All language subtitles for Ancient.Impossible.S01E02.Moving.Mountains.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-playWEB_track4_[eng]

>> Narrator: HOW DID THE ROMANS
DEFY GRAVITY AND MAKE MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER FLOW UP AND

OVER MOUNTAINS?

HOW DID ANCIENT EGYPTIANS CARVE
MASSIVE GRANITE OBELISKS THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE

WASHINGTON MONUMENT?

AND WHY WOULD THE ROMAN ARMY
MOVE A MOUNTAIN?

MONUMENTS MORE COLOSSAL THAN OUR
OWN, WARSHIPS MIGHTIER THAN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, TECHNOLOGY SO

PRECISE, IT DEFIES REINVENTION,
THE ANCIENT WORLD WAS NOT PRIMITIVE.

THEIR DISCOVERIES WERE SO
ADVANCED WE STILL USE THEM TODAY.

TRAVEL TO A WORLD CLOSER THAN WE
IMAGINE, AN ANCIENT AGE WHERE NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE.

2,000 YEARS AGO IT WAS MISSION
IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE MIGHTY ROMAN ARMY.

THEY HAD TO TAKE THIS
IMPREGNABLE MOUNTAIN FORTRESS SURROUNDED BY SHEER CLIFFS

STANDING HUNDREDS OF FEET ABOVE
THE JUDEAN DESERT.

WHAT INCREDIBLE FEATS WOULD
ROMAN SOLDIERS HAVE TO DO TO ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE?

AT THE TIME, ROME WAS THE
LARGEST EMPIRE IN THE WORLD, STRETCHING ALL THE WAY FROM THE

BRITISH ISLES ON THE ATLANTIC TO
THE MIDDLE EAST IN ASIA.

ROME LET NOTHING STAND IN ITS
WAY.

AND ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES
OF THIS IS AT MASADA, IN MODERN- DAY ISRAEL.

THIS ISOLATED PLATEAU TELLS THE
STORY OF ONE OF THE ROMAN ARMY'S MOST SENSATIONAL TRIUMPHS AND

ONE OF THE GREATEST ENGINEERING
FEATS EVER.

TODAY, THE ONLY EASY WAY UP IS
BY CABLE CAR.

>> THE CABLE CAR BRINGS YOU UP
TO THE TOP IN ABOUT A MINUTE OR SO, BUT TO GO OVER TOP AND SEE

THE PATH THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY
TOOK IN ANCIENT TIMES, MAKING THEIR WAY UP, BRINGING SUPPLIES,

GETTING UP TO THE TOP OF THE
PLATEAU, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE ENDEAVOR.

>> Narrator: MASADA WAS BUILT AS
A LUXURY STRONGHOLD BY KING HEROD, WHO UNDERSTOOD THE

MILITARY VALUE OF THIS ISOLATED
PLATEAU.

>> AS SUPER FORTRESSES GO,
MASADA IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

>> Narrator: 100 YEARS LATER,
MASADA WAS OCCUPIED BY NEARLY A THOUSAND JEWISH REBELS.

THEY BELIEVED AN ATTACK ON
MASADA WAS IMPOSSIBLE.

>> THE JEWISH REBELS TAKE OVER
THIS GARRISON HERE IN MASADA, ATTACK SOME OF THE NEARBY

VILLAGES AND SLAUGHTER A LOT OF
PEOPLE.

AT THAT POINT, THEY HAVE ROME'S
ATTENTION.

>> Narrator: GOVERNOR FLAVIUS
SILVA LED AROUND 10,000 ROMAN TROOPS IN THE SIEGE AT MASADA.

BUT EVEN WITH ALL THAT MANPOWER,
HOW COULD THE ROMANS TAKE THIS SUPPOSEDLY IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS?

SCATTERED AROUND MASADA ARE
CLUES STILL VISIBLE TODAY.

THE ROMANS STARTED BY TRYING TO
STARVE THE REBELS TO DEATH.

TO DO THIS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO
BUILD A 5-MILE LONG WALL ENCIRCLING MASADA.

>> THEY BUILT WHAT IS KNOWN AS A
CIRCUMVALLATION, WHICH IS BUILDING A WALL AROUND, TRYING

TO STOP SUPPLIES COMING IN TO
THE CASTLE.

>> Narrator: WORKING IN THE
DESERT WHERE THE TEMPERATURES CAN REACH 110 DEGREES SEEMS AN

IMPOSSIBLE TASK.

>> THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED WITH
SHEER GRIT, DETERMINATION, AND HARD WORK BY THE THOUSANDS THAT

WERE THERE.

>> Narrator: BUILDING A WALL OF
THIS SCALE IS AN EPIC UNDERTAKING EVEN WITH TODAY'S

EQUIPMENT.

MODERN EXCAVATION USES POWERFUL
MACHINERY LIKE THIS DRAG-LINE EXCAVATOR.

THE LARGEST ARE AS BIG AS A
HOUSE.

THE DRAGLINE BUCKET CAN DIG OUT
UP TO 360 TONS OF EARTH AND RUBBLE IN ONE SCOOP.

THAT'S MORE WEIGHT THAN A JUMBO
JET.

IT DOES THE WORK OF 5,000 MEN.

ALL THE ROMAN SOLDIERS HAD IN
THEIR ARSENAL WAS A SIMPLE ENTRENCHING TOOL LIKE THIS,

CALLED A DOLABRA, WHICH MAKES
THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS SEEM ALL THE MORE UNIMAGINABLE.

>> THE ROMAN ARMY, IT TURNS OUT,
WEREN'T JUST DEADLY WITH THEIR SWORDS.

THEY WERE ALSO DEADLY THANKS TO
THEIR SHOVELS.

>> Narrator: THROUGH SHEER
DETERMINATION AND MANPOWER, THE ROMANS COMPLETED THE WALL

AROUND MASADA IN JUST A FEW
DAYS.

BUT THEY DIDN'T REALIZE HOW
WELL-STOCKED THE REBELS WERE.

THEY WERE READY FOR A VERY LONG
SIEGE.

WHAT AMAZING ENGINEERING SECRETS
DID THIS FORTRESS IN THE SKY HOLD THAT COULD ENABLE THE

REBELS TO BELIEVE THEY COULD
OUTLAST THE ROMAN ARMY?

>> CUT DEEP INTO THE ROCK OF THE
MOUNTAIN ITSELF ARE HUGE CISTERNS.

AND THERE WERE STOREHOUSES AND
GRANARIES FOR FOOD THAT WERE ALSO CAREFULLY BUILT TO KEEP

EVERYTHING AT AN EVEN
TEMPERATURE.

>> WHOA.

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

>> Narrator: ALL OVER MASADA,
CISTERNS LIKE THIS STORED WHAT LITTLE RAINWATER FELL FROM A

NETWORK OF CHANNELS.

>> THIS HAS REALLY GOT THE ROMAN
MILITARY PREOCCUPIED BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT THE REBELS CAN

HOLD OUT A LONG TIME.

THEY KNOW ABOUT THE CISTERNS.

THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN RESIST.

THEY THEMSELVES COMING HERE,
SETTING UP A CAMP, THEY DON'T HAVE THOSE KIND OF RESOURCES.

THEY HAVE TO BRING IN THE WATER.

THEY HAVE TO BRING IN THE
MATERIALS >> Narrator: IF THE ROMANS

COULDN'T STARVE THE REBELS OUT,
THEY WOULD TAKE MASADA BY FORCE.

>> THE ROMANS HAD TO TAKE THE
PLACE, WHICH MEANT THAT THEY HAD TO GET UP TO THAT WALL, KNOCK A

HOLE THROUGH IT, AND STORM INTO
THE FORTRESS ITSELF.

>> Narrator: BUT HOW COULD THE
ROMANS HOPE TO LAUNCH AN ASSAULT ON THIS IMPREGNABLE

FORTRESS IN THE SKY?

>> UP ON TOP OF THE PLATEAU IN
THE FORMER PALACE OF HEROD, YOU HAVE JEWISH REBELS THAT ARE

HOLDING OUT.

NOW EVENTUALLY, IN COMES THE
MILITARY.

THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS ARE READY
TO MAKE THE ASSAULT, BUT HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET UP THERE?

>> THAT'S A CHALLENGE, BECAUSE
THERE WAS ONLY NARROW PATHWAYS LEADING UP.

SO HOWEVER MANY MEN YOU'VE GOT,
HOWEVER MANY LEGIONS YOU'VE GOT, PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO COME UP

SINGLE FILE, AND THE DEFENDERS
CAN PICK THEM OFF.

>> Narrator: THE ROMAN ARMY
FACED AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM.

WHAT COULD THEY DO?

A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE SIDE OF THE
PLATEAU REVEALS HOW THE ROMANS WOULD ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE.

>> THE SOLUTION IS TO BUILD A
RAMP.

>> Narrator: THE ROMAN ARMY
WOULD BUILD A MOUNTAIN TO REACH THE TOP.

THE FACT IS, SIEGE RAMPS HAD
BEEN PART OF ANCIENT WARFARE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

YOU CAN FIND EXAMPLES THROUGHOUT
THE ANCIENT WORLD.

IN THE FOURTH CENTURY BC,
ALEXANDER THE GREAT BUILT THIS CAUSEWAY 200 FEET WIDE AND 3,000

FEET LONG IN ORDER TO LAY SIEGE
ON THE ISLAND FORTRESS OF TYRE.

BUT THIS RAMP WAS A FLAT ROAD
ACROSS A NARROW STRETCH OF WATER.

AT MASADA, THE ROMANS NEEDED AN
ENGINEERING MIRACLE >> THREE QUARTERS OF THE SIDES

OF THE PLATEAU, THE HEIGHT IS
ABOUT 400 FEET.

BUT ON ONE SIDE, ON THE WESTERN
SIDE, IT'S ACTUALLY ONLY ABOUT 240 FEET.

THAT'S WHAT THEY TARGET.

THAT IS WHERE THEY'RE GONNA
BUILD THEIR RAMP.

>> Narrator: BUT EVEN BUILDING
ON THE SHORTER SIDE IS A VERY TALL ORDER.

IN THE MODERN WORLD, WE USE
MASSIVE MACHINES TO SHIFT TONS OF EARTH AND RUBBLE.

THIS IS A POWERTRAIN HAUL TRUCK,
THE BIGGEST DUMPSTER IN THE WORLD.

>> ONE OF THESE CAN CARRY A LOAD
UP TO 100 TONS ON ITS OWN.

JUST THINK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE
WOULD HAVE TO DIG AND THEN CARRY THAT.

SO WHEN WE COMPARE THIS, OUR
MODERN TECHNOLOGY, TO WHAT THE ROMANS HAD TO DO ALL BY HAND,

IT'S REALLY JUST INCREDIBLE.

FOR THE ROMANS, EVERYTHING CAME
DOWN TO MUSCLE POWER.

TO DIG OUT THE EARTH IN THE
FIRST PLACE, YOU HAD TO USE SPADES AND PICKS.

YOU THEN PUT THE SPOIL INTO
BASKETS.

YOU PUT THE BASKETS EITHER ON
YOUR OWN BACK, ON THE BACK OF A MULE OR MAYBE INTO A CART, BUT

IT CAME DOWN TO HUMAN AND
ANIMAL MUSCLE POWER TO EXTRACT THAT SPOIL AND THEN MOVE IT UP

AGAINST THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN
BEFORE YOU COULD EVEN BEGIN YOUR ASSAULT ON MASADA ITSELF.

>> I'M ON THE RAMP THAT THE
ROMANS CONSTRUCTED TO TAKE OUT THE JEWISH REBELS UP ON TOP.

YOU CAN FEEL HISTORY.

YOU GET A SENSE OF THE--THE SUN,
THE WIND, THE DUST, TO SAY NOTHING OF THE REBELS THAT ARE

THROWING STUFF ON YOU AS YOU'RE
TRYING TO CONSTRUCT THIS MASSIVE RAMP.

>> Narrator: THE REBELS
UNDERESTIMATED HOW DETERMINED AND RUTHLESS THE ROMANS WERE.

THEY WERE NOT GOING TO LET
NATURE GET IN THE WAY.

MOVING A MOUNTAIN OF EARTH TO
GET TO THE FORTRESS WAS AN ENGINEERING MARVEL, BUT HOW

WOULD THE SOLDIERS STORM THE
FORTRESS ITSELF?

>> Narrator: THE ANCIENT WORLD
WAS FAR MORE ADVANCED THAN WETHE EVER IMAGINED.S DEADLIEST SIEGE

NOW WE ARE UNCOVERING NEW
EVIDENCE OF HOW THE ANCIENTS WERE ABLE TO OVERCOME VAST

ENGINEERING CHALLENGES AND MAKE
THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE.

AT MASADA, ROMAN SOLDIERS
COMBINED THEIR ENGINEERING AND FIGHTING SKILLS TO CREATE THE

GREATEST SIEGE RAMP OF THE
ANCIENT WORLD.

THIS ANCIENT MEGA MOVE WOULD
CREATE A RAMP 650 FEET LONG RISING 240 FEET AT AN INCLINE OF

1 IN 3.

THE ROMANS MOVED THE EQUIVALENT
WEIGHT OF ONE AND A HALF EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS BY MUSCLE

POWER ALONE.

>> PUT YOURSELVES IN THE SHOES
OF THE JEWISH REBELS UP ON TOP HERE AT MASADA.

SO INITIALLY, YOU'RE STARTING
OFF, YOU'RE IN A FORTIFICATION.

IT'S IMPREGNABLE, AND THEN THE
ROMAN ARMY SHOWS UP, AND THEY'VE SURROUNDED THE ENTIRE PLATEAU.

THEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
RAMP BEGINS.

AND YOU SEE IT START, AND IN A
COUPLE OF MONTHS, IT'S BUILDING UP AND UP

>> Narrator: WITHIN TWO MONTHS,
THE RAMP TO THE FORTRESS WAS COMPLETE.

BUT HOW WOULD THE ROMANS STORM
THE FORTRESS ITSELF?

>> THEY WANNA BRING THEIR SIEGE
ENGINES, THEIR BIG TOWERS, UP TO THE WALLS AND THEN SMASH THOSE

WALLS, BREAK THROUGH AND KILL
THE REBELS.

>> Narrator: BUT WHAT AMAZING
PIECE OF ENGINEERING WOULD BREAK THROUGH THE HEAVILY DEFENDED

WALLS?

THE ROMANS NEEDED SOMETHING LIKE
THIS.

IT WAS CALLED THE HELEPOLIS.

THIS MASSIVE ARMORED SIEGE TOWER
WAS CONSTRUCTED TO BESIEGE THE GREEK CITY OF RHODES IN THE

FOURTH CENTURY BC.

>> THE HELEPOLIS WAS A MASTERFUL
FEAT OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION.

IT WAS THE LARGEST SIEGE TOWER
EVER CONSTRUCTED IN ANTIQUITY.

WE THINK IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE
140 FEET HIGH, AND IT REQUIRED SOMETHING LIKE 3,000 PEOPLE

WORKING IN RELAYS TO PUSH IT
FORWARD AND KEEP IT MOVING.

BUT WHEN IT WAS IN PLACE, IT WAS
A DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION MACHINE.

JUST IMAGINE THAT KIND OF
MONSTROSITY OF MACHINE MOVING TOWARDS YOUR CITY WALLS BRINGING

WITH IT THE INEVITABLE SENSE OF
DESTRUCTION.

(men shouting indistinctly)

>> Narrator: IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE DESERT, THE ROMANS FACED AN IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE.

THERE WERE NO RESOURCES OR
SUPPLIES, NONE OF THE MATERIAL THEY NEEDED.

HOW COULD THEY BUILD A SIEGE
TOWER OUT OF NOTHING?

>> THEY NEEDED WOOD.

THEY NEEDED IRON PLATE.

ALL OF THIS HAD TO BE BROUGHT
IN.

THE ROMAN ARMY WAS NOT SIMPLY A
BUNCH OF HIGHLY TRAINED KILLERS.

IT WAS ALSO A WELL-OILED,
ORGANIZED ENGINEERING TEAM.

>> Narrator: WITH A HUGE EFFORT,
THE ROMANS BROUGHT THE MATERIALS FOR THE TOWER INTO THE DESERT.

BUT A WOODEN SIEGE TOWER WOULD
BE WORTHLESS IF THE REBELS COULD SET IT ON FIRE.

>> TO MAKE SURE THIS COULDN'T
HAPPEN, THE ROMANS PUT HEAVY IRON PLATES ON THE OUTSIDE OF

THE TOWER...

IRON PLATES THAT MEANT FIRE
COULDN'T CATCH AND THAT MOST OF THE MISSILES THAT THE ENEMY

FLUNG AT THE TOWER WOULD SIMPLY
BE DEFLECTED.

>> Narrator: AS THE REBELS
WATCHED, THE ARMORED TOWER, EQUIPPED WITH A GIANT BATTERING

RAM, WAS CONSTRUCTED BELOW THEM.

THIS IS THE ONLY ANCIENT
BATTERING RAM EVER FOUND.

>> AND YOU WOULD MOUNT THAT IN
THE TOWER SO THAT YOU COULD START TO KNOCK THE WALL DOWN.

>> THE SIEGE ENGINE WOULD HAVE
BEEN AN IMPOSING STRUCTURE, AND IT DOESN'T JUST SERVE THE

PURPOSE OF PROTECTING THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE GONNA BE MANNING A BATTERING RAM, BUT ALSO GIVES

OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOLDIERS
WITH BALLISTAE, WITH CATAPULTS, AND THEY COULD LAUNCH THEM AT

THE REBELS AS THEY GO FORWARD
AND SMASH THE WALLS.

>> Narrator: THE ROMANS WERE
READY TO ATTACK.

(crowd shouting)
IT SEEMS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK TO FORCE THIS VAST TOWER UP THE

STEEP RAMP.

HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS PUSHED IT
INTO POSITION.

>> YOU'D FEEL NOTHING BUT PANIC
BECAUSE YOU REALIZE THE ROMANS MEAN BUSINESS.

THEY'RE NOT JUST SHOWING UP AT
ONE PART OF THE PLATEAU.

THEY'VE SURROUNDED THE ENTIRE
AREA.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE.

YOU CAN'T GO OUT THE BACK DOOR.

YOU CAN'T GO DOWN THE SNAKE
PATH.

YOU ARE TRAPPED.

YOU'VE GOT YOUR WATER SUPPLY.

YOU'VE GOT YOUR FOOD, BUT
THERE'S THE ROMAN ARMY, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL

THEY ARRIVE AT THE TOP.

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL
EVERY SINGLE REBEL IS DEAD.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY
TERRIFYING TO THINK THAT YOU HAVE NO WAY OUT.

THIS IS THE END.

>> Narrator: ONCE THE BATTERING
RAM SMASHED THE OUTER WALL, THE ROMANS SET FIRE TO THE WOODEN

INNER WALL AND PREPARED TO
ATTACK AT DAWN.

>> THE ROMANS SMASH THROUGH THE
GATES.

THEY COME OVER THE WALLS.

THEY COME IN EN MASSE.

>> AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE ON THE
SCENE ON THE TOP OF THE PLATEAU, THEY DON'T ENCOUNTER RESISTANCE.

WHERE ARE THE JEWISH REBELS?

>> Narrator: WHEN THE ROMANS
FINALLY BROKE INTO MASADA, THEY WERE CONFRONTED WITH A SCENE OF

CARNAGE AND DESTRUCTION
>> THE ACCOUNT, ACCORDING TO THE GREAT MILITARY HISTORIAN

JOSEPHUS, IS THAT WHEN THE
ROMANS BREAK THROUGH THE DEFENSES, THEY SEE THAT ALL THE

REBELS HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE.

>> Narrator: WITH ONLY TWO WOMEN
AND FIVE CHILDREN STILL ALIVE, THE ROMANS HAD WON.

BUT THE DEFENDERS DENIED THEM A
FULL TRIUMPH.

>> THEY DON'T GIVE THE ROMANS
THE SATISFACTION.

IT'S ONE OF HISTORY'S GREAT
TRAGIC TALES.

(crowd shouting)
>> Narrator: THE ROMAN ARMY LET NOTHING STAND IN ITS WAY.

AT MASADA, THEY PROVED THEY
COULD HARNESS THEIR ENGINEERING SKILLS NOT ONLY TO MOVE A

MOUNTAIN BUT CONQUER A SEEMINGLY
IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS IN THE SKY.

BUT IT WASN'T JUST THE ROMANS
WHO WERE THE GREAT MEGA MOVERS.

4,000 YEARS AGO, THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS WERE ALSO CREATING AND MOVING MONUMENTS ON A MASSIVE

SCALE.

>> Narrator: THIS IS "ANCIENT
IMPOSSIBLE," MAKING YOU BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVABLE BY REVEALING

HOW ADVANCED THE ANCIENT WORLD
ACTUALLY WAS.

ROMAN SOLDIERS COULD MOVE
MOUNTAINS AT WILL.

BUT THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE
THE ROMANS, IT WAS THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WHO FIRST DISCOVERED

HOW TO MOVE HUGE OBJECTS.

OBELISKS ARE MASSIVE MONOLITHIC
PILLARS THAT THE EGYPTIANS PLACED IN PAIRS AT THE ENTRANCE

TO TEMPLES.

OVER CENTURIES, THEY PLACED
HUNDREDS OF THESE THROUGHOUT THEIR KINGDOM.

THE OBELISK WAS A SYMBOL OF RA,
THE SUN GOD, AND INCREDIBLY, MANY OF THESE ANCIENT PILLARS

STILL STAND TODAY.

THE OBELISKS SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO
MOVE, BUT THE EGYPTIANS FOUND A WAY.

IN ASWAN IN SOUTHERN EGYPT LIES
AN IMPORTANT CLUE.

>> I AM STANDING ON AN
UNFINISHED OBELISK.

IT'S 137 FEET LONG, 14 FEET WIDE
AT THE BASE, AND IT'S MADE OF SOLID GRANITE, WHICH WEIGHS OVER

1,000 TONS.

>> Narrator: UNLIKE THE
WASHINGTON MONUMENT, WHICH HAS A STEEL FRAME AND MORE THAN 30,000

STONE BLOCKS, EGYPTIAN OBELISKS
ARE ONE SOLID MASS OF GRANITE.

>> NOW YOU MIGHT THINK THIS
OBELISK REMAINS UNFINISHED BECAUSE IT'S SIMPLY TOO BIG, IT

WAS TOO HUGE TO MOVE.

BUT THE TRUTH IS QUITE
DIFFERENT, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS CRACK THAT YOU CAN SEE DOWN

HERE.

WHILE THIS OBELISK WAS BEING
CONSTRUCTED, THIS CRACK BECAME APPARENT, AND THERE WAS NO WAY

THEY COULD EVER MAKE USE OF THIS
OBELISK WITH THIS HUGE DEFECT.

SO THEY LEFT IT HERE IN THE
QUARRY, WHERE IT WAS BEING BUILT.

THEY DEFINITELY COULD HAVE MOVED
IT.

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS CLEARLY
HAD THE TECHNOLOGY TO MOVE 1,000-TON STONES.

WE'VE SEEN THEM DO IT WITH
MANY OTHER GIGANTIC MONUMENTS >> Narrator: TO SOLVE THE

MYSTERY OF HOW THIS MASSIVE
OBELISK COULD BE MOVED, WE FIRST HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW IT WAS

BUILT.

>> CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT
WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE TO BE A WORKER HERE?

DIGGING DOWN THROUGH 14 FEET OF
SOLID GRANITE, SOME OF THE HARDEST ROCK ON THE PLANET.

AND THE ONLY TOOL YOU HAD TO DO
THIS IS A DOLERITE RAMMER, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY JUST ANOTHER

VOLCANIC ROCK WHICH IS SLIGHTLY
HARDER.

IF YOU CAN GET A CRACK IN THE
RIGHT PLACE AND USE THE RAMMER ON THE CRACK, YOU CAN ACTUALLY

MAKE MUCH MORE HEADWAY THAN JUST
POUNDING AWAY AT THE SOLID ROCK ITSELF.

SO IT'S REALLY QUITE CLEVER.

>> MAYBE 130 MEN ALL SITTING
CROSS-LEGGED IN VERY CRAMPED CONDITIONS ALL POUNDING AWAY.

THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN DUST
CLOUDS FLYING UP.

THEY WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN
BREATHING THIS DUST IN.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY
UNPLEASANT FOR THEM.

>> Narrator: LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR
THE AVERAGE EGYPTIAN MAN WAS ABOUT 33 YEARS.

BUT WORKING ON THE OBELISKS WAS
A PRIVILEGED POSITION.

>> WE DON'T THINK THOUGH THAT
THEY WERE SLAVES, AND WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT TAKE

PRIDE IN.

THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING YOU
MIGHT--YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO.

>> Narrator: ONCE THE EGYPTIAN
WORKERS FINISHED THE THREE SIDES OF THE OBELISK, THEY STILL FACED

THE EPIC TASK OF REMOVING IT
FROM THE BEDROCK >> THEY CREATED A MASSIVE FIRE

ALONG THE BOTTOM HERE.

THAT CREATED CRACKS IN THE
GRANITE THAT THEY COULD THEN EXPLOIT WITH THEIR DOLERITE

POUNDERS.

I MEAN, THAT--THAT IS AMAZING
TECHNOLOGY.

>> Narrator: ONCE THE OBELISK
WAS FREE, HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE MOVED AN INCH, LET ALONE

HUNDREDS OF MILES TO ITS FINAL
LOCATION?

>> AFTER COMPLETING THIS
1,000-TON OBELISK, THE REAL CHALLENGE IS MOVING IT TO ITS

FINAL LOCATION.

THE NILE IS A MILE AWAY.

BUT WHAT'S RECENTLY BEEN
DISCOVERED IS A CANAL, WHICH HAS BEEN BUILT, AN ANCIENT CANAL

WHICH WOULD RUN RIGHT THROUGH
HERE.

>> Narrator: COULD THE EGYPTIANS
HAVE MADE A BARGE LARGE ENOUGH FOR THIS OBELISK?

QUEEN HATSHEPSUT'S TOMB AT DIER
EL-BAHARI MAY HOLD THE ANSWER.

PAINTED ON THE WALL ARE
IMPOSSIBLY HUGE 200-FOOT BARGES BUILT THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE

THE GREAT SHIPS OF GREECE AND
ROME.

BUT HOW TO GET A 1,000-TON
OBELISK ONTO THE BARGE.

LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT HOW WE
SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS TODAY.

THIS IS THE DOCKWISE VANGUARD...

ONE OF JUST A HANDFUL OF SHIPS
CAPABLE OF TRANSPORTING A DEEPWATER DRILLING RIG.

BUT HOW DO YOU GET A 100,000-TON
OIL PLATFORM ONTO ITS CARGO DECK?

LIKE THIS.

THIS SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE HEAVY LIFT
SHIP SINKS IN THE WATER SO TUGS CAN MANEUVER THE OIL PLATFORM

INTO POSITION.

ITS KNOWN AS A FLO/FLO--FLOAT
ON AND FLOAT OFF.

WITH A LOAD OF UP TO 117,000
TONS IN POSITION, THIS MIGHTY MEGA MOVER RISES FROM THE OCEAN

AND IT'S ON ITS WAY.

IT DOES WHAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE,
EVEN TODAY.

BUT OF COURSE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
THAT SUCH TECHNOLOGY WAS AVAILABLE TO THE ANCIENT

EGYPTIANS 4,000 YEARS AGO.

OR IS IT?

ANCIENT EGYPT HAD A SECRET
WEAPON-- THE RIVER NILE.

EVERY YEAR THE NILE FLOODED,
FILLING THE CANAL DUG NEXT TO THE OBELISK.

SO COULD THE UNFINISHED OBELISK
HAVE BEEN MOVED USING THE NILE FLOODS?

THE BARGE WAS WEIGHED DOWN TO
SINK IT, AND WHEN THE OBELISK WAS LOADED, THE BALLAST WAS

REMOVED, AND THE BARGE COULD
MOVE ANYWHERE ALONG THE NILE.

>> TO ME, AS A MODERN ENGINEER,
LOOKING AT WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH SUCH SIMPLE

TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES.

THAT TRULY IS AMAZING.

THESE WERE INCREDIBLE ANCIENT
MEGA-MOVERS.

>> Narrator: THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS EMPLOYED INNOVATIONS THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THEIR

TIME TO MEGA MOVE 1,000-TON
STONES.

BUT THE GREATEST MYSTERY IN THE
ANCIENT WORLD IS HOW THE ROMANS MOVED THESE MASSIVE STONES

WEIGHING UP TO 1,000 TONS EACH,
AND THEY WERE NOWHERE NEAR A RIVER.

ANCIENT ROME WAS A BIGIANS STILL
CIVILIZATION THAT THOUGHT BIG.E.

BUT AT ONE SITE IN THE ROMAN
EMPIRE, CONSTRUCTION WAS SUPER- SIZED.

HOW THESE HUGE BLOCKS WERE MOVED
THERE HAS BEEN A MYSTERY FOR 2,000 YEARS.

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS STONE.

LOOK AT THE PEOPLE BESIDE IT.

IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
BELIEVE THAT THE EGYPTIANS MEGA MOVED BLOCKS LIKE THIS USING

BOATS.

AND IT'S EVEN HARDER TO GRASP
THAT THE ROMANS COULD MOVE THEM ON LAND.

THIS IS BAALBEK IN THE BEKAA
VALLEY IN LEBANON.

IT CONTAINS THE LARGEST TEMPLE
IN ALL THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

>> IT IS SOMETHING ON THE SCALE
OF THE ROMAN FORUM.

THE SANCTUARY IS AMAZING.

>> Narrator: AFTER CONQUERING
THE REGION, THE ROMAN EMPEROR AUGUSTUS COMMEMORATED HIS

VICTORY BY ORDERING THIS HUGE
EDIFICE.

BAALBEK COVERS THE SAME AREA AS
NEARLY NINE FOOTBALL FIELDS.

THE SHEER SIZE OF BAALBEK IS A
REMINDER TO SUBJECTED PEOPLES OF THE POWER OF ROME.

>> THE SCALE OF THE STONES IS
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

JUST STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO THEM
YOU REALIZE HOW LARGE THE ENTERPRISE WAS TO BRING THOSE

STONES INTO THE SANCTUARY.

>> Narrator: IT'S HARDLY
BELIEVABLE, BUT THESE BLOCKS AT THE BASE OF THE SANCTUARY WEIGH

800 TONS EACH.

IS THERE A CLUE AT BAALBEK THAT
COULD SHOW US HOW THE ROMANS MOVED THEM?

>> THE QUARRY SITE IS 43 FEET
HIGHER THAN THE LEVEL OF THE SANCTUARY, SO CERTAINLY THIS HAD

A PART IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF
THE STONE BLOCKS.

BUT HOW DID THEY DO IT?

THAT'S THE REAL MYSTERY
>> Narrator: TO TRY TO SHOW THE MOST ADVANCED ROMAN MEGA MOVING

TECHNOLOGY, WE'RE GOING TO USE
SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TODAY.

>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE SIZE
OF ONE OF THESE STONES.

HERE'S A PERSON FOR COMPARISON.

WE CAN SEE THAT THE STONE IS
ABOUT 12 FOOT BY 14 FOOT BY 65 FEET LONG.

>> Narrator: HOW WOULD WE MOVE A
BLOCK LIKE THIS TODAY?

THIS IS THE LIEBHERR 11200, THE
MOST ADVANCED MOBILE CRANE IN THE WORLD.

IT'S GOT A TURNING CIRCLE
SMALLER THAN MOST CARS.

YET IT HAS THE POWER TO LIFT THE
WEIGHT OF OVER 500 CARS.

>> THIS CRANE HAS GOT JUST
ENOUGH POWER TO LIFT THIS STONE.

WE CAN SEE THAT THE SCALE OF
THIS STONE IS ALMOST AS BIG AS THE CRANE ITSELF.

SO THE IDEA OF TRYING TO MOVE
THIS WITHOUT MODERN-DAY MACHINERY SEEMS UNTHINKABLE.

IF WE LOOK AT THE STONE, WE CAN
SEE NO MARKS THAT GIVE US A CLUE AS TO HOW THE ROMANS MOVED IT.

WE KNOW THAT THEY MOVED IT FROM
THE QUARRY TO THE SITE, BUT WE HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY DID IT.

TO MAKE A MOVE LIKE THAT TODAY
USING MODERN EQUIPMENT WOULD BE AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT.

BUT TO HAVE DONE SO 2,000 YEARS
AGO JUST SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE.

>> Narrator: HERE'S THE PROBLEM.

THE MOST SOPHISTICATED CRANE IN
THE ROMAN WORLD, THE POLYSPASTOS, COULD LIFT ONLY A

FRACTION OF WHAT TODAY'S CRANES
CAN HANDLE, NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH TO LIFT THESE STONES.

THE ROMANS DID HAVE SOME OTHER
VERY INGENIOUS MACHINES.

MEET THE CAPSTAN, A VERTICAL
DRUM THAT WOUND A CABLE TO MOVE HEAVY LOADS.

BUT THESE LOADS WERE IMPOSSIBLY
HEAVY EVEN FOR CAPSTANS.

SO HOW DID THEY MEGA MOVE THIS
MEGA STONE INTO PLACE?

>> CEDAR TREES GROW ALL AROUND
THE TEMPLE SITE, AND THEY WOULD BE GREAT CANDIDATES TO MAKE

ROLLERS TO TRY AND MOVE THIS
BLOCK.

HOWEVER, WITH ALL THIS MASS,
THIS COULD EASILY TURN IT INTO A BATTERING RAM.

SO THE ROMANS COULD HAVE USED
CAPSTANS TO CONTROL THE RATE OF DESCENT DOWN THE HILL.

HOWEVER WITH THIS ROUGH GROUND,
I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY TO MAKE THIS

ROLLER SYSTEM WORK.

SO AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, THIS
IMPOSSIBLE ENGINEERING FEAT REMAINS IMPOSSIBLE.

>> Narrator: TO FIND OUT HOW
STONES LIKE THIS WERE MOVED, YOU'D NEED TO SPEAK TO AN

ANCIENT ROMAN ENGINEER.

AND INCREDIBLY, WE FOUND ONE.

HERE IN THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY IN
OXFORD IS A BOOK WRITTEN AROUND THE TIME THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS

HAD STARTED WORK ON BAALBEK.

IT'S BY A ROMAN ENGINEER CALLED
VITRUVIUS.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS TEXTBOOK
ON ARCHITECTURE IS STILL USED TODAY?

IT DESCRIBES AN ENGINEERING
TECHNIQUE THAT COULD CRACK THE CODE OF BAALBEK'S MEGA MYSTERY.

>> LET'S SEE.

"ENCLOSE THE ENDS OF THE
TRILITHON IN WHEELS.

IN THE ENDS, FIX PIVOTS AND
RINGS.

THE WHEEL TURNS ON THE PIVOTS
ENCLOSED IN THE RINGS, AND THE STONE IS ENCLOSED LIKE AN AXLE

IN THE WHEEL."

WE'VE TRANSFORMED THE STONE
INTO A GIANT MOVING AXLE.

NOW OUR SCALE HERE IS MUCH
BIGGER, BUT WITH MULTIPLE CAPSTANS IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO

CONTROL THE MOVEMENT OF THIS
DOWN THE HILL.

AND WITH ENOUGH OF THEM, WE
COULD ROLL THE STONE INTO EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE.

>> Narrator: THIS IMPOSSIBLE
CHALLENGE WAS SOLVED BY AN IMPOSSIBLY INGENIOUS SOLUTION.

ROMAN MEGA MOVERS TURNED A
STATIC 800-TON BLOCK INTO A MOBILE 800-TON AXLE.

>> THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE SYSTEM
FOR MOVING THE STONE FROM "A" TO "B."

>> Narrator: THIS INGENIOUS
METHOD ENABLED THE ROMAN ENGINEERS TO MOVE IMPOSSIBLY

HEAVY LOADS.

BUT WHY NOT SIMPLY USE SMALLER
BLOCKS OF STONE?

>> THERE'S A LOT OF SPECULATION
AS TO WHY THEY'RE QUARRYING OUT AND USING BLOCKS OF THAT SCALE.

IS IT THE PART OF THE BRAVURA ON
THE PART OF THE ENGINEERS?

"WE CAN DO THIS.

WE CAN MOVE THESE BLOCKS"?

IS THERE SOME RELIGIOUS
ATTRIBUTION?

THESE QUESTIONS WE STILL DON'T
HAVE ANSWERS TO.

>> Narrator: WITH IMPOSSIBLY
LARGE BLOCKS OF STONE TOSSED AROUND LIKE TOYS, BAALBEK IS A

MIGHTY ROMAN MEGA MOVE.

BUT THERE'S EVIDENCE OF AN EVEN
GREATER MEGA MOVING ACHIEVEMENT BY ROMAN ENGINEERS.

THIS TIME, IT INVOLVES THOUSANDS
OF MILES OF WATERWAYS, THE BIGGEST ENGINEERING PROJECT

SEEN FOR NEARLY 2,000 YEARS.

>> Narrator: IF YOU THINK THE
ANCIENTS WERE PRIMITIVE, THINK AGAIN. ROME INTO A SUPERPOWER.

THIS IS "ANCIENT IMPOSSIBLE,"
WHERE WE PROVE THAT THE ANCIENT WORLD ACHIEVED FEATS SO AWESOME,

THEY STILL SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO US
TODAY.

AS THE POPULATION OF ANCIENT
ROME SWELLED TO MORE THAN A MILLION, EARLY ENGINEERS WERE

FACED WITH THE EPIC TASK OF
MOVING WATER FROM THE COUNTRYSIDE TO THE CITY.

FRESH WATER WAS CRUCIAL FOR
HEALTH AND HYGIENE AS WELL AS ENTERPRISES SUCH AS MINING AND

FARMING.

WITHOUT IT, ROME COULD NEVER
HAVE ATTAINED SUCH UNPRECEDENTED POWER.

>> MAYBE ONE OF THE GREATEST
ENGINEERING FEATS OF THE ROMANS IS THEY'RE ABLE TO MOVE WATER

FROM A RIVER, FROM AN ORIGINAL
SOURCE INTO A CITY, AND THAT MAKES THAT CITY GREAT.

>> Narrator: WHAT WAS THE
GAME-CHANGER THAT ENABLED THE ROMANS TO MOVE SO MUCH WATER?

THE AQUEDUCT.

THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE
FIRST TO MOVE WATER THIS WAY, BUT THE ROMANS RAISED THE POWER

OF AQUEDUCTS TO A WHOLE NEW
LEVEL.

>> AN AQUEDUCT IS LITERALLY A
BRIDGE FOR WATER.

YOU'RE FINDING A NATURAL
SOURCE--A SPRING OR A RIVER--AND YOU'RE DIVERTING IT INTO A

CHANNEL AND BRINGING THAT WATER,
THROUGH PRINCIPALLY GRAVITY FLOW, INTO A CITY.

>> Narrator: A REMARKABLE
EXAMPLE OF THIS ROMAN INGENUITY IS HERE IN CAESAREA MARITIMA,

IN ISRAEL.

WHEN YOU'RE SANDWICHED BETWEEN
THE SEA AND THE DESERT, WHAT IS THERE TO DRINK?

WITHOUT THIS AQUEDUCT AND THE
FRESH WATER IT BROUGHT, THE CITY WOULD NEVER HAVE EXISTED.

>> IT'S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
TECHNOLOGY, THIS IS ONE OF THE QUINTESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF ROMAN

CIVILIZATION.

IT'S WHY THEY ARE THE GREAT
BUILDERS AND HAD SUCH A MASSIVE EMPIRE.

>> Narrator: THE AQUEDUCT AT
CAESAREA MARITIMA SERVED 50,000 PEOPLE AND RAN FOR 6 MILES.

BUT AS IMPRESSIVE AS IT IS, THIS
AQUEDUCT IS ONE OF THE SMALLEST THE ROMANS BUILT.

IN ALL, THE ROMANS BUILT 6,000
MILES OF AQUEDUCTS TO QUENCH THEIR THIRSTY EMPIRE.

AT PONT DU GARD IN SOUTHERN
FRANCE, ANCIENT ENGINEERS FACED AN IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE.

TO SUPPLY THE CITY WITH WATER,
THEY NEEDED TO CONSTRUCT AN AQUEDUCT MORE THAN 30 MILES IN

LENGTH, AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO
SPAN THIS DEEP RIVER GORGE.

>> WHY WOULD YOU BUILD SOMETHING
SO MASSIVE OVER THIS SEEMINGLY TRANQUIL LITTLE RIVER?

AT THIS POINT, THEY MUST
MAINTAIN THE GRAVITY FLOW AT A PRETTY HIGH ELEVATION.

SO THEY HAVE TO BUILD A BRIDGE.

THE BRIDGE THEY BUILT STANDS
16 STORIES TALL >> PONT DU GARD IS THE TALLEST

BRIDGE, THE TALLEST AQUEDUCT
THAT THE ROMANS EVER BUILT.

IT'S ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF THE
COLISEUM, THE LARGEST AMPHITHEATRE EVER BUILT BY THE

ROMANS.

SO IT'S REALLY PUSHING THE
ENVELOPE, AND IT'S STILL STANDING.

>> Narrator: THE ROMANS WERE
EXPERT AT BUILDING ON A MONUMENTAL SCALE.

EVEN TODAY, THERE ARE STILL
MONUMENTAL ENGINEERING ENDEAVORS.

IN NEW YORK CITY, THE CURRENT
WATER TUNNEL EXCAVATION HAS BEEN CALLED THE GREATEST NON-DEFENSE

PROJECT OF THE WESTERN WORLD, A
MEGA BUILD HAPPENING HUNDREDS OF FEET BENEATH THE CITY STREETS.

ITS CONSTRUCTION HAS CLAIMED THE
LIVES OF NEARLY TWO DOZEN WORKERS.

>> I THINK IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
THE AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL EFFORT THAT WOULD HAVE GONE INTO

BUILDING SOME OF THESE
AQUEDUCTS.

IT WAS A MASSIVE CIVIL-
ENGINEERING ENTERPRISE.

IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HUGE
EXPENSE.

IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HUGE
MANPOWER, AND THE ACTUAL CAPITAL OUTLAY MUST HAVE BEEN

ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE.

>> I'M RIGHT AT THE VERY TOP OF
THE PONT DU GARD.

I'M IN THE SPACUS OR CHANNEL
WHERE THE WATER FLOWED THROUGH, AND THIS CHANNEL HAD TO BE

MAINTAINED OVER TIME.

OTHERWISE THE WATER WOULDN'T
REACH THE CITY OF NIMES.

SO HERE WE SEE SOME OF THAT
CALCIUM OVER TIME, IT WAS NOT CLEANED.

THE WATER FLOW WAS CONSTRICTED.

BUT IT'S AN INCREDIBLE
ACHIEVEMENT, TO BE STANDING ON TOP OF SOMETHING AS TALL AS THE

COLISEUM.

WALKING THROUGH THE WATER
CHANNEL, I REALLY FEEL IN CONTACT WITH THE PEOPLE THAT

CONSTRUCTED IT AND THE PEOPLE
THAT MAINTAINED IT OVER TIME.

IT IS SIMPLY AN AMAZING
EXPERIENCE.

>> Narrator: AT PONT DU GARD,
ROMAN ENGINEERS HAD TO BUILD THEIR AQUEDUCT ACROSS MOUNTAINS

AND RIVER VALLEYS.

HOW COULD THEY KEEP THE WATER
FLOWING OVER THIS JAGGED LANDSCAPE?

WE ALL KNOW THAT GRAVITY MAKES
WATER FLOW DOWNHILL.

BUT ROMANS ENGINEERS ACHIEVED
THE IMPOSSIBLE BY MAINTAINING THE MOST GRADUAL OF DOWNWARD

SLOPES.

ALONG 31 LONG MILES, THE HEIGHT
OF THE AQUEDUCT ONLY DROPS 56 FEET.

>> THAT MEANS THERE IS NO MARGIN
OF ERROR.

YOU HAVE TO BE PERFECT, AND THIS
IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE PERFECTION OF ROMAN ENGINEERING.

>> Narrator: WITHOUT LASERS,
THEODOLITES OR ANY MODERN SURVEYING EQUIPMENT, ROMAN

ENGINEERS KEPT THE WATER MOVING.

THROUGH HILLS AND VALLEYS,
MAINTAINING A STEADY GRADIENT OF LESS THAN 1%.

AN ASTOUNDING FEAT.

>> THE ROMANS WERE BUILDING
THESE THINGS ON THE MOST ENORMOUS SCALE, AND ALL THIS WAS

DONE WITHOUT ANY MATHEMATICAL
FORMULA OR ANY TRUE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.

IT WAS JUST PRACTICAL
ENGINEERING.

>> I THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT
CONSTRUCTED THIS, THE AMOUNT OF ENGINEERING, THE SHEER LABOR

FORCE TO GO THROUGH AND CUT
THESE STONES AND SINK THEM INTO PLACE AND TO CONSTRUCT SUCH A

MASSIVE ENTERPRISE.

HOW AMAZING IT WAS 2,000 YEARS
AGO, HOW AMAZING IT IS TODAY.

>> Narrator: THE ROMANS USED
GRAVITY TO MOVE WATER ON A SCALE IMPRESSIVE EVEN BY TODAY'S

STANDARDS.

THEY PROVED THEY COULD TRANSPORT
WATER DOWNHILL WITH GREAT PRECISION, BUT COULD THEY

ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE?

>> Narrator: THE ANCIENT WORLD
HAD VISION AND IMAGINATION THAT EQUAL AND SOMETIMES EVEN SURPASS

OURS.

THE ROMAN ARMY CONQUERED WITH
DISCIPLINE, BRUTE FORCE AND IMPOSSIBLE ENGINEERING.

BUT IT WASN'T JUST WAR THAT THE
ROMANS APPROACHED WITH RUTHLESS DETERMINATION.

ROME WAS THE MOST ADVANCED
CIVILIZATION OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, AND CRUCIAL TO ITS

ABILITY TO EXPAND AND FLOURISH
WAS ONE SIMPLE INGREDIENT-- FRESH WATER.

KEEPING THE WATER FLOWING LED TO
ONE OF THE GREATEST INNOVATIONS OF THE ROMAN WORLD.

>> MAYBE ONE OF THE GREATEST
ENGINEERING FEATS OF THE ROMANS IS THEY'RE ABLE TO MOVE WATER

FROM A RIVER, FROM AN ORIGINAL
SOURCE, INTO A CITY, AND THAT MAKES THAT CITY GREAT.

>> Narrator: BY MASTERING THE
LAWS OF GRAVITY, ROMAN ENGINEERS BROUGHT MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF

FRESH WATER INTO ROME EACH DAY,
PROVIDING ACCESS THAT EVEN TODAY'S MODERN SYSTEMS CAN'T

MATCH.

BUT THESE ANCIENT ENGINEERS DID
MORE THAN MASTER THE LAWS OF GRAVITY.

SOMETIMES THEY DEFIED THEM.

>> THE ROMANS ARE COMING UP WITH
SOLUTIONS TO CARRY WATER ACROSS VALLEYS, SOMETIMES WITH A BRIDGE

AND SOMETIMES LITERALLY PUSHING
THE WATER UP A HILL.

SO THEY BASICALLY MADE WATER
FLOW UPHILL.

>> Narrator: MAKING WATER FLOW
UPHILL?

IMPOSSIBLE.

BUT THE ROMANS HAD AN
ENGINEERING ACE IN THE HOLE-- A U-SHAPED TUBE LIKE THIS CALLED

AN INVERTED SIPHON.

AS WATER FILLS THE TUBE, IT WILL
ALWAYS FIND ITS LEVEL.

IF ONE END OF THE TUBE IS LOWER,
WATER WILL FLOW THROUGH IT, EVEN UPHILL.

>> ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU DO IS
HAVE TWO TANKS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE VALLEY, AND YOU'RE GONNA

BASICALLY PUSH THE WATER THROUGH
FROM ONE TANK INTO ANOTHER.

>> Narrator: ROMAN INVERTED
SIPHONS ONLY SURVIVE IN RUINS.

BUT WHEN THEY WERE RUNNING,
THEY'D HAVE LOOKED LIKE THIS.

ACROSS THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THEY
MADE 10 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER FLOW UPHILL EVERY HOUR.

EXPERIMENTAL MODEL MAKER RICHARD
WINDLEY WILL ATTEMPT TO PROVE HOW THIS IMPOSSIBLE FEAT WAS

POSSIBLE
>> WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE TODAY IS A MODEL, WHICH I'M HOPING WILL

EXPLAIN THE PRINCIPLE OF THE
INVERTED SIPHON.

>> Narrator: EVEN BUILDING AN
INVERTED SIPHON AS SMALL AS THIS IS A DAUNTING PROSPECT.

RICHARD HOPES HE CAN PULL IT
OFF.

>> THE CALCULATIONS ARE ACTUALLY
QUITE TRICKY ON THIS.

HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SUFFICIENT
HEAD OF WATER HERE TO FORCE THE WATER THROUGH.

>> Narrator: RICHARD HAS BUILT
AN INVERTED SIPHON TO CROSS NOT JUST ONE VALLEY, BUT TWO, A FEAT

ACCOMPLISHED MANY TIMES BY THE
ROMANS.

>> WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS TO
CHARGE THE HEADER TANK, WHICH IS THIS ONE, AND THE IDEA IS THAT

ONCE THE FLOW OF WATER FROM THIS
TANK IS RELEASED, IT WILL FLOW DOWN THE VERTICAL PIPE, ALONG

THE HORIZONTAL ONE AND THEN UP
THE SECOND VERTICAL PIPE AND INTO THE SECOND RECEIVING TANK,

WHICH IS THE MIDDLE TANK.

AS THAT FILLS UP, HOPEFULLY THE
WATER FROM THAT WILL TRANSFER TO THE OUTLET AND THEN INTO THE

SECOND SIPHON AND INTO THE FINAL
RECEIVER AT THE FAR END OF THE MODEL.

>> Narrator: THE WATER WILL HAVE
TO CLIMB TWO HILLS.

>> THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.

>> Narrator: CAN RICHARD REALLY
MAKE WATER FLOW UPHILL LIKE THE ROMANS?

>> THE WATER UNDER GRAVITY IS
COMING OUT OF THIS PRIMARY TANK...

FILLING UP THE INTERMEDIATE
TANK...

AND FINALLY INTO THE RECEIVING
TANK AT THE FAR END.

THAT'S 45 FEET AWAY.

IT'S TRAVELLING AT A RELATIVELY
GOOD VELOCITY AND QUITE A GOOD FLOW.

>> Narrator: THE ROMANS KNEW
THAT IF EACH TANK IS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE, THE

WATER WILL RISE TO FIND ITS
LEVEL AND FILL THE TANK.

IN THE IMPOSSIBLY VAST SCALE OF
THE REAL THING, ROMAN TANKS OR CISTERNS HELD MILLIONS OF

GALLONS OF WATER.

>> I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW WELL IT'S
ACTUALLY OPERATING.

I HAD QUALMS AT THE BEGINNING
ABOUT WHETHER IT WOULD WORK.

IT'S WORKING BEAUTIFULLY.

>> AS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST, WHEN I
THINK ABOUT 2,000 YEARS AGO, THESE ENGINEERS ARE USING

PHYSICS CREATING AN INVERTED
SIPHON FOR AN AQUEDUCT CHANNEL.

IT'S MIND-BLOWING.

>> IT'S A STAGGERING FEAT OF
ENGINEERING WHICH SEEMS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

>> Narrator: WHEN GRAVITY WAS
AGAINST THEM, THE ANCIENT ROMANS BOLDLY DEFIED IT.

THE EGYPTIANS MOVED MONUMENTAL
OBELISKS ALONG THE NILE.

THE ROMANS MOVED MOUNTAINS AND
BUILT MASSIVE AQUEDUCTS THAT CARRIED WATER THOUSANDS OF

MILES, PROVING THAT THE ANCIENTS
WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE.