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Nelson's Caribbean Hellhole: An 18th-Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered

As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Sam Willis explores Antigua's ruins and sees how the Caribbean's sugar islands were a kind of hell in Nelson's time.

Human bones found on an idyllic beach in Antigua trigger an investigation by naval historian Sam Willis into one of the darkest chapters of Britain's imperial past. As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Willis explores Antigua's ruins and discovers how the sugar islands of the Caribbean were a kind of hell in the age of Nelson.

Sun, sea, war, tropical diseases and poisoned rum.

1 hour

Last on

Fri 18 Nov 2022 02:50
麻豆社 Four

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麻豆社 Four Archaeology Season

麻豆社 Four Archaeology Season

Nelson's Caribbean Hell-Hole听is part of 麻豆社 Four鈥檚 season of programmes exploring our fascination with uncovering the past. Find out more about the other programmes in the season below鈥�

听

-听Dr Richard Miles seeks out ancient treasures and explores our relationship with the past.

听

-听Ben Robinson conducts aerial surveys of ancient sites to reveal new evidence of lost civilisations.

听

-听Julian Richards discovers how science, conservation and new finds have changed our understanding of history.


The - Robin Lane Fox explores the 麻豆社's first ventures into archaeology programming.


-听Peter Barton investigates the military mining that played a big part in the tactics of both sides during WWI.

Find out more

Find out more

There are lots of features, articles and quizzes covering archaeology - and the treasures that have been uncovered - in 麻豆社 History鈥檚 Archaeology section.

Credits

Presenter Sam Willis
Producer Rupert Edwards
Director Rupert Edwards
Executive Producer Tim Green

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