Ego-ing back in time...
RAIDERS OF THE LOST PAST WITH JANINA RAMIREZ BBC2, 9pm
ART and cultural historian Janina is a perfect fit for this show, which delves into the stories behind some of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever made – and looks more closely at the people who made them.
She’s just the right amount of passionate, and is informative and educational in a plain-speaking kind of way.
This second series kicks off in Crete, with our genial host on the trail of the multi-millionaire who made it his life’s work to discover the palace of King Minos, and the labyrinth which housed the monstrous mythical Minotaur.
Arthur Evans was a British academic, whose personal wealth and determination led to the discovery and excavation of Knossos, and the first Western civilisation, dating back to earlier than 2000BC.
But Evans and his methods were also seen as controversial, driven as they were in part by colonialism and ego, and many of his theories and interpretations have since come under attack.
Put it this way – if this guy were in an Indiana Jones film, we’re not entirely sure which side he’d be on.
He could be the eccentric Brit financing Indy’s adventures in hopes of reclaiming a sacred artefact for public display, or he could be nicking treasures from locals and trying to gain immortality.
One thing which cannot be disputed is that Evans’ self-financed excavations, which began in 1900, unearthed extraordinary treasures and provided proof of an entire civilisation which predated what scholars at that time knew about by more than 1,000 years.