Ancient Discoveries

- Season 5

(2008)

The oldest known weapon is the staff. Watch with surprising results a comparison test between a staff and a shotgun. Learn about the ermei--a deadly Chinese underwater attack weapon. 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.

Naval engineering has led the way in technological advances through all History. For the simple reason that if anything goes wrong at sea, you're dead. Relive the most extraordinary Naval ambitions of antiquity. The macabre collapsible death-yacht, commissioned by Roman emperor Nero, as a one- time-only assassination device--designed to kill his own mother. The ship that needed no engine and powered up-river by itself. The underwater booby trap defense system that smashed through pirate hulls in 15th century Italy. The chemical bomb fire ships that killed hundreds on ...

Amazingly, the Ancients understood the principles of the modern tank. They combined armor with speed to create the ancient version of the tank--it could stop an onslaught of bullets. What exactly was this ancient weapon that destroyed enemy heavy infantry, elephants and cavalry? Watch as experts and archaeological digs reveal new evidence into this invention, which will be reconstructed.

This program exams the physiological effects of the most cruel, depraved actions of European rulers.

The Romans created a hydraulic mining system that literally blew millions of tons of material away and ancient sappers dug under mega walls and brought a whole castle down. But how was this possible? And, the invention of gunpowder forever changed the way we mine--but who brought explosives into mines? In 1689 in Cornwall England, miner Thomas Eplsey invented gunpowder mining. The technique would eventually kill him--but it revolutionized how we mine today.

The amazing successes and stunning failures of ancient military engineers have directly affected the weapons and tactics we use today. In fact, an ancient Greek weapon is still used on modern aircraft carriers. How did the Chinese develop a catapult with a firing rate of 10 rounds per second? Did the living horse battlefield torpedoes of the middle ages battlefield actually work? And, how did the great Carthaginian general Hannibal cross the highest mountain range in Europe using equipment still used by today's Special Forces, dissolving solid rocks in his path using ...

This program explores whether some of the amazing feats described in the Bible that are often attributed to miracles or mythology could have a sound scientific basis. These include the Tower of Babel, David's defeat of Goliath, Elijah starting a fire with water, and the levitation of the Ark of the Covenant.