About
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.
Season
23
Episodes
Season 23
Season 22
Season 21
Season 20
Season 19
Season 17
Season 16
Season 14
Jump to Recent Airdates
Upcoming
Queens of Combat
– S23 E3
A group of experts combine history, archaeology and forensic investigation in a quest to prove women once fought alongside men in the arena.
Friday January 30, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday January 30, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Monday February 2, 2026 5:00 pm ET on
KET
Monday February 2, 2026 4:00 pm CT on
KET
The Quest for Camelot
– S23 E4
Professor Mark Horton takes a journey across Britain to prove real events and places inspired the myths of King Arthur and the court of Camelot.
Wednesday February 4, 2026 10:00 pm ET on
KET
Wednesday February 4, 2026 9:00 pm CT on
KET
Friday February 6, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday February 6, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Monday February 9, 2026 5:00 pm ET on
KET
Monday February 9, 2026 4:00 pm CT on
KET
The Herculaneum Scrolls
– S21 E6
University of Kentucky computer scientist Brent Seales attempts to be the first person in nearly 2,000 years to read ancient scrolls found at the archaeological site of Herculaneum in Italy.
Wednesday February 11, 2026 10:00 pm ET on
KET
Wednesday February 11, 2026 9:00 pm CT on
KET
Friday February 13, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday February 13, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Monday February 16, 2026 5:00 pm ET on
KET
Monday February 16, 2026 4:00 pm CT on
KET
Mozart’s Sister
– S21 E5
Explore why Wolfgang Mozart’s sister Maria Anna, his musical partner and collaborator, was forced to withdraw from public life and what happened to her music.
Wednesday February 18, 2026 10:00 pm ET on
KET
Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:00 pm CT on
KET
Friday February 20, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday February 20, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Monday February 23, 2026 5:00 pm ET on
KET
Monday February 23, 2026 4:00 pm CT on
KET
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.
Wednesday February 25, 2026 10:00 pm ET on
KET
Wednesday February 25, 2026 9:00 pm CT on
KET
Friday February 27, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday February 27, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Jump to Upcoming Airdates
Recent
Queens of Combat
– S23 E3
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
Friday January 23, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday January 23, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:00 pm ET on
KET
Wednesday January 21, 2026 9:00 pm CT on
KET
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief – Part One
– S22 E5
Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:00 pm ET on
KET
Tuesday January 20, 2026 3:00 pm CT on
KET
Friday January 16, 2026 3:00 am ET on
KET
Friday January 16, 2026 2:00 am CT on
KET
Wednesday January 14, 2026 10:00 pm ET on
KET
Wednesday January 14, 2026 9:00 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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