Documentary in which Michael Wood investigates the stories behind some famous myths and legends

In Search of Myths and Heroes was broadcast in early 2005. It was a four-part series, each programme being about one particular myth or figure.

The first programme in the series was called "The Queen of Sheba". In this programme Michael Wood travels to places including Jerusalem, Egypt, Eritrea and Ethiopia, finding out about various versions of the story. As part of his travels, he encounters the ruins of Axum and of Marib, which are the earliest known civilizations of Black Africa and of Arabia respectively. He also travels around Yemen and sees the town of Shibam, which is notable for the fact that it has high-rise tower blocks made not of brick, but of Adobe.

The second programme was about the myth of "Shangri-La", where Michael Wood travels around the Himalayas through India, Nepal and Tibet to explore the myth of an earthly paradise. Shangri-La is meant to be a place of peace where nothing bad happens. The myth of the place says that it is a place free of war or suffering. Michael Wood finds out that the story is actually based on an even older myth from India. The story became popular with Europeans in the 16th Century, when many explorers set off on expeditions to find this lost world.

The final two programmes in the series were on the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece, and the story of King Arthur.

In Search of Myths and Heroes is made by MayaVision International for the BBC in the UK and PBS in the US.

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In Search of Myths and Heroes (DVD)