Ancient Impossible

June. 29,2015      TV-PG
Rating:
7.5
Trailer Synopsis

Ancient Impossible, the new H2 series, picks up where HISTORY’s long running Ancient Discoveries left off. In this next generation of storytelling, Ancient Impossible reveals how many of today’s technological achievements were actually developed centuries ago. Colossal monuments, impossible feats of engineering and technologies so precise they defy reinvention–the ancient world was far more advanced than we ever imagined. We’ll travel through history to reveal a radically different picture of the past, with innovations so far ahead of their time, they’re still in use today. New science uncovers a lost world more like our own than we ever suspected, and reveals how modern technology has its blueprint in the ancient world.

Seasons & Episode

1
Seasons 1 : 2015

|

10 Episode

|

MORE
Episode 1 - Ultimate Weapons
June. 29,2015

We think of weapons of mass destruction as a modern concept, but the ancients also created fearsome weapons of their own, some even more destructive than we can create today. Centuries before the widespread discovery of gunpowder, one ancient genius managed to build a cannon that could fire a projectile using the power of steam! We reveal an ancient troop ship mightier than an aircraft carrier, and death rays that could burn enemy ships. How were the ancients capable of creating seemingly impossible warfare technologies thousands of years before modern times?

Episode 2 - Moving Mountains
July. 06,2015

How did the Ancients move impossibly huge objects? Why did the Roman forces at the siege of Masada decide to shift an entire mountain by hand? We reveal the ancient technology that allowed the Egyptians to move a 1,000 ton obelisk, and show how the Romans moved even heavier objects at the temples at Baalbek. As well as moving stone and earth, the ancients needed to move mountains of water, using technology we still find impressive today. Who were the most successful Mega Movers of the ancient world and how were they able to make the impossible…possible?

Episode 3 - Monster Monuments
July. 13,2014

A massive monument carved out of solid rock, a monster-sized super-dome that defies the laws of gravity. These awe inspiring feats of engineering defy explanation, yet they are not modern–they were actually built thousands of years ago. The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure on earth for over 4,000 years! But what techniques, materials and tools could ancient engineers have used to build it? Stonehenge is one of the most mysterious structures ever built, but could the secret to its construction ever be revealed? Abu Simbel is ancient Egypt’s greatest monument which even eclipses today’s Mount Rushmore. How did the ancient engineers make the seemingly impossible possible?

Episode 4 - Warrior Tech
July. 20,2014

Today, modern soldiers are equipped with all the latest battlefield technology. But what cutting edge weapons and defenses were the ancient warriors armed with? Could ancient warriors have had an early version of the machine gun, centuries before we ever imagined they could? Could the ancient Saxons have been armed with "super swords" made with steel as strong as any metal made today? And is it possible that the ancient Greeks invented an early version of a bullet proof vest during the time of Alexander the Great? We reveal how the fully equipped soldiers of today compare to the seemingly impossible warrior tech of the ancient world.

Episode 5 - Ancient Einsteins
July. 27,2014

Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, these are some of the most ingenious minds in history. But many of their accomplishments would never have been possible without some of the geniuses of the ancient world. The fact is that most of our modern world is possible because of the incredible minds that lived thousands of years ago. We show the amazing genius of Archimedes, who managed to make water flow uphill and pull a ship up a beach single handed! Meet Philon the genius behind the world’s first robot, and Ctesibius who was experimenting with pneumatics centuries before anyone else. As impossible as it sounds, Heron of Alexandria invented the world’s first steam engine, as well as automatic doors and vending machines! You’d be surprised to find out just how much of today’s technology would be impossible without these “Ancient Einsteins.”

Episode 6 - Power Tools
August. 03,2014

Powerful automated stone-cutting devices, incredible power drills capable of cutting through even the hardest granite, fire engines that can respond to and extinguish a fire anywhere in a city; even precise surgery tools so fine they are used on the human eye. These tools are not from the modern world, but are in fact thousands of years old. Most would be lost to time and not again for centuries. How was the ancient world able to create such incredible power tools? Why were they lost, and could there be even more advanced ancient power tools waiting to be discovered?

Episode 7 - Greatest Ships
August. 10,2014

Some of the greatest ships in history were actually designed, built and sailed thousands of years ago. Join us as we examine the greatest warship of the ancient world, the Greek Trireme. What made Triremes so deadly and fast? We also examine the most impossibly opulent ships ever created, the notorious sex ships, built by the notorious Roman Emperor Caligula. Ships built for pleasure which contained marine technology that would not be reinvented for centuries. We also explore what many believe may have been the world's first ironclads the Korean Turtle Ships.

Episode 8 - Biggest Builds
August. 17,2014

A mega factory is a modern invention–wrong–the ancients were the first to build these thousands of years ago. What was the incredible 16 wheel Roman automated factory in the south of France which could feed 12,500 people a day? How did the ancient Egyptians produce hundreds of vehicles of war every month? How did the Romans forge enough iron to equip an army, and mine enough gold to keep an economy afloat? With today’s technology, this would be achievable, but how did the ancients do this thousands of years ago? We reveal the impossible ingenuity and techniques that made it possible for the ancients to have “Mega Factories” of their own.

Episode 9 - Roman Empire
August. 24,2014

The Roman Empire is known as one of the mightiest to ever rule the Earth. But the extent of their ingenuity, ambition and scale seems impossible to comprehend. One ambitious emperor built a colossal wall spanning an entire nation, while another built a road that stretched from one end of Europe all the way to Central Asia. We explore ancient texts to uncover amazing Roman technologies including a horse-drawn arrow shooter–possibly the world's first tank? We reveal Emperor Nero's Golden Palace; a building that contained more technology than any other in the ancient world including a revolving ceiling and elevators, but how was this technology possible 2000 years ago?

Episode 10 - Extreme Engineering
September. 07,2014

When faced with impossible situations, the ancients didn't simply give up, they pursued the impossible. How did they get troops across a nearly 4,000 foot river? How do you get oil from the ground without the use of modern drilling techniques? And how did they build a water tank which contained 3 million cubic feet of water, enough to provide for an entire city? What ingenious techniques did Caesar use to assemble a bridge to cross the Rhine, in only 10 days? The ancients created incredible structures to overcome these obstacles, often taking on and beating nature, using engineering methods that seem more modern than you would imagine.

Similar titles

Giant of the Skies - Building The Airbus A380
Giant of the Skies - Building The Airbus A380
Examining the construction of the massive jet and the engineering and logistical challenges faced by its builders.
Giant of the Skies - Building The Airbus A380 2005
MythBusters
Prime Video
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment television program created and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The show's hosts, special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, use elements of the scientific method to test the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos, and news stories.
MythBusters 2003
Outlaw Tech
Outlaw Tech
State of the art science, thrilling suspense, unforgettable characters. These are the true stories of a new wild west, where biology, physics, chemistry, and technology are tools of the outlaw trade. With complex security systems designed to stop the world's most nefarious criminal masterminds, go inside amazing capers to unpack the high-tech arsenal used on both sides of the law.
Outlaw Tech 2017
This Is Mark Rober
This Is Mark Rober
Providing a rare glimpse into the concepts and processes behind some of Mark Rober's most outrageous viral videos, including all-new and never-before-seen footage.
This Is Mark Rober 2023
Richard Hammond's Big
Richard Hammond's Big
Richard Hammond embarks on a global adventure to explore the world’s biggest structures and machines and discover how engineers build, maintain and use them.
Richard Hammond's Big 2020
How the Victorians Built Britain
How the Victorians Built Britain
This series travels the length and breadth of Britain to find out how the Victorians built Britain. It uncovers the incredible and surprising stories behind iconic landmarks; discovers the hidden heroes behind the epic constructions; and finds out how the incredible advances made by the Victorians forged the world we live in today.
How the Victorians Built Britain 2018
Massive Engineering Mistakes
Massive Engineering Mistakes
Massive Engineering Mistakes 2019
Abandoned Engineering
Prime Video
Abandoned Engineering
These are some of the most spectacular examples of abandoned engineering the world has ever known. The series explores how and why they were built, consider the financial and social costs of their failure and examine the environmental and ecological impacts. The series also explores how experts came up with plans to make something beautiful or useful from the ruins.
Abandoned Engineering 2017
Ian Hislop's Trains That Changed the World
Ian Hislop's Trains That Changed the World
How four iconic British-built trains revolutionised rail travel and inspired incredible railway projects the world over.
Ian Hislop's Trains That Changed the World 2021
The Hairy Bikers' Restoration Road Trip
The Hairy Bikers' Restoration Road Trip
Swapping spatulas for spanners, the Hairy Bikers restore amazing relics of Britain's past.
The Hairy Bikers' Restoration Road Trip 2013

You May Also Like

Marvel's The Punisher
Marvel's The Punisher
A former Marine out to punish the criminals responsible for his family's murder finds himself ensnared in a military conspiracy.
Marvel's The Punisher 2017