Archaeology is the recovery and study of the material objects of past civilizations for the purpose of reconstructing these civilizations to study them more fully. Archaeologists put these objects in their proper period and use them to explain the ways of ancient life. Modern archaeology began with Heinrich Schliemann and his discovery of Troy. Dr. Young shows a reconstruction of a farm in ancient Greece and the ruins of a temple at Sounion. At Dura-Europos in Syria, remains of three religions were found, a Christian chapel, a Jewish synagogue, and a temple of the cult of Mithras. Students of archaeology must study the languages and history of the civilizations they are studying along with the technical aspects of archaeology.

Host Lynn Poole reviews highlights of programs from the past year: "Freezing the Atom" (10/10/50) shows how atoms are slowed down and the development of the bolometer; "Electronics at Work in a Vacuum"(10/25/50) describes the development of the vacuum tube and the principles behind it, using puffed wheat in a jar as an example; "Your Questions About Science" (12/26/50) explains and demonstrates atomic chain reaction or nuclear fission using mouse traps and sugar cubes; "The Unbreakable Laws of the Universe" (1/2/51) explains the physical laws governing all things: inertia, action and equal reaction, conservation of motion, gravity, and atmospheric pressure; "Fight Against Polio" (1/16/51) filmed at the Children's Hospital in Baltimore, MD, shows how polio victims are being strengthened and restored to a normal life; "Don't Take Your Heart for Granted" (2/13/51) describes what the heart is, what can happen to it, and how to take care of it; "Archaeology: Key to the Past" (3/13/51) looks at the work of archaeologists and their study of the lost civilization of the Etruscans; "Cancer Will Be Conquered" (4/10/51) features Dr. Gey describing the differences between normal and cancerous cells and showing a magnified, live view of the separation of normal and abnormal human cells; "Is There Science in Art?" (2/27/51) reveals the science of cleaning varnish and dirt from old paintings at the Walters Art Gallery and the art of using x-rays and ultraviolet light to restore old paintings to their original intent. Poole also thanks the studio staff and mentions other favorite programs: "Fear" (103/50), "X-Ray, the Super Sleuth" (12/5/50), "Stream Pollution" (5/1/51), "Don't Drink That Water" (3/20/51), "Schistosomiasis" (11/21/50), and "Magnificent Microscope" (5/15/51).

In this unhosted program, a film by the British Information Service traces the remains of graves, temples, houses, tools and other possessions of prehistoric civilizations in the United Kingdom. During the Old Stone Age, men hunted wild animals with crudely made tools and lived in caves. When the ice receded in the New Stone Age, the environment and geography of Great Britain was much changed, and men became farmers. Archaeologists interpret this history based on findings at such sites as the Windmill Hill settlement in the U. K., which has yielded the earliest examples of British pottery. Scenes from Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands show the extensive remains of this prehistoric village preserved by blowing sand dunes. And Belas Knap burial mound near Cheltenham reveals the stone chambers and tombs of that period. This two-part program concludes with the Bronze Age, when men learned to produce metals and create more uniform tools, such as a cast ax head.

Great scientists and their research are discussed including: Elmer V. McCollum and his discovery of vitamins A, D, and B1; John Boswell Whitehead and his work on dielectrics; Alexander Graham Christie's work on power plant design; the philosophy of George Boas applying the world of ancient Greece to modern thought; archaeology in the Near East by William Foxwell Albright; and Robert Williams Wood and his research into diffraction gratings and infrared filters. There is also a discussion of operations research and its applications in the American military effort.

Archeologists use available clues to reconstruct ancient civilizations in Marajó Island in the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil. Potsherds found in 91 sites led to a reconstruction of the civilization through stratigraphy and seriation.

Archaeologists dig through layers of historic sites to discover artifacts of ancient civilizations. Several minutes lack video.

Lynn Poole describes some pottery pieces from several different centuries and civilizations and notes how the features of the pottery are clues to their past. Dr. Gus W. Van Beek, Johns Hopkins University archaeologist, says that of written and unwritten remains, archaeology is the only source of information on civilizations before the third millennium B.C., and pottery shreds are the most common remains. On a diagram of the Hajar bin Humeid mound excavated in 1950-51, he shows how each stratum is delineated by debris and specific features. The study of these layers is called stratigraphy. Since ancient pottery styles changed readily, relative chronology of a culture can be based on these changes. For example, the ledge handles on Palestinian jars went through four stages of design change. Likewise, immigration and colonization are revealed by changes in native pottery. Use of literary sources adds to this information for dating objects in the strata as does carbon-14 dating.