Ancient Discoveries Collection

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History, Science Documentary hosted by Phil Crowley, published by History Channel in 2009 - English narration

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Ancient Discoveries Collection Changes the way we think about the distant past. While we entertain visions of a simpler, unsophisticated time, the truth is much more complicated and fascinating than we imagine. This fresh, eye-opening series – filmed on location where historical events actually happened and using brilliant, lifelike computer animation – applies the latest scholarship to reconsider common beliefs about ancient times. Reconstructions of ancient machines and hands-on demonstrations bring ancient times to life.

[edit] Ancient Mining Machines

Unique technologies of ancient miners, including a Roman hydraulic system, sappers who could undermine castle walls and the 1689 origination of gunpowder mining in England.

[edit] Ancient New York

Although somewhat contrived, the thesis that New York was designed thousands of years ago illustrates the links between ancient technologies and the technologies that make our cities work today. The ancient technologies that are the foundations of the Statue of Liberty, scaffolding, water management, movie theatres, time keeping and sports stadiums are depicted in the program

[edit] Ancient Record Breakers

This episode explores some ancient world records that still stand today. The most valuable thing in the ancient world is still the most valuable thing today at 2000 dollars per gram. A replica of a 2000 year old jet engine is built and a weapons team finally reveals the only weapon in history that can shoot around corners. They review what was the fastest thing in the ancient world and explosives experts reveal that the first gun was made of fruit.

[edit] Gruesome Medicine

Explores ancient medical techniques and possible new applications in the modern era. Techniques reviewed include blood letting by leeches, reading from a torpedo fish, trepanning to relieve pressure on the brain, and Roman battlefield surgery and tools. Other items reviewed include how snake venom was used as medicine and using replica tools and virtual surgery in a computer to see how an arrow was removed from the skull of Prince Henry V of England.

[edit] Lost Science of the Bible

Investigating Bible stories to find if they have basis in scientific fact; determining Goliath's size and considering the technology of the sling David used to fell him; Tower of Babel; levitating a replica of the Ark of the Covenant

[edit] Rituals of Death

Travel to Egypt to discover the mysteries of the mummified crocodiles of Kom Ombo. We'll x-ray an ancient mummy that has held a secret for 2000 years, and reveal the lengths that people will go to to ritualize death. New discoveries at the site of the world famous terracotta army in China reveal incredible insights into the mind-state of the great first emperor of China and his people; and what they believed about death. In Britain, forensic scientists solve a year old murder using 15th century forensic science, as well as hundreds of mini-detectives--blowflies. And using virtual reality techniques doctors will now look inside the body of a victim during a live crucifixion to discover horrific new truths about the suffering on the cross.

[edit] Secret Science of the Occult

In Mexico, explorers use a sacred ancient Mayan temple code to search for an occult underworld engineered in the depths of the earth--a mysterious site where no TV cameras have ever ventured. In Britain, investigators uncover the secret technologies behind a life size statue of Jesus Christ that miraculously came to life. Weapons experts reveal the science that saved a holy military order from certain annihilation in the bloodiest siege in history. In Greece, archaeologists solve the mystery of the oracle of the dead; an eerie sanctuary where flying ghosts appeared from the depths of hell.

[edit] Mega Structures of the Deep

While the ground is practically littered with evidence of our ancestors’ achievements, cutting edge archaeology is revealing that this century's most exciting discoveries actually lie at the bottom of the ocean. What fantastic structures did our forebears create only to have them submerge from sight?

[edit] Ancient Special Forces

The show reviews ancient Roman navy SEAL techniques of capturing enemy ships from underwater and replicates the feat. The tactics of ancient Roman war dog units are explored including a historically savage breed of dog, the Mastiff. Finally, the secrets of the samurai sword and how it was made is reviewed and they build and test an ancient Horo, a Japanese device that could protect a galloping cavalryman from arrow fire using thin silk.

[edit] Ancient Tank Tech

Asian battle elephants and Europe's medieval knights in armour demonstrate people in the past understood the modern tank's principles combining protection, speed and firepower; ancient antitank weapon.

[edit] Ancient Torture Tech

Grim new investigations re-write history by revealing that the rack actually ripped bone apart, not joints, as was previously thought. We then look at the whip, which was used extensively by the Romans, famously against Jesus. But there was a lot more biology and materials science involved that purely hitting someone. Next up, the pear of anguish was inserted into a person's body cavity and then a screw twisted that caused it to expand ripping the cavity apart. We discover how this might have worked and what damage could have been done. Lastly, hundreds of people were burnt at the stake by the Spanish Inquisition. But we ask what actually killed them: flame, smoke or heat?

[edit] Death Weapons of the East

The oldest known weapon is the staff. Watch the surprising results of a comparison test between a staff and a shotgun. Then learn about the ermei, a deadly Chinese underwater attack weapon, before we ask: which is more powerful, a meteor hammer or a punch? Can Chi Warriors really kill a man with a single touch? Investigate the ability of eastern warriors to withstand pain such as smashing concrete on live human heads. Finally, ancient Chinese crossbows are examined, including one small enough to fit up your sleeve.

[edit] Impossible Army Machines

The amazing successes and stunning failures of ancient military engineers influence today's weapons and tactics; an ancient Greek weapon is still used on aircraft carriers; rapid-firing Chinese catapult; Hannibal crosses the Alps

[edit] Impossible Naval Engineering

Citizens of ancient Tyre use fire ships against Alexander the Great's besieging fleet; Roman Emperor Nero builds a death yacht to kill his own mother; a 15th-century weapon designed to pierce enemy hulls; ancient paddle-wheel boat.

[edit] Riots and Revolution

The show tracks down the secret manual that explained how the Vietnamese defeated not only the US in the 20th century, but the Mongols 700 years earlier. It reveals the largest booby trap in history, one that snagged an entire battle fleet, how king Mithridates used a substance called burning mud in his revolt against Rome, and how the terrorist booby-traps and letter bombs of today were invented hundreds of years ago.

[edit] Airborn Assault

In this episode we investigate the kite bomb - a never-before-built medieval siege weapon that dropped bombs from a kite over cities. We build one and test it with startling new insights and success. Next we investigate ancient bouncing bombs that actually skip across water - the fore-runners of the famous Dam Buster projectiles - that terrorised shipping in Turkey in 1453. We also learn the secrets of ancient China's whistling arrows - used by commanders to direct the flow of a battle. We investigate the world's earliest rocket-powered explosive missile from the ancient battlefields of China, dropping an ancient experimenter 6000 feet from a balloon with only a pair of umbrellas. We build the earliest known successful parachute and drop a skydiver from 6000 feet in one of the most dramatic and successful tests we've ever done.

[edit] Ancient Mega Fort

We investigate the castle that helped create Great Britain and learn why it was such an impregnable fortress. Then it's off to discover the invisible underground defensive systems of Cappadocia and how they proved so successful they are they longest continually inhabited fortress in history. We test the ancient Mayan killer bee castle defences, and release bees in an attack. We build a replica section of the ancient Roman fort of Alesia and discover whether the great general Julius Caesar could really have built 24 miles of defences in just 6 weeks. We investigate the most impregnable walls in history - the multi-layered defences of Constantinople - and discover the type of cannon that the sultan Mehmet used to finally destroy them in the great siege of 1453. Finally, we fire one of these cannons for the first time in hundreds of years and collect invaluable ballistic data.

[edit] Ancient Secret Agents

We investigate the systems by which ancient intelligence services transmitted messages over thousands of miles - the fire beacon, the horse and the pigeon - and set up a great race between these three systems. We learn how ancient spies sent secret messages using invisible ink made of human sperm and how they wrote on the inside of a raw egg. We learn how Japan's covert assassins, the ninja, didn't only use darts and poisons: they were pretty good with explosives as well. Finally, we learn how a Roman James Bond used a suit made of cork to support him in full armour during a covert operation across a river.