Up Next
Back to Show
Watch Preview
NOVA
A to Z: The First Alphabet
Season 47
Episode 13
Writing shaped our world and the rise of human knowledge, from the trading of goods to tales of ancient goddesses and kings. Follow the evolution of the written word, from 4,000-year-old carvings in an Egyptian turquoise mine to modern-day alphabets.
Support Provided By
53:19
Investigate one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:31
Follow scientists determined to save the critically endangered right whale.
53:31
Here’s how the U.S. could reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
53:31
Americans use ancient wisdom and new technology to fight extreme weather.
53:31
See the latest stunning images and discoveries from the James Webb Space Telescope.
53:21
Archaeological discoveries reveal traces of ancient civilizations in the Amazon.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:20
Thousands race to build Europe's biggest construction project–London's new railroad.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:31
Who created the Nazca lines and why? New clues to one of the greatest ancient enigmas.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:43
A team tackles the restoration of iconic Notre Dame Cathedral.
53:43
Ancient footprints provide new evidence of humans and extinct giant beasts of the Ice Age.
Unlock with PBS Passport
53:20
How could a single ship cause a major supply chain crisis around the globe?
53:16
Sir David Attenborough explores a site with traces of ancient mammoths and Neanderthals.