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First transmitted in 1958, Sir Mortimer Wheeler sails from Venice to Greece, to determine why iconic sites continue to fulfil the earnest traveller's sightseeing pleasure.

First transmitted in 1958, Sir Mortimer Wheeler and scholars from the Hellenic Travellers' Club sail from Venice to Mycenae, Greece to determine why iconic historical sites along this route continue to fulfil the earnest traveller's sightseeing pleasure.

St Mark's Church in Venice, Olympia, Agamemnon... all are historical landmark sites across the Mediterranean which continue to entice travellers from near and far to witness their captivating allure.

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27 minutes

Last on

Mon 21 Jul 195821:15
BBC Television Service

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Archaeology at the BBC Collection

Archaeology at the BBC Collection
This programme is part of Archaeology at the BBC - a collection of archaeology programmes from the 1950s to the 1970s. Available online to watch in full.


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More about this programme

The Hellenic Travellers' Club was established by Sir Henry Lunn in the years before the First World War. It was revived by Kenneth Swan (the son of Lunn's personal secretary) in the 1950s and became known as Swan Hellenic Cruises. Swan asked Sir Mortimer Wheeler - who was TV Personality of the Year in 1954 - to work for the company and a fruitful partnership was born, as scholars embarked on Mediterranean cruises in order to visit the sites of Ancient Greece and attend lectures.

About BBC Four Collection programmes

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current BBC editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.

Broadcast

  • Mon 21 Jul 195821:15
    BBC Television Service

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  • Archaeology at the BBC

    A collection of programmes charting the BBC's first ventures into archaeology programming.

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