Ancient Discoveries Season 5, Episode 1: Death Weapons of the East

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.

60 min

Ancient Tank Tech

The history of the elephant as the ancient tank, right up to the addition by the Indian emperors of a fully rotational cannon. The ancient battering ram - the king of siege machines - how did it work, and could the ancients have really discovered the secrets of chemical fire-proofing? The amazing flexibility of the medieval fully armoured cavalry knight. An investigation into English civil war bullet-proof armour. Anti elephant rockets - how the rocket ended the elephants 2000 year domination of the battlefield.

60 min

Ancient Torture Tech

Revealing the terrifying truth behind torture; ancient inventors go to great lengths to develop precision devices to exact pain; the rack; burning at the stake; Vlad the Impaler.

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.

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.

Lost Science of the Bible

Might the stories of the Bible have their basis in ancient scientific fact? How big was the giant Goliath, and what was the tech of the sling that brought him down? We'll demonstrate that the tower of Babel could have been as tall as two miles in height, create fire from water as Elijah may have done, and in a never before attempted investigation, watch as archeologists fully levitate a replica of the Ark of the Covenant.