Minoan language and religion and shocking new geological discoveries, MacGillivray connects fact with fiction and reveals the truth behind the reign and fall of the great Minoan civilization. visit the website...

Lake George viewed from the top of Tongue Mountain.

THE ADIRONDACKS

The Balance Between the Natural and the Human

Aired Wednesday, May 14, at 9:00 p.m. on CPTV

Sprawled across six million acres in upstate New York, the Adirondack Park is by far the largest park in the lower 48 states. Yet it is the only one on the continent in which large human populations live and whose land is divided almost evenly between protected wilderness and privately owned tracts. This patchwork pattern of land ownership has created an utterly unique place that maintains, at its very heart, a delicate and dynamic relationship between progress and preservation. Through the varied perspectives of several passionate characters, this high-definition program explores the remarkable history, seasonal landscape and current state of the Adirondacks. visit the website...