1
00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:04,042
WILLIAM SHATNER:
A mysterious Roman chalice

2
00:00:04,208 --> 00:00:06,583
transformed by light.

3
00:00:06,750 --> 00:00:08,833
A blazing inferno

4
00:00:09,042 --> 00:00:11,292
wielded by ancient armies.

5
00:00:11,458 --> 00:00:14,000
And a 2,000-year-old artifact

6
00:00:14,167 --> 00:00:18,333
that may have
generated electricity.

7
00:00:20,042 --> 00:00:22,583
Today, we tend to think
that modern society

8
00:00:22,750 --> 00:00:27,208
stands at the pinnacle
of technological ingenuity.

9
00:00:27,375 --> 00:00:29,250
But is that entirely true?

10
00:00:29,417 --> 00:00:31,042
The historical record
has revealed

11
00:00:31,250 --> 00:00:33,000
numerous ancient innovations

12
00:00:33,167 --> 00:00:35,375
that were centuries
ahead of their time,

13
00:00:35,542 --> 00:00:39,167
including earthquake detectors,
schematics for flying machines

14
00:00:39,333 --> 00:00:42,167
and weapons of mass destruction.

15
00:00:42,375 --> 00:00:45,000
Is it possible
that our ancient ancestors

16
00:00:45,167 --> 00:00:48,167
were far more advanced
than we realize?

17
00:00:48,292 --> 00:00:52,417
Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

18
00:00:52,583 --> 00:00:54,542
♪ ♪

19
00:01:11,167 --> 00:01:14,042
SHATNER: Within this modern city
lie the ruins

20
00:01:14,250 --> 00:01:18,750
of what was once
the capital of the Roman Empire.

21
00:01:18,958 --> 00:01:22,667
For centuries, Rome was the
most sophisticated metropolis

22
00:01:22,833 --> 00:01:24,583
in the ancient world.

23
00:01:25,750 --> 00:01:27,208
And Roman engineers

24
00:01:27,375 --> 00:01:30,083
also built
breathtaking structures

25
00:01:30,250 --> 00:01:32,458
throughout Europe
and the Mediterranean,

26
00:01:32,667 --> 00:01:36,000
many of which
can still be seen today.

27
00:01:36,083 --> 00:01:39,375
These engineering marvels

28
00:01:39,583 --> 00:01:43,625
have endured the ravages of time
for nearly 2,000 years,

29
00:01:43,750 --> 00:01:48,792
and stand as magnificent
monuments to Roman ingenuity.

30
00:01:50,917 --> 00:01:53,125
The Romans were certainly

31
00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:55,833
the most brilliant engineers
of the ancient world.

32
00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,667
When we think of Rome today,
we think of the Colosseum,

33
00:02:00,833 --> 00:02:04,667
we think of the aqueducts,
we think of triumphal arches.

34
00:02:04,875 --> 00:02:09,000
All of them are an emblem
of Roman civilization.

35
00:02:09,167 --> 00:02:13,333
They could discern
effective technologies

36
00:02:13,458 --> 00:02:16,333
and then exploit them
to a much greater extent

37
00:02:16,500 --> 00:02:19,083
than anyone
ever imagined previously.

38
00:02:20,417 --> 00:02:22,000
SHATNER:
The engineering achievements

39
00:02:22,083 --> 00:02:23,667
of ancient Rome are well known

40
00:02:23,833 --> 00:02:27,833
and continue to capture
people's imagination.

41
00:02:27,958 --> 00:02:30,000
But is it possible
that the Romans

42
00:02:30,167 --> 00:02:33,375
were even more advanced
than most of us realize?

43
00:02:33,542 --> 00:02:37,667
And could they have possessed
technology

44
00:02:37,792 --> 00:02:40,250
that rivals our own?

45
00:02:47,667 --> 00:02:51,333
The curator
of the Gallo-Roman Museum

46
00:02:51,417 --> 00:02:55,333
announces an extremely rare
archaeological discovery.

47
00:02:55,542 --> 00:02:59,500
Using a metal detector,
a local hobbyist unearthed

48
00:02:59,708 --> 00:03:03,042
a fragment
of an ancient Roman artifact.

49
00:03:03,208 --> 00:03:07,083
This tiny piece of bronze
was once part

50
00:03:07,250 --> 00:03:12,667
of a mysterious object
known as a Roman dodecahedron.

51
00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:16,500
STEPHEN BULL:
Any discovery

52
00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:20,375
of a Roman dodecahedron
is remarkable and unusual,

53
00:03:20,542 --> 00:03:24,292
because there's not many more
than 100 known to exist.

54
00:03:26,250 --> 00:03:30,708
Generally, a dodecahedron
is a 12-sided item,

55
00:03:30,917 --> 00:03:33,667
and the Roman dodecahedron

56
00:03:33,875 --> 00:03:39,167
was about the size of a baseball
and had 12 sides.

57
00:03:39,375 --> 00:03:42,917
They were hollow inside
and multifaceted,

58
00:03:43,042 --> 00:03:49,167
with different balls or spikes
around the outside of them,

59
00:03:49,375 --> 00:03:51,875
which are
very difficult to create

60
00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,667
through molding or construction.

61
00:03:56,167 --> 00:04:00,125
SUVEEN MATHAUDHU:
Roman dodecahedrons have
been found all over Europe,

62
00:04:00,250 --> 00:04:03,292
and nobody knows for sure
how they were made.

63
00:04:03,417 --> 00:04:05,250
The craftsmanship
that it would take

64
00:04:05,375 --> 00:04:07,958
to make a bronze
Roman dodecahedron

65
00:04:08,167 --> 00:04:10,000
would have been very challenging

66
00:04:10,167 --> 00:04:12,500
for a metal artisan
to make at the time.

67
00:04:12,708 --> 00:04:14,667
So, it could have been
an example

68
00:04:14,875 --> 00:04:19,000
of the skill of an artisan

69
00:04:19,208 --> 00:04:20,958
to show, like,
"Look what I can do,"

70
00:04:21,042 --> 00:04:24,500
because it was very complex
and bronze was not cheap.

71
00:04:24,708 --> 00:04:26,833
SHATNER:
Historians theorize

72
00:04:26,958 --> 00:04:29,958
that Roman engineers
may have fashioned dodecahedrons

73
00:04:30,125 --> 00:04:34,375
using a sophisticated
molding process.

74
00:04:34,542 --> 00:04:37,500
But why did the Romans
go to such lengths

75
00:04:37,667 --> 00:04:41,625
to craft so many intricate
and peculiar pieces of bronze?

76
00:04:41,750 --> 00:04:45,833
What purpose could these
strange dodecahedrons

77
00:04:46,042 --> 00:04:48,708
have possibly served?

78
00:04:48,875 --> 00:04:52,208
What's strange about them
is that there is no record

79
00:04:52,375 --> 00:04:54,000
of what they were used for.

80
00:04:54,167 --> 00:04:58,667
And it's still quite a puzzle
and a mystery to historians,

81
00:04:58,875 --> 00:05:00,875
what function
they actually served.

82
00:05:01,042 --> 00:05:04,625
However, there's a number
of uses that have been proposed,

83
00:05:04,792 --> 00:05:10,000
from tools
in astronomical calculations

84
00:05:10,167 --> 00:05:12,708
to candleholders,

85
00:05:12,875 --> 00:05:16,958
as well as implements
in religious performances.

86
00:05:18,625 --> 00:05:21,875
What they are
has been disputed many times.

87
00:05:22,042 --> 00:05:26,750
And I do veer towards
the very practical explanation,

88
00:05:26,917 --> 00:05:29,917
and that is that it was
a sort of knitting device,

89
00:05:30,125 --> 00:05:33,708
because if you put yarn

90
00:05:33,875 --> 00:05:37,250
around the various protrusions
on the dodecahedron,

91
00:05:37,375 --> 00:05:40,542
you can create a sleeve

92
00:05:40,750 --> 00:05:44,833
or a tube of knitted fabric.

93
00:05:44,958 --> 00:05:48,375
In theory, that is something
really practical

94
00:05:48,542 --> 00:05:52,833
because some Roman garments
are depicted with sleeves.

95
00:05:54,583 --> 00:05:56,458
There is still a huge amount
of mystery

96
00:05:56,625 --> 00:05:59,333
around these
very peculiar objects.

97
00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:01,167
But one of the most
popular theories

98
00:06:01,375 --> 00:06:04,250
is that it had a more
mystical function.

99
00:06:04,417 --> 00:06:06,833
Perhaps it was used
in divination

100
00:06:07,042 --> 00:06:08,875
or sorcery or fortune-telling.

101
00:06:09,083 --> 00:06:12,083
Some historians wonder
whether these objects

102
00:06:12,250 --> 00:06:15,042
were used for forbidden rituals.

103
00:06:15,208 --> 00:06:19,333
Now, if these were indeed tools
for the so-called dark arts,

104
00:06:19,417 --> 00:06:22,333
this raises the question,
is this part of the reason

105
00:06:22,542 --> 00:06:25,667
why there are no records
explaining

106
00:06:25,833 --> 00:06:28,417
what this dodecahedron
was used for?

107
00:06:30,417 --> 00:06:34,167
SHATNER:
Whether Roman dodecahedrons
were used during rituals

108
00:06:34,333 --> 00:06:36,792
or for more pragmatic purposes,

109
00:06:36,958 --> 00:06:40,250
they remain
a fascinating enigma,

110
00:06:40,458 --> 00:06:43,083
and suggest
that the Romans' craftsmanship

111
00:06:43,250 --> 00:06:45,667
was far ahead of their time.

112
00:06:45,833 --> 00:06:49,750
Not unlike another artifact
from ancient Rome--

113
00:06:49,875 --> 00:06:53,542
a one-of-a-kind chalice
that features

114
00:06:53,708 --> 00:06:56,375
extraordinary properties.

115
00:07:02,292 --> 00:07:05,333
On a pedestal
in the British Museum

116
00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:09,667
sits an ornate
and mystifying Roman artifact

117
00:07:09,833 --> 00:07:12,000
that is known
as the Lycurgus Cup.

118
00:07:14,125 --> 00:07:15,375
KAROL WIGHT: The Lycurgus Cup

119
00:07:15,583 --> 00:07:18,625
is an incredible work
of ancient Roman art

120
00:07:18,792 --> 00:07:22,667
that dates to the fourth
and fifth centuries AD.

121
00:07:23,708 --> 00:07:26,833
It's incredible because
it's part of a rare body

122
00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,500
of ancient glass vessels
called cage cups.

123
00:07:31,667 --> 00:07:36,333
Cage cups were manufactured
by a master carver

124
00:07:36,500 --> 00:07:38,625
who very carefully diagrammed

125
00:07:38,792 --> 00:07:41,458
the design he wanted
to cut into the glass

126
00:07:41,625 --> 00:07:45,292
and then very carefully
executed that cutting.

127
00:07:45,458 --> 00:07:49,083
And then that piece of glass
was connected to the inner wall

128
00:07:49,208 --> 00:07:52,958
of the cup, which is why
they're called cage cups.

129
00:07:53,083 --> 00:07:56,167
And the Lycurgus Cup
is one of these rare examples

130
00:07:56,375 --> 00:07:58,875
that were very carefully made,

131
00:07:59,042 --> 00:08:01,875
and only made
in very small quantities.

132
00:08:02,917 --> 00:08:04,542
SHATNER:
According to historians,

133
00:08:04,708 --> 00:08:07,417
the cup depicts
a mythical ruler named Lycurgus,

134
00:08:07,583 --> 00:08:10,042
and the artifact
most likely belonged

135
00:08:10,208 --> 00:08:11,667
to an Ancient Roman nobleman

136
00:08:11,750 --> 00:08:14,833
who would have used
the chalice to sip wine.

137
00:08:15,042 --> 00:08:19,042
But what's most remarkable
about the Lycurgus Cup

138
00:08:19,208 --> 00:08:23,708
is what happens to it
when light hits the glass.

139
00:08:26,458 --> 00:08:27,792
WIGHT:
The Lycurgus Cup

140
00:08:27,958 --> 00:08:29,792
is made with
a very special glass

141
00:08:29,958 --> 00:08:32,542
that's called dichroic glass.

142
00:08:32,750 --> 00:08:35,500
And what that means is that
when light is bouncing off

143
00:08:35,708 --> 00:08:37,208
the outside of the glass,

144
00:08:37,375 --> 00:08:42,125
the color of the cup appears
to be an olive green color.

145
00:08:42,292 --> 00:08:44,792
But when the light
is passing through the glass

146
00:08:44,875 --> 00:08:48,333
from the interior
through to the exterior,

147
00:08:48,500 --> 00:08:50,792
the glass looks a reddish color.

148
00:08:52,042 --> 00:08:55,292
The Lycurgus Cup
is quite an intriguing artifact

149
00:08:55,458 --> 00:08:57,250
because it's really
one of a kind.

150
00:08:57,417 --> 00:09:02,000
The fact that it has these
very unique material properties

151
00:09:02,208 --> 00:09:03,583
suggested it may have had

152
00:09:03,750 --> 00:09:07,583
some kind of ritualistic
or ceremonial function

153
00:09:07,750 --> 00:09:10,708
and perhaps that interplay
between light and color

154
00:09:10,875 --> 00:09:12,917
may have added
some mystique or intrigue

155
00:09:13,083 --> 00:09:15,792
around these rituals
that took place.

156
00:09:17,375 --> 00:09:19,000
SHATNER:
How did the ancient Romans

157
00:09:19,167 --> 00:09:24,125
create a chalice with such
mesmerizing optical properties?

158
00:09:24,292 --> 00:09:27,458
It's a fascinating mystery.
And in recent years,

159
00:09:27,625 --> 00:09:29,833
experts have discovered
that the key

160
00:09:29,958 --> 00:09:32,625
to the Lycurgus Cup's
unique effect

161
00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:36,208
is actually invisible
to the naked eye.

162
00:09:38,333 --> 00:09:40,583
The secret
to the optical behavior

163
00:09:40,750 --> 00:09:43,000
of the Lycurgus Cup
lies in the fact

164
00:09:43,208 --> 00:09:46,792
that there was nanoparticles
of silver and gold

165
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,167
embedded in the glass that
changed the optical properties.

166
00:09:51,583 --> 00:09:53,333
This was one of the earliest--

167
00:09:53,500 --> 00:09:57,875
if not the earliest-- examples
of a nanocomposite material.

168
00:09:59,792 --> 00:10:01,833
It's possible that the Romans

169
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,667
might have created
this cup by accident.

170
00:10:04,875 --> 00:10:07,667
That it might have been
a contamination

171
00:10:07,833 --> 00:10:12,167
at the site of where
a glass cup was being made.

172
00:10:12,333 --> 00:10:14,250
But it is also possible

173
00:10:14,417 --> 00:10:18,667
that they knew about this
technology of nanoparticles.

174
00:10:18,875 --> 00:10:21,250
And this knowledge
might have been employed

175
00:10:21,417 --> 00:10:24,583
and used in the creation
of this cup.

176
00:10:24,750 --> 00:10:27,833
The history of the Lycurgus Cup
is shrouded in mystery.

177
00:10:28,042 --> 00:10:33,167
But the glass was created
by these ancient craftspeople

178
00:10:33,333 --> 00:10:36,000
and has survived to this day.

179
00:10:36,208 --> 00:10:39,833
It's a Roman technology
that has stood the test of time.

180
00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:42,500
SHATNER:
Does the Lycurgus Cup prove

181
00:10:42,708 --> 00:10:44,833
that the Romans
had a deeper understanding

182
00:10:44,958 --> 00:10:49,625
of science and technology
than we commonly think?

183
00:10:49,750 --> 00:10:52,750
It's a fascinating possibility.

184
00:10:52,875 --> 00:10:56,667
And perhaps further evidence
of ancient sophistication

185
00:10:56,833 --> 00:10:57,000
can be found by examining
a devastating weapon of war

186
00:10:58,208 --> 00:11:01,167
can be found by examining
a devastating weapon of war

187
00:11:01,375 --> 00:11:04,917
that was known as Greek fire.

188
00:11:14,917 --> 00:11:17,958
SHATNER:
For four long years,
Arab forces have laid siege to

189
00:11:18,125 --> 00:11:20,875
the capital
of the Byzantine Empire.

190
00:11:21,917 --> 00:11:24,542
But then the Byzantines
risk a daring counterattack

191
00:11:24,750 --> 00:11:28,542
and unleash
a devastating inferno.

192
00:11:28,750 --> 00:11:31,833
Streams of flame shoot out
from Byzantine vessels,

193
00:11:31,958 --> 00:11:33,833
lighting the water on fire

194
00:11:33,917 --> 00:11:37,125
and incinerating the Arab ships.

195
00:11:37,333 --> 00:11:42,833
This fearsome weapon would come
to be known as Greek fire.

196
00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:48,667
GILLAN:
Greek fire was one of the most
formidable weapons of its era.

197
00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:52,042
Imagine your ship suddenly
being engulfed in flames

198
00:11:52,208 --> 00:11:54,708
that were almost
impossible to extinguish.

199
00:11:55,792 --> 00:11:58,792
Not only was there
this immense physical danger

200
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:03,292
but there was also
a massive psychological impact.

201
00:12:03,417 --> 00:12:06,167
The loud roar of the flames--
the sight of it,

202
00:12:06,375 --> 00:12:09,458
the sound of it--
was really enough

203
00:12:09,667 --> 00:12:11,958
to put terror
into these Arab forces.

204
00:12:12,958 --> 00:12:15,583
BULL:
At sea, Greek fire
was very useful

205
00:12:15,708 --> 00:12:19,833
because if there's something
a mariner really has a fear of,

206
00:12:20,042 --> 00:12:22,667
it's being set light to
on a ship.

207
00:12:22,792 --> 00:12:24,333
Because there's nowhere to go.

208
00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:29,083
And so, Greek fire had
a terrifying aspect to it,

209
00:12:29,250 --> 00:12:33,375
setting light to ships
and burning people.

210
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:36,875
SHATNER:
Throughout the Middle Ages,
the Byzantine Empire

211
00:12:37,083 --> 00:12:41,500
used Greek fire to strike fear
into the hearts of fighting men.

212
00:12:41,667 --> 00:12:43,792
But how did
the Byzantines develop

213
00:12:43,958 --> 00:12:47,250
such a powerful weapon
of mass destruction?

214
00:12:48,250 --> 00:12:50,500
RESSLER:
Greek fire acquired its name

215
00:12:50,708 --> 00:12:52,458
simply because
the Byzantines spoke Greek.

216
00:12:52,667 --> 00:12:55,000
It was quite mysterious
because it was

217
00:12:55,208 --> 00:12:57,167
very quickly established
as a state secret

218
00:12:57,333 --> 00:12:58,833
of the Byzantine Empire.

219
00:12:58,958 --> 00:13:04,083
So we don't have a really good,
clear idea of what

220
00:13:04,292 --> 00:13:08,500
its constituents were
or precisely how it operated.

221
00:13:08,625 --> 00:13:12,167
But we do know that it was
a very effective weapons system.

222
00:13:14,125 --> 00:13:15,583
SHATNER:
While the exact formula
of Greek fire

223
00:13:15,708 --> 00:13:17,625
may be lost to history,

224
00:13:17,792 --> 00:13:20,375
experts have proposed
several theories

225
00:13:20,542 --> 00:13:24,292
regarding the composition
of this fiery concoction.

226
00:13:25,375 --> 00:13:28,875
RESSLER:
Most scholars agree that
the basic constituent materials

227
00:13:29,042 --> 00:13:32,667
were probably naphtha,
a naturally occurring

228
00:13:32,833 --> 00:13:36,667
hydrocarbon,
mixed with pine resin.

229
00:13:36,833 --> 00:13:39,042
The naphtha provided
the flammability

230
00:13:39,208 --> 00:13:42,875
and the pine resin
thickened the substance

231
00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,875
and caused it to burn longer
once it had been ignited.

232
00:13:48,042 --> 00:13:52,292
The secret to Greek fire being
used on water is probably

233
00:13:52,458 --> 00:13:55,625
the addition of quicklime,
which likely gave it

234
00:13:55,792 --> 00:13:59,500
an explosive quality
that allowed it to burn

235
00:13:59,667 --> 00:14:02,750
and have
much more damage on water.

236
00:14:03,792 --> 00:14:07,458
In fact, the water played a role
in perpetuating the reaction

237
00:14:07,625 --> 00:14:10,875
and causing the burning
to increase.

238
00:14:11,042 --> 00:14:14,167
There is certainly speculation
as to the different recipes

239
00:14:14,375 --> 00:14:17,833
for Greek fire, but it would be
very difficult to say

240
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:23,625
what the classic
Greek fire actually is.

241
00:14:23,792 --> 00:14:27,667
And nobody has actually
recreated it

242
00:14:27,833 --> 00:14:29,625
with perfect accuracy.

243
00:14:30,708 --> 00:14:33,500
SHATNER:
It seems that,
just as the Byzantines intended,

244
00:14:33,583 --> 00:14:37,792
the mystery of Greek fire
may never be solved.

245
00:14:37,958 --> 00:14:41,500
But there's another
enigmatic weapon from antiquity

246
00:14:41,708 --> 00:14:44,208
that experts can examine
more closely

247
00:14:44,375 --> 00:14:49,292
because its secrets
are preserved in steel.

248
00:14:54,208 --> 00:14:57,000
For eight long months,
European Crusader Knights,

249
00:14:57,125 --> 00:14:58,917
on a quest
to conquer the Holy Land,

250
00:14:59,042 --> 00:15:02,792
lay siege to
this Middle Eastern city.

251
00:15:02,917 --> 00:15:04,417
In the course
of the bloody fighting,

252
00:15:04,583 --> 00:15:07,667
the Crusaders encounter
numerous Muslim warriors

253
00:15:07,875 --> 00:15:11,292
who wield astonishing,
razor-sharp swords

254
00:15:11,458 --> 00:15:16,375
that are forged from steel
that seems to be unbreakable.

255
00:15:16,542 --> 00:15:19,333
The European invaders
named these fearsome weapons

256
00:15:19,542 --> 00:15:23,208
after a nearby city,
and thus, the blades

257
00:15:23,375 --> 00:15:28,167
became known as Damascus swords.

258
00:15:28,250 --> 00:15:32,792
For the time, the properties
of the Damascus blades

259
00:15:32,917 --> 00:15:35,042
bordered on the edge of magic.

260
00:15:35,167 --> 00:15:38,625
Damascus swords
had extraordinary,

261
00:15:38,750 --> 00:15:41,833
legendary performance
because of their sharpness,

262
00:15:42,042 --> 00:15:44,167
compared to some of
the materials at the time.

263
00:15:44,375 --> 00:15:46,833
They were ten times
as hard on the edge.

264
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,458
They were also
highly superplastic,

265
00:15:49,625 --> 00:15:53,250
meaning that they could
bend extremely and still

266
00:15:53,417 --> 00:15:55,625
spring back
into the original shape.

267
00:15:55,792 --> 00:15:59,417
And this was something that was
observed by the Crusaders.

268
00:15:59,542 --> 00:16:01,333
They saw these blades
that they claimed

269
00:16:01,417 --> 00:16:04,125
could bend 90 degrees,
that could

270
00:16:04,292 --> 00:16:06,542
cut silk in half
in the middle of the air.

271
00:16:06,708 --> 00:16:10,708
For anyone who was in a fight
against a Damascus blade,

272
00:16:10,917 --> 00:16:14,625
the behavior of that sword
would have been

273
00:16:14,833 --> 00:16:16,417
mind-blowing to observe.

274
00:16:17,625 --> 00:16:20,292
SHATNER:
More than 500 years
after the end of the Crusades,

275
00:16:20,458 --> 00:16:22,875
the remarkable properties
of Damascus swords

276
00:16:23,042 --> 00:16:26,583
continue to inspire
fascination and mystery.

277
00:16:26,750 --> 00:16:28,667
What made these ancient blades

278
00:16:28,792 --> 00:16:31,958
so exceptionally strong
and flexible?

279
00:16:32,125 --> 00:16:34,167
And how were they created?

280
00:16:34,333 --> 00:16:36,667
Curiously, the answer
can be found

281
00:16:36,875 --> 00:16:39,708
not in the city
of Damascus, but rather,

282
00:16:39,875 --> 00:16:44,667
3,000 miles away, in India.

283
00:16:44,875 --> 00:16:46,333
MATHAUDHU:
In southern India,

284
00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:48,625
they developed the steel
that was used, eventually,

285
00:16:48,792 --> 00:16:51,333
to make Damascus swords
and blades.

286
00:16:52,417 --> 00:16:56,292
The legends of Indian steel
go back to ancient times.

287
00:16:56,417 --> 00:17:00,500
Over time, via trade routes
around the Arabian Sea,

288
00:17:00,708 --> 00:17:05,000
the Indians were able to move
those materials into Persia,

289
00:17:05,167 --> 00:17:08,333
and that became the center
of trade from which Indian steel

290
00:17:08,542 --> 00:17:11,042
got distributed
to the rest of the world.

291
00:17:11,208 --> 00:17:14,167
SHATNER:
It's fascinating to think
that the legendary

292
00:17:14,375 --> 00:17:18,167
Damascus swords trace
their origins back to India.

293
00:17:18,333 --> 00:17:20,708
But how did Indian craftsmen

294
00:17:20,875 --> 00:17:24,250
create such incredible steel?

295
00:17:24,417 --> 00:17:27,833
What did they know that
the rest of the world didn't?

296
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,792
MATHAUDHU:
One of the keys
to making high-quality steel

297
00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,167
is getting the material
to be very hot,

298
00:17:34,333 --> 00:17:36,500
typically thousands of degrees,

299
00:17:36,708 --> 00:17:39,167
and that was very difficult
in ancient times.

300
00:17:39,292 --> 00:17:42,083
But in India,
they had developed technologies

301
00:17:42,250 --> 00:17:44,167
where they were able
to use monsoon winds

302
00:17:44,375 --> 00:17:46,958
to fuel these fires

303
00:17:47,042 --> 00:17:48,750
and get them
to very high temperatures.

304
00:17:49,917 --> 00:17:52,417
SHATNER:
The idea that the strength
of Damascus swords

305
00:17:52,583 --> 00:17:56,625
was forged in the intense flames
of Indian fires is intriguing,

306
00:17:56,750 --> 00:18:00,250
but it doesn't
completely solve the mystery.

307
00:18:00,417 --> 00:18:02,667
Because even with
today's powerful furnaces,

308
00:18:02,833 --> 00:18:08,000
experts still cannot precisely
recreate Damascus swords.

309
00:18:08,208 --> 00:18:10,375
And according to one theory,
the secret may lie

310
00:18:10,542 --> 00:18:14,000
in the raw material
Indian craftsmen used

311
00:18:14,167 --> 00:18:16,583
to fashion their steel.

312
00:18:16,792 --> 00:18:19,917
Iron ores vary tremendously
from place to place.

313
00:18:20,083 --> 00:18:22,208
No two ores are exactly alike.

314
00:18:23,583 --> 00:18:28,333
One theory is that there
just happened to be an iron ore

315
00:18:28,542 --> 00:18:31,333
with just the right
chemical properties,

316
00:18:31,542 --> 00:18:34,375
that happened to
be available in India,

317
00:18:34,542 --> 00:18:37,500
and this was
the real basis for the very

318
00:18:37,667 --> 00:18:41,458
high-quality steel that was
produced from that material.

319
00:18:42,792 --> 00:18:46,333
RESSLER:
The reason that the secret
to Damascus steel was lost

320
00:18:46,500 --> 00:18:48,583
is that the ore sources ran out,

321
00:18:48,750 --> 00:18:52,167
and so we can't know
the individual elements

322
00:18:52,333 --> 00:18:53,667
that were in those iron ores.

323
00:18:53,875 --> 00:18:57,542
There is no way for us
to go back in and recreate

324
00:18:57,750 --> 00:19:02,167
the magic that they had done
with those original swords.

325
00:19:02,333 --> 00:19:05,333
While we may never know
how ancient armies

326
00:19:05,542 --> 00:19:10,667
created inextinguishable flames
or unbreakable swords,

327
00:19:10,792 --> 00:19:11,125
we do know that
these extraordinary weapons

328
00:19:12,250 --> 00:19:13,000
we do know that
these extraordinary weapons

329
00:19:13,458 --> 00:19:17,167
struck fear into the hearts
of their enemies.

330
00:19:18,167 --> 00:19:21,000
But not all ancient technology

331
00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:23,167
was designed
to be used in battle.

332
00:19:23,333 --> 00:19:25,417
For instance, archaeologists

333
00:19:25,583 --> 00:19:29,333
unearthed what appeared to be
merely a small clay jar,

334
00:19:29,458 --> 00:19:31,167
but it may have actually been

335
00:19:31,375 --> 00:19:34,667
the world's first battery.

336
00:19:42,667 --> 00:19:46,250
SHATNER:
In the basement of
the National Museum of Iraq,

337
00:19:46,417 --> 00:19:49,542
the director of the museum,
Wilhelm König,

338
00:19:49,708 --> 00:19:51,792
stumbles upon
three small artifacts

339
00:19:51,917 --> 00:19:55,708
that an archaeological team
unearthed two years earlier.

340
00:19:57,083 --> 00:20:00,083
He finds
a five-inch-tall clay pot,

341
00:20:00,250 --> 00:20:03,708
a copper cylinder
and an iron rod.

342
00:20:03,875 --> 00:20:07,417
König dates the objects
to roughly 2,000 years ago.

343
00:20:07,542 --> 00:20:09,542
But what's more incredible

344
00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:14,167
is that he theorizes that these
seemingly unremarkable items

345
00:20:14,333 --> 00:20:17,167
might have been designed
to work together

346
00:20:17,333 --> 00:20:21,542
to form an ancient
piece of technology.

347
00:20:21,708 --> 00:20:24,667
Two years later, König
publishes his autobiography

348
00:20:24,875 --> 00:20:28,167
in which he announces
his stunning claim to the world.

349
00:20:28,333 --> 00:20:32,292
He argues that
these three artifacts

350
00:20:32,458 --> 00:20:36,583
may have actually been
the world's first battery.

351
00:20:36,750 --> 00:20:38,667
MICHAEL DENNIN:
When you look at
the Baghdad Battery,

352
00:20:38,833 --> 00:20:42,375
it does have the key components
of making a battery,

353
00:20:42,542 --> 00:20:44,500
which is it has two metals
of different properties.

354
00:20:44,667 --> 00:20:48,125
Those are your positive and
negative electrodes, and then

355
00:20:48,333 --> 00:20:51,458
you need a material
between them that allows for

356
00:20:51,625 --> 00:20:53,583
the flow of charge to occur.

357
00:20:53,750 --> 00:20:55,833
That could have been
something as simple as

358
00:20:55,958 --> 00:20:59,542
vinegar or wine or lemon juice.

359
00:20:59,708 --> 00:21:01,667
And so it is
completely reasonable,

360
00:21:01,833 --> 00:21:03,042
with these components,

361
00:21:03,208 --> 00:21:04,333
to presume that
it might have been

362
00:21:04,458 --> 00:21:06,250
a battery of some type.

363
00:21:07,250 --> 00:21:08,708
SHATNER:
Is it possible

364
00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:11,667
that the so-called
Baghdad Battery really was

365
00:21:11,875 --> 00:21:14,250
an ancient
source of electricity?

366
00:21:15,583 --> 00:21:17,500
It's a fascinating theory,

367
00:21:17,708 --> 00:21:20,458
and modern scientists
have actually conducted tests

368
00:21:20,625 --> 00:21:23,708
to find out whether
it might be true.

369
00:21:23,833 --> 00:21:27,292
In 1940, an American
by the name of Willard Gray

370
00:21:27,417 --> 00:21:29,292
who worked for

371
00:21:29,458 --> 00:21:32,083
a General Electric
high voltage laboratory

372
00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:35,292
recreated the Baghdad Battery,

373
00:21:35,458 --> 00:21:39,167
and he was able to produce
about a one or two-volt charge.

374
00:21:39,333 --> 00:21:41,042
This is incredibly low.

375
00:21:41,208 --> 00:21:43,667
However, even at this
low-level charge,

376
00:21:43,875 --> 00:21:46,542
there are still potential uses
for this object.

377
00:21:46,708 --> 00:21:49,750
SHATNER:
It's incredible that modern
scientists have verified

378
00:21:49,917 --> 00:21:51,667
that this ancient artifact

379
00:21:51,833 --> 00:21:54,083
could have actually been
a working battery.

380
00:21:55,333 --> 00:21:56,792
But what's even more astounding

381
00:21:56,917 --> 00:22:00,667
is that the Baghdad Battery
is strikingly similar

382
00:22:00,833 --> 00:22:03,167
to the first modern battery
that was invented

383
00:22:03,375 --> 00:22:05,667
in the 19th century.

384
00:22:06,708 --> 00:22:10,667
GILLAN:
In 1800, the Italian scientist
Alessandro Volta developed

385
00:22:10,833 --> 00:22:15,292
the first modern battery,
which we call the voltaic pile.

386
00:22:15,458 --> 00:22:18,333
This was a groundbreaking
innovation because it was

387
00:22:18,458 --> 00:22:21,458
apparently the first time
that electricity could be

388
00:22:21,583 --> 00:22:23,667
produced and stored chemically.

389
00:22:24,708 --> 00:22:27,500
The voltaic pile
consisted of alternating layers

390
00:22:27,708 --> 00:22:30,792
of copper and zinc
with cardboard soaked

391
00:22:30,958 --> 00:22:33,750
in salt water
in between each layer,

392
00:22:33,917 --> 00:22:35,708
which is actually
remarkably similar

393
00:22:35,875 --> 00:22:39,125
to the materials used
for the Baghdad Battery.

394
00:22:39,250 --> 00:22:41,500
So the idea that an object

395
00:22:41,708 --> 00:22:43,667
that could have a similar
function as a battery

396
00:22:43,833 --> 00:22:47,250
existed 2,000 years ago
is astounding.

397
00:22:47,417 --> 00:22:48,667
And what it really shows us

398
00:22:48,792 --> 00:22:51,292
is that if it were
indeed a battery,

399
00:22:51,458 --> 00:22:54,875
ancient civilizations were
far ahead of their time.

400
00:22:55,042 --> 00:22:58,333
SHATNER:
If the Baghdad Battery was
in fact a genuine piece

401
00:22:58,458 --> 00:23:00,625
of ancient technology,

402
00:23:00,792 --> 00:23:03,208
then it naturally
begs the question:

403
00:23:03,375 --> 00:23:05,042
what was it used for?

404
00:23:05,208 --> 00:23:06,625
DENNIN:
One proposed use

405
00:23:06,833 --> 00:23:08,542
for the Baghdad Battery
is electroplating.

406
00:23:08,750 --> 00:23:11,042
Whether it's silver
or gold or other metals,

407
00:23:11,208 --> 00:23:12,792
onto jewelry.

408
00:23:12,958 --> 00:23:15,375
It's definitely
a possible use of it,

409
00:23:15,583 --> 00:23:17,167
but this would have
depended on exactly

410
00:23:17,292 --> 00:23:18,708
what electrolyte was used,

411
00:23:18,875 --> 00:23:20,542
how it was connected
to the metal

412
00:23:20,708 --> 00:23:22,542
to cause the electroplating.

413
00:23:22,708 --> 00:23:24,792
So it's not
an unreasonable assumption,

414
00:23:24,917 --> 00:23:26,750
but it would have taken
a little special engineering

415
00:23:26,875 --> 00:23:29,250
around the battery itself
to achieve that.

416
00:23:30,292 --> 00:23:32,542
GILLAN:
Another theory suggests
that the Baghdad Battery

417
00:23:32,708 --> 00:23:34,958
was actually used as
a form of protection

418
00:23:35,125 --> 00:23:37,667
for sacred statues of the gods

419
00:23:37,833 --> 00:23:41,958
so that if anyone dared to touch
one of these sacred statues,

420
00:23:42,125 --> 00:23:44,958
they would have received
a mild electric shock

421
00:23:45,125 --> 00:23:47,667
from the Baghdad Battery.

422
00:23:48,542 --> 00:23:49,833
Another theory is

423
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,500
that the Baghdad Battery
was actually used

424
00:23:52,708 --> 00:23:54,167
for medicinal purposes

425
00:23:54,250 --> 00:23:56,833
as a form
of mild electrotherapy.

426
00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:01,292
The Romans and Greeks were
actually using electric fish

427
00:24:01,458 --> 00:24:03,833
to create a form of pain relief.

428
00:24:03,958 --> 00:24:07,917
The ancient Egyptians also
used electric Nile catfish

429
00:24:08,083 --> 00:24:10,625
for treating certain
nerve disorders in people

430
00:24:10,750 --> 00:24:12,500
and also for pain relief.

431
00:24:12,667 --> 00:24:14,833
So it's not unheard of
to consider

432
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,500
that the Baghdad Battery
could have been used

433
00:24:17,708 --> 00:24:19,250
for similar purposes.

434
00:24:20,417 --> 00:24:23,333
SHATNER:
While it's fun to speculate
about how the Baghdad Battery

435
00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:25,583
may have been used
in ancient times,

436
00:24:25,750 --> 00:24:29,958
we may never unravel the mystery
of this curious artifact.

437
00:24:31,375 --> 00:24:37,000
Because, unfortunately, it has
once again been lost to history.

438
00:24:38,125 --> 00:24:43,500
GILLAN:
In 2003, the National Museum
of Iraq was tragically ransacked

439
00:24:43,708 --> 00:24:45,583
in the chaotic aftermath

440
00:24:45,750 --> 00:24:48,333
of the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq.

441
00:24:48,542 --> 00:24:51,583
The museum became
a target for looters.

442
00:24:51,708 --> 00:24:54,292
Among the relics
and precious artifacts

443
00:24:54,458 --> 00:24:56,708
that were stolen
was the Baghdad Battery.

444
00:24:57,708 --> 00:24:59,542
There's a lot
more research we could do

445
00:24:59,708 --> 00:25:02,375
to discover
exactly how it worked

446
00:25:02,542 --> 00:25:04,958
but we no longer
have that opportunity.

447
00:25:06,167 --> 00:25:10,333
COLLINS:
Skeptics today
obviously dismiss the idea

448
00:25:10,458 --> 00:25:13,292
that the Baghdad Battery
was indeed a battery.

449
00:25:13,458 --> 00:25:15,417
However, the one thing we know

450
00:25:15,583 --> 00:25:18,333
is that the Baghdad Battery
works.

451
00:25:18,458 --> 00:25:20,167
It has been replicated

452
00:25:20,375 --> 00:25:22,042
again and again,

453
00:25:22,208 --> 00:25:24,292
and people have shown

454
00:25:24,458 --> 00:25:26,542
how it does generate current.

455
00:25:26,708 --> 00:25:29,333
And we have to accept

456
00:25:29,542 --> 00:25:32,167
that the ancients
had a technology

457
00:25:32,375 --> 00:25:36,792
which we only rediscovered
in more modern times.

458
00:25:38,417 --> 00:25:40,542
It's fascinating to think that,

459
00:25:40,708 --> 00:25:44,167
when it comes
to harnessing electricity,

460
00:25:44,333 --> 00:25:48,667
ancient people may not have
been completely in the dark.

461
00:25:48,833 --> 00:25:51,417
And there's another remarkable
invention from the past

462
00:25:51,583 --> 00:25:54,583
that also resembles
technology we have today.

463
00:25:54,792 --> 00:25:56,542
This ingenious device,

464
00:25:56,708 --> 00:25:59,750
which was created
nearly 2,000 years ago,

465
00:25:59,917 --> 00:26:01,833
could detect the tremors
of earthquakes

466
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,042
from hundreds of miles away.

467
00:26:09,625 --> 00:26:10,875
SHATNER:
Earthquakes-- they are perhaps

468
00:26:11,042 --> 00:26:14,625
the most terrifying
of natural disasters.

469
00:26:14,750 --> 00:26:17,000
Even today,
with modern technology,

470
00:26:17,208 --> 00:26:19,458
we struggle to predict
when or where

471
00:26:19,583 --> 00:26:22,083
an earthquake will strike.

472
00:26:22,208 --> 00:26:25,833
But once these forces
of nature are unleashed,

473
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,958
experts can measure their power
using sensitive instruments

474
00:26:30,125 --> 00:26:34,792
called seismoscopes
and seismometers.

475
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,750
CHARLES ADLER:
When an earthquake occurs,
essentially, sound waves

476
00:26:37,875 --> 00:26:39,292
travel through the ground

477
00:26:39,417 --> 00:26:40,500
from the epicenter
of the earthquake

478
00:26:40,708 --> 00:26:42,625
and they rock the ground
back and forth.

479
00:26:42,833 --> 00:26:45,958
Modern seismometers are built
to pick up on that.

480
00:26:46,083 --> 00:26:49,083
And that's, in fact,
how we can detect earthquakes.

481
00:26:49,250 --> 00:26:51,833
SHATNER:
Measuring earthquakes
immediately after they start

482
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,167
allows quicker evacuation
and rescue efforts

483
00:26:55,375 --> 00:26:57,875
and is certainly useful
in our modern world.

484
00:26:58,875 --> 00:27:00,500
But what if a technology

485
00:27:00,667 --> 00:27:03,250
with the ability to detect
Earthquakes existed

486
00:27:03,375 --> 00:27:05,750
not just in modern times

487
00:27:05,917 --> 00:27:08,167
but 2,000 years ago?

488
00:27:14,750 --> 00:27:17,875
The Han Dynasty
is a sprawling empire

489
00:27:18,042 --> 00:27:21,833
that covers Ancient China
and parts of Vietnam and Korea.

490
00:27:21,958 --> 00:27:27,000
One day, Zhang Heng,
chief astronomer to the emperor,

491
00:27:27,125 --> 00:27:30,042
introduces a mysterious
instrument to court.

492
00:27:30,208 --> 00:27:33,833
He claims his device
can detect earthquakes--

493
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,833
events considered
by the ancient Chinese

494
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,917
to be important signs
from heaven.

495
00:27:39,917 --> 00:27:43,667
Zhang Heng was an exceptional
figure in Chinese history.

496
00:27:43,750 --> 00:27:45,792
He could be described
as a Renaissance man

497
00:27:45,917 --> 00:27:48,333
that was centuries
ahead of his time.

498
00:27:48,458 --> 00:27:53,500
Zhang Heng developed one
of the earliest instruments

499
00:27:53,625 --> 00:27:55,958
to measure movements
in the earth.

500
00:27:56,125 --> 00:27:59,667
This seismoscope
could be used to detect

501
00:27:59,833 --> 00:28:03,167
certain natural phenomena,
including earthquakes.

502
00:28:03,250 --> 00:28:07,917
SHATNER:
Unfortunately, Zhang Heng's
original seismoscope,

503
00:28:08,083 --> 00:28:10,750
which was a precursor
to modern seismometers,

504
00:28:10,875 --> 00:28:12,917
has been lost to time.

505
00:28:13,042 --> 00:28:14,917
However, based
on ancient descriptions

506
00:28:15,083 --> 00:28:16,708
of its general appearance,

507
00:28:16,875 --> 00:28:19,292
historians have created
models of the device

508
00:28:19,458 --> 00:28:23,000
that are on display
in museums throughout China.

509
00:28:23,167 --> 00:28:25,500
ADLER:
In shape, it was a huge urn

510
00:28:25,625 --> 00:28:28,208
which had eight dragons

511
00:28:28,375 --> 00:28:32,333
corresponding to different
directions around the rim,

512
00:28:32,500 --> 00:28:34,833
with their faces turned down

513
00:28:35,042 --> 00:28:37,917
looking at large toads
which had their mouths open,

514
00:28:38,083 --> 00:28:39,958
and when an earthquake
would occur,

515
00:28:40,125 --> 00:28:43,625
the dragon facing in
the direction of the earthquake

516
00:28:43,833 --> 00:28:46,875
would eject a ball
from its mouth,

517
00:28:47,042 --> 00:28:51,083
which would then fall
into the mouth of the toad.

518
00:28:52,083 --> 00:28:55,167
There's an account of it
in the Book of the Later Han,

519
00:28:55,333 --> 00:28:59,042
and it describes
how the seismoscope was

520
00:28:59,208 --> 00:29:00,875
triggered one day.

521
00:29:01,042 --> 00:29:04,625
No one at the court believed
that it actually worked.

522
00:29:04,750 --> 00:29:07,542
But then, a few days later,

523
00:29:07,708 --> 00:29:10,458
a messenger came
from about 400 miles away

524
00:29:10,625 --> 00:29:14,125
reporting that there had been
a massive earthquake.

525
00:29:14,250 --> 00:29:17,958
And everyone at court
was forced to admit

526
00:29:18,125 --> 00:29:21,167
that this seismoscope
could detect earthquakes

527
00:29:21,292 --> 00:29:24,042
hundreds and hundreds
of miles away.

528
00:29:25,083 --> 00:29:27,917
GILLAN:
This was an incredibly
important piece of technology

529
00:29:28,083 --> 00:29:30,917
because time was people's lives

530
00:29:31,083 --> 00:29:32,792
when it came
to natural disasters.

531
00:29:32,958 --> 00:29:35,542
It allowed help
to be sent straightaway

532
00:29:35,708 --> 00:29:37,500
to the affected region

533
00:29:37,667 --> 00:29:40,083
rather than having to wait days
for the message to reach them.

534
00:29:41,167 --> 00:29:45,250
STEAVU:
This seismoscope was
a technological marvel.

535
00:29:45,417 --> 00:29:49,167
In the rest of the world,
seismoscopes were not in use

536
00:29:49,333 --> 00:29:51,333
and they were
developed in Europe

537
00:29:51,500 --> 00:29:55,417
only in the 17 or 1800s.

538
00:29:55,583 --> 00:30:00,083
So Zhang Heng was numerous
centuries ahead of his time.

539
00:30:00,208 --> 00:30:04,000
SHATNER:
Zhang Heng was clearly
a scientific genius.

540
00:30:04,208 --> 00:30:06,667
But how was he able to build
such a remarkable device

541
00:30:06,792 --> 00:30:08,208
centuries before anyone else?

542
00:30:08,375 --> 00:30:13,167
And how did his extraordinary
seismoscope work?

543
00:30:14,375 --> 00:30:17,500
GILLAN:
We don't actually know
exactly how it functioned.

544
00:30:17,708 --> 00:30:19,500
There are
historical descriptions

545
00:30:19,708 --> 00:30:21,583
explaining what it looked like,

546
00:30:21,750 --> 00:30:23,375
the general components of it,

547
00:30:23,542 --> 00:30:26,125
but in terms of
the nitty-gritty functioning

548
00:30:26,333 --> 00:30:29,500
of this ancient piece of
technology it's still unknown.

549
00:30:29,708 --> 00:30:32,000
SHATNER:
Because both the seismoscope

550
00:30:32,208 --> 00:30:34,667
and detailed specifications
of its inner workings

551
00:30:34,833 --> 00:30:36,417
no longer exist,

552
00:30:36,583 --> 00:30:38,458
experts can only speculate

553
00:30:38,542 --> 00:30:44,000
as to how Zhang Heng's device
may have detected earthquakes.

554
00:30:44,167 --> 00:30:46,250
STEAVU:
It's been proposed,
hypothetically,

555
00:30:46,417 --> 00:30:49,375
that within the urn
was a pendulum

556
00:30:49,542 --> 00:30:51,917
which rested on a bronze ball.

557
00:30:52,083 --> 00:30:56,250
When a seismic wave would come,
the pendulum would move

558
00:30:56,458 --> 00:30:58,667
in the same direction
as the seismic wave,

559
00:30:58,833 --> 00:31:00,167
and the bronze ball would move

560
00:31:00,375 --> 00:31:03,000
in the opposite direction
of the seismic wave,

561
00:31:03,167 --> 00:31:05,750
and it would trigger
a dragon head

562
00:31:05,917 --> 00:31:09,250
to release a ball
that it was holding in its jaws.

563
00:31:09,375 --> 00:31:11,833
However, ultimately,
the inner mechanisms

564
00:31:12,042 --> 00:31:14,458
and function of the seismoscope
remain a mystery.

565
00:31:14,625 --> 00:31:18,583
SHATNER:
The mystery of how this odd
device detected earthquakes

566
00:31:18,708 --> 00:31:20,792
in ancient times is fascinating.

567
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,500
And almost
two full millennia later,

568
00:31:24,708 --> 00:31:28,333
a team of Chinese scientists
set out to finally prove

569
00:31:28,542 --> 00:31:32,000
how the seismoscope
could have worked.

570
00:31:32,208 --> 00:31:36,042
In 2005, a team
of scientists in China

571
00:31:36,208 --> 00:31:39,875
recreated the seismoscope
successfully,

572
00:31:40,042 --> 00:31:43,708
and the device functioned
as described in the sources.

573
00:31:43,875 --> 00:31:46,000
It had a very high sensitivity

574
00:31:46,167 --> 00:31:49,833
and was able to detect
simulated earthquakes

575
00:31:50,000 --> 00:31:52,667
from about four
to 500 miles away.

576
00:31:52,875 --> 00:31:57,125
Not only was it able to detect
the simulated earthquakes,

577
00:31:57,292 --> 00:31:59,667
it could also identify
accurately the direction

578
00:31:59,875 --> 00:32:01,333
in which they came from.

579
00:32:01,417 --> 00:32:03,458
So from this,
they could conclude

580
00:32:03,625 --> 00:32:06,500
that this seismoscope
was incredibly refined

581
00:32:06,667 --> 00:32:10,667
and advanced for the era
in which it was created.

582
00:32:10,875 --> 00:32:13,208
The Chinese seismometer

583
00:32:13,375 --> 00:32:14,083
was clearly centuries
ahead of its time,

584
00:32:14,542 --> 00:32:15,500
was clearly centuries
ahead of its time,

585
00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,500
and it's not the only instance
of ancient people

586
00:32:18,708 --> 00:32:22,167
designing technology
that mirrors our own.

587
00:32:22,333 --> 00:32:25,500
In fact, there was
one Renaissance man

588
00:32:25,667 --> 00:32:28,833
who foresaw a future
filled with flying machines

589
00:32:29,042 --> 00:32:33,333
nearly 400 years
before they existed.

590
00:32:39,375 --> 00:32:42,333
SHATNER:
In the heart of the city
stands the Louvre,

591
00:32:42,458 --> 00:32:46,333
one of the most renowned museums
in the world.

592
00:32:46,500 --> 00:32:48,667
Of the hundreds of thousands
of artworks contained

593
00:32:48,792 --> 00:32:51,333
in its prestigious galleries,

594
00:32:51,500 --> 00:32:54,500
the biggest attraction
is the Mona Lisa,

595
00:32:54,708 --> 00:32:59,083
which draws roughly
ten million visitors every year.

596
00:32:59,208 --> 00:33:02,000
The Mona Lisa is one of the many
important paintings created

597
00:33:02,167 --> 00:33:07,500
by celebrated Renaissance artist
Leonardo da Vinci.

598
00:33:07,708 --> 00:33:11,333
But curiously, da Vinci was
much more than just a painter.

599
00:33:11,542 --> 00:33:13,833
He was also a pioneer

600
00:33:13,958 --> 00:33:18,958
who envisioned
futuristic technologies.

601
00:33:19,083 --> 00:33:20,750
RESSLER:
Leonardo da Vinci

602
00:33:20,875 --> 00:33:22,167
is widely regarded

603
00:33:22,375 --> 00:33:24,458
as the quintessential
Renaissance man

604
00:33:24,625 --> 00:33:26,000
because he did it all.

605
00:33:26,167 --> 00:33:29,000
He was an artist,

606
00:33:29,167 --> 00:33:31,917
he was a gifted engineer

607
00:33:32,083 --> 00:33:35,250
and he was also
a great craftsman.

608
00:33:35,417 --> 00:33:38,167
So, he had a wide array
of skills

609
00:33:38,333 --> 00:33:40,875
combined with a brilliant mind.

610
00:33:41,042 --> 00:33:42,917
When we think of da Vinci,

611
00:33:43,083 --> 00:33:45,958
we often think about
his sketches

612
00:33:46,083 --> 00:33:49,167
of amazing machines,
and he compiled

613
00:33:49,333 --> 00:33:53,833
this vast collection
of sketches in his notebooks.

614
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:57,208
He was designing fortifications,

615
00:33:57,375 --> 00:34:01,833
port facilities, canals,

616
00:34:02,042 --> 00:34:05,500
catapults and tanks.

617
00:34:05,667 --> 00:34:08,917
These sketches would be
completely at home

618
00:34:09,125 --> 00:34:11,292
in the notebook of
an engineering student today.

619
00:34:12,333 --> 00:34:14,458
BULL:
Leonardo certainly had

620
00:34:14,625 --> 00:34:16,917
an amazing imagination.

621
00:34:17,042 --> 00:34:19,833
But one has to say
that Leonardo's ideas

622
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,167
were too advanced for his time,

623
00:34:22,292 --> 00:34:25,542
in the sense that he was stymied

624
00:34:25,708 --> 00:34:29,583
by the lack of the right
materials in the period.

625
00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:32,833
However, the fact
that very few of the things

626
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,083
Leonardo depicted
actually were done

627
00:34:35,250 --> 00:34:38,583
shouldn't really blind us
to his genius.

628
00:34:40,208 --> 00:34:41,500
SHATNER:
While most
of da Vinci's concepts

629
00:34:41,625 --> 00:34:45,417
were too advanced
to be built in the 15th century,

630
00:34:45,542 --> 00:34:48,833
incredibly, some traces
of his actual achievements

631
00:34:49,042 --> 00:34:51,125
can be seen today.

632
00:34:51,292 --> 00:34:53,292
Near Florence, a canal system

633
00:34:53,417 --> 00:34:56,208
designed by da Vinci
has been preserved,

634
00:34:56,375 --> 00:34:58,000
and a military stronghold

635
00:34:58,167 --> 00:35:01,333
he constructed in Switzerland
still stands.

636
00:35:04,167 --> 00:35:06,167
But of all
the futuristic machines

637
00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:09,458
envisioned by Leonardo da Vinci,

638
00:35:09,667 --> 00:35:14,500
his most famous designs were in
pursuit of his dream of flight.

639
00:35:14,667 --> 00:35:17,667
For decades,
modern historians have wondered,

640
00:35:17,875 --> 00:35:19,833
did Da Vinci actually discover

641
00:35:20,042 --> 00:35:22,292
the secret to soaring
through the sky

642
00:35:22,417 --> 00:35:25,250
centuries before the invention
of the airplane?

643
00:35:26,458 --> 00:35:28,000
Leonardo's understanding
of flight was

644
00:35:28,208 --> 00:35:30,458
certainly a lot deeper
than many of his contemporaries.

645
00:35:30,542 --> 00:35:34,958
He was one of the first people
to study actual bird motion

646
00:35:35,125 --> 00:35:39,042
to try to figure out how birds
flew under their own power.

647
00:35:39,208 --> 00:35:41,917
If you look at Leonardo's flying
machines,

648
00:35:42,083 --> 00:35:45,458
the first machines that
he envisions in his notebooks

649
00:35:45,625 --> 00:35:47,958
are, in fact, ornithopter
designs, very much like birds,

650
00:35:48,083 --> 00:35:52,000
where they flap their wings
to generate the lift for flying.

651
00:35:52,208 --> 00:35:54,042
And then he progressed on
to designs

652
00:35:54,208 --> 00:35:56,250
which were much more
like gliders.

653
00:35:58,958 --> 00:36:01,333
DENNIN:
One of the really
fascinating things

654
00:36:01,542 --> 00:36:04,333
about da Vinci's efforts is
he was very creative in thinking

655
00:36:04,542 --> 00:36:06,792
about how humans might
spin things or turn things.

656
00:36:06,958 --> 00:36:11,000
One of the designs he had
was an aerial screw.

657
00:36:11,208 --> 00:36:15,167
And it's a particular structure
like a propellor,

658
00:36:15,375 --> 00:36:17,417
to provide lift
and have something fly.

659
00:36:18,583 --> 00:36:20,333
SHATNER:
Leonardo Da Vinci's principle

660
00:36:20,458 --> 00:36:22,417
of a single screw
turning a propellor

661
00:36:22,583 --> 00:36:25,333
to create lift
is strikingly similar

662
00:36:25,500 --> 00:36:28,167
to the mechanics
behind the modern helicopter.

663
00:36:28,375 --> 00:36:30,667
And over the years,
engineers have been inspired

664
00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:33,583
to bring da Vinci's
visionary designs to life

665
00:36:33,750 --> 00:36:36,667
through real-world
experimentation.

666
00:36:37,833 --> 00:36:40,083
MATTHEW LANDRUS:
In 1976,

667
00:36:40,250 --> 00:36:43,542
the Gossamer Condor was flown,

668
00:36:43,708 --> 00:36:45,708
and it was he first
human-powered flying machine

669
00:36:45,875 --> 00:36:47,083
with one person operating

670
00:36:47,292 --> 00:36:50,667
this propeller-driven glider,
essentially.

671
00:36:50,792 --> 00:36:52,958
It was the first attempt

672
00:36:53,167 --> 00:36:56,208
at what Leonardo
was trying to make.

673
00:36:57,667 --> 00:36:59,333
ADLER:
A crew at the University
of Maryland

674
00:36:59,458 --> 00:37:02,875
used Leonardo's design
for the aerial screw.

675
00:37:04,417 --> 00:37:06,708
The quadcopter design worked.

676
00:37:06,875 --> 00:37:08,292
The air screws actually did
provide enough lift

677
00:37:08,458 --> 00:37:10,292
to lift the quadcopter up.

678
00:37:10,458 --> 00:37:13,833
And so, there is some promise
for a design like that.

679
00:37:13,958 --> 00:37:17,500
So, Leonardo even today does
inspire people in their designs.

680
00:37:19,042 --> 00:37:21,083
SHATNER:
How did Leonardo da Vinci

681
00:37:21,208 --> 00:37:24,417
create technical designs
that remain relevant

682
00:37:24,583 --> 00:37:27,500
more than 500 years
after his death?

683
00:37:27,667 --> 00:37:29,792
We may never fully understand
the depths

684
00:37:29,917 --> 00:37:33,042
of his extraordinary genius,

685
00:37:33,250 --> 00:37:35,833
but incredibly,
there are those who believe

686
00:37:36,042 --> 00:37:37,375
that an ancient civilization,

687
00:37:37,375 --> 00:37:38,250
that an ancient civilization,

688
00:37:38,375 --> 00:37:40,458
located in Mexico

689
00:37:40,625 --> 00:37:45,250
might have actually invented
rocket propulsion.

690
00:37:54,542 --> 00:37:56,750
SHATNER:
A heavy rainstorm
inundates the ruins

691
00:37:56,875 --> 00:37:58,292
of this ancient metropolis

692
00:37:58,458 --> 00:38:00,792
located northeast
of Mexico City.

693
00:38:02,833 --> 00:38:06,833
Once the weather clears,
archaeologist Sergio Gómez

694
00:38:07,042 --> 00:38:12,167
discovers a mysterious sinkhole
at the foot of a large pyramid

695
00:38:12,375 --> 00:38:16,000
known as the Temple
of the Feathered Serpent.

696
00:38:16,208 --> 00:38:18,250
COLLINS:
What this almighty storm did

697
00:38:18,417 --> 00:38:21,292
was to reveal the entrance

698
00:38:21,417 --> 00:38:24,208
into an underground tunnel

699
00:38:24,375 --> 00:38:29,167
that went for
around a hundred meters

700
00:38:29,292 --> 00:38:33,167
directly beneath the pyramid.

701
00:38:33,292 --> 00:38:36,500
A group of around 30 experts,

702
00:38:36,708 --> 00:38:41,417
headed by Gómez, started
to clear out these tunnels.

703
00:38:41,583 --> 00:38:45,458
They came to these chambers

704
00:38:45,583 --> 00:38:50,958
that were full of hundreds
of yellow spheres.

705
00:38:51,125 --> 00:38:53,833
And these were made out of clay,

706
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:56,167
and this yellow substance
around them

707
00:38:56,375 --> 00:39:00,167
was an oxidized form of pyrite,

708
00:39:00,375 --> 00:39:04,458
so they would have
shone in the light.

709
00:39:04,583 --> 00:39:06,083
DAVID WALTON:
Those yellow spheres

710
00:39:06,208 --> 00:39:07,500
are all along the ceiling

711
00:39:07,667 --> 00:39:09,417
and all along the walls
of this tunnel.

712
00:39:09,583 --> 00:39:12,958
If you have a torch,
that torchlight

713
00:39:13,125 --> 00:39:15,125
reflects off of the ceiling.

714
00:39:15,250 --> 00:39:17,625
It looks like the stars
in the sky.

715
00:39:18,917 --> 00:39:20,000
And it's just incredible.

716
00:39:21,667 --> 00:39:23,292
SHATNER:
Archaeologists have
also discovered

717
00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:26,333
other puzzling artifacts
at Teotihuacan,

718
00:39:26,542 --> 00:39:29,625
including large quantities
of liquid mercury

719
00:39:29,750 --> 00:39:33,500
and sheets of mica crystals.

720
00:39:33,625 --> 00:39:36,333
What's surprising
is that these materials

721
00:39:36,458 --> 00:39:38,792
are all used
in modern technology.

722
00:39:38,958 --> 00:39:42,500
So what are they doing
in an ancient metropolis

723
00:39:42,667 --> 00:39:46,000
that is more than
2,000 years old?

724
00:39:46,208 --> 00:39:49,000
GILLAN:
Because, for example,
mercury is actually used

725
00:39:49,208 --> 00:39:50,833
as a rocket propellant,

726
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:54,083
this has led many to suggest
that their discovery

727
00:39:54,208 --> 00:39:57,667
may provide evidence for
some form of ancient technology,

728
00:39:57,833 --> 00:40:00,542
perhaps used in propulsion
or in energy creation.

729
00:40:00,750 --> 00:40:03,417
This is very speculative,
but if it were, in fact, true,

730
00:40:03,625 --> 00:40:05,417
we would have to rethink
everything we know

731
00:40:05,542 --> 00:40:07,333
about ancient technology.

732
00:40:07,542 --> 00:40:10,667
SHATNER:
Is the presence
of sophisticated materials

733
00:40:10,833 --> 00:40:14,667
at Teotihuacan
just a coincidence?

734
00:40:14,875 --> 00:40:17,542
Or is it really possible
that ancient people

735
00:40:17,708 --> 00:40:20,542
invented an early form
of rocket fuel?

736
00:40:22,792 --> 00:40:24,458
Ultimately, it's hard to say,

737
00:40:24,542 --> 00:40:27,208
because we still have
much more to learn

738
00:40:27,375 --> 00:40:30,208
about the technology
of the ancient world.

739
00:40:30,375 --> 00:40:35,750
COLLINS:
Teotihuacan is one
of the most sophisticated,

740
00:40:35,917 --> 00:40:40,250
technologically advanced
ancient sites in the world.

741
00:40:40,417 --> 00:40:45,833
But the big mystery is we don't
know who built Teotihuacan,

742
00:40:46,042 --> 00:40:50,333
and how the ancients
had this knowledge.

743
00:40:50,542 --> 00:40:53,500
This is something
that happens again and again.

744
00:40:53,708 --> 00:40:55,625
We invent something

745
00:40:55,750 --> 00:40:59,208
and instead of
preserving the plans

746
00:40:59,375 --> 00:41:03,458
or the technique, it's lost.

747
00:41:05,083 --> 00:41:06,667
GILLAN:
There is still
a great deal of mystery

748
00:41:06,875 --> 00:41:08,750
about ancient technology.

749
00:41:08,958 --> 00:41:12,458
Whole histories of ancient
cultures have been lost.

750
00:41:12,625 --> 00:41:15,750
There's a lot more research
we still could do

751
00:41:15,917 --> 00:41:19,458
to discover forms
of ancient technology

752
00:41:19,667 --> 00:41:21,875
that may have been lost to time.

753
00:41:25,083 --> 00:41:27,833
From enigmatic gold spheres

754
00:41:27,958 --> 00:41:29,792
to incredibly powerful weapons

755
00:41:29,958 --> 00:41:34,125
to devices that warn
of impending disasters,

756
00:41:34,333 --> 00:41:37,792
many ancient pieces
of technology are fascinating

757
00:41:37,958 --> 00:41:40,500
and challenge
our understanding of history.

758
00:41:40,667 --> 00:41:45,458
If we unlock the secrets
of innovations from the past,

759
00:41:45,542 --> 00:41:47,708
could that play a key role
in developing

760
00:41:47,917 --> 00:41:50,167
the technology of tomorrow?

761
00:41:50,333 --> 00:41:52,833
It's an intriguing possibility,

762
00:41:53,042 --> 00:41:57,208
but for now, the mysterious
inventions of the ancients

763
00:41:57,333 --> 00:42:01,000
will remain unexplained.

764
00:42:01,125 --> 00:42:03,792
CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY
A+E NETWORKS