Artifacts
We checked 8 streaming services in India on 04 Jun 2026 at 15:27 IST
About
How did an Indian Buddhist shrine influence a Japanese pagoda? How are Italian pigs and cowry shells related to porcelain? Why did the ferocious warriors of Mongolia wear silk underwear? And how did wood block printing bring about a revolution in Japan and in European culture? These intriguing questions are investigated in Artifacts, a series that explores the origins and hidden connections among the art and artifacts of the great cultures and belief systems across Asia - on a journey through time and across continents from India to Thailand, China and Japan - to understand the impact of calligraphy, porcelain, architecture, metallurgy, wood block printing and silk on Asian history and on the history of the world in general.
Cast
Seasons
Episodes
Season 1
A Brush with Wisdom
When Westerners first discovered Chinese paintings, they could not see their value. They wouldn't even acknowledge them as art. But, as Confucius noted, it is possible to look without seeing. If you learn to see beyond the surface of these paintings, you will discover their real beauty and find the deepest truths of the Chinese philosophies of life. Enter the hidden world of Chinese painting. What makes a Chinese painting so distinctive, so immediately recognizable as Chinese? Is it the subject matter that Chinese artists chose to paint? Is it the different tools and techniques that they used? Or is it how they saw what they were looking at? How do we begin to understand this unique painting tradition which has survived virtually unchanged for so many centuries? Well, in China, they say to understand painting you need to understand calligraphy - the art of writing Chinese characters with a brush.
Sacred Spaces
A very long time ago, far away in China, a villager living along the banks of the Yellow River built a simple mud hut to shelter his family. Thousands of years later in the year 1420, the empire's best craftsmen put the final touches on the ultimate masterpiece of Chinese architecture - the Temple of Heaven. Chinese buildings evolved from simple shelters into complex, magnificent structures with great, swooping roofs, stately columns, and rich detail. Between this simple mud hut and this amazingly complex structure - its every detail full of cosmological symbolism - is a tale of emperors, monks, scholars and genius craftsmen - a story which explains an architectural tradition of great beauty and flexibility. And to start this story at the beginning, we have to leap back two millennia, to when the brilliant tyrant Qin Shihuang becomes the first emperor of a unified China.
The Mystery of Porcelain
When pieces of Chinese porcelain were first seen in the West, they were so rare and exquisite that they very quickly became more valuable than gold. Why? Because Europeans really had no idea how porcelain was made, and the medieval Italian merchants who first brought porcelain to Europe couldn't believe it was man made. The only thing that they could compare it to was a cowry shell, because a cowry shell has that same exquisite smooth surface as a piece of porcelain. In Italian, a cowry shell is called a "Porcellino" - a little pig - because it kind of looks like a little suckling pig, hence our word 'porcelain'. The Europeans were immediately obsessed with the secret of porcelain manufacture, leading to all kinds of crazy theories: Some thought it was crushed eggshells; others thought it was a special fish paste, which they would leave to ripen in the earth for one hundred years. No wonder it would be centuries before Europeans would even begin to unravel the great mystery of porcelain. It took the Chinese themselves thousands of years to discover the secret of porcelain - the product of a search for perfection which began more than six millennia ago.
The Soul of the Samurai
Why has the samurai sword always been such a powerful symbol of Japanese culture? Dr. Inazo Nitobe, the man pictured on Japan's 5,000-yen note, tried to answer that question for the world. As a Japanese diplomat at the League of Nations, he was asked by a western colleague how - without religious instruction - the Japanese could teach their children right from wrong. ...
Where does Artifacts rank today?
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Watch Artifacts Online Free — All Episodes in HD
Stream Artifacts online free in HD on Bowood.TV. A popular documentary series originally produced in English and released in 2000, it's earned a solid 6.8/10 from 2 viewers worldwide.
About Artifacts
How did an Indian Buddhist shrine influence a Japanese pagoda? How are Italian pigs and cowry shells related to porcelain? Why did the ferocious warriors of Mongolia wear silk underwear? And how did wood block printing bring about a revolution in Japan and in European culture? These intriguing questions are investigated in Artifacts, a series that explores the origins and hidden connections among the art and artifacts of the great cultures and belief systems across Asia - on a journey through time and across continents from India to Thailand, China and Japan - to understand the impact of calligraphy, porcelain, architecture, metallurgy, wood block printing and silk on Asian history and on the history of the world in general. Across 1 season and 4 episodes, originally airing on Discovery Asia, with status "Returning Series".
Artifacts Cast and Characters
The cast features Kevin-John McIntyre (as Actor). Their performances are a major reason Artifacts has built such a passionate audience.
Where to Watch Artifacts Online
On Bowood.TV you can watch Artifacts free — no account, no credit card, no ads in the middle of the show. We stream the full series in 720p / 1080p HD, with subtitles when available, on any device: phone, tablet, laptop, or smart TV browser.
▶ Watch Artifacts NowWhy People Are Watching Artifacts
Artifacts flies under the radar but it deserves your attention. What makes it work is a tone and style that's hard to find elsewhere. If you enjoy English storytelling that doesn't follow the same tired beats, this is the kind of show you'll end up recommending to friends.
Frequently Asked Questions about Artifacts
Where can I watch Artifacts online for free?
You can watch Artifacts online free on Bowood.TV. Just open the page and hit play — no signup, no subscription, full HD streaming on phone, tablet, or desktop.
How many episodes does Artifacts have?
Artifacts has 4 episodes across 1 season. All episodes are available to stream right here on Bowood.TV.
Is Artifacts good? What's the rating?
Artifacts holds a 6.8/10 rating based on 2 reviews — a solid pick if the genre interests you.
Who is in the cast of Artifacts?
The main cast includes Kevin-John McIntyre.
Is Artifacts available in English?
Yes — Artifacts was originally produced in English and that's the version you'll stream here on Bowood.TV.
When was Artifacts released?
Artifacts first aired in 2000.
Do I need an account to watch Artifacts on Bowood.TV?
No. Bowood.TV is free and you can watch Artifacts without creating an account. Sign-up is optional — only useful if you want a personal Watchlist or to comment on episodes.
Similar Series You Might Like
If you enjoyed Artifacts, check out Rubio in Search of the Lost Taste, china·瓷, Johnny Vegas: Art, ADHD & Me, A Taste of Travel - Asia, and Legend of Martial Arts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Artifacts for free?
You can watch Artifacts online for free on Bowood.TV. All 4 episodes across 1 season are available to stream in HD without a subscription, signup, or paywall. Just open the show page and press play.
How many seasons and episodes does Artifacts have?
Artifacts currently has 1 season and a total of 4 episodes. The series status is "Returning Series", so the episode count may grow as new seasons are released. You can browse the full episode list on Bowood.TV and continue watching from where you left off.
What is Artifacts about?
How did an Indian Buddhist shrine influence a Japanese pagoda? How are Italian pigs and cowry shells related to porcelain? Why did the ferocious warriors of Mongolia wear silk underwear? And how did wood block printing bring about a revolution in Japan and in European culture? These intriguing questions are investig… It belongs to the Documentary genre.
In which language is Artifacts originally available?
Artifacts was originally produced in English. On Bowood.TV the show is available in its original English audio, which is the most authentic way to experience the dialogue, music, and performances. Check the player options on the watch page for available subtitle tracks.
When was Artifacts first released?
Artifacts first premiered on January 1, 2000 (2000). The show is still ongoing with new episodes being released.
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