Budiey
HISTORY – Astro channel 555
Ancient Discoveries
Premieres Wednesday @ 10pm, 1 September 2010
Synopsis:
Delve into ancient inventions and engineering revealed through new evidence from experts and archaeological digs, where weapons, death rituals, primeval special fighting forces, record breakers and adventures on and beneath the oceans are explored.
Twisted Weapons of the East, 1 September
Ancient Discoveries travels to the farthest corners of the ancient East to uncover weapons never before seen by the world at large. In India, we encounter martial artists wielding terrifying six foot long flexible steel swords, a steel projectile that can sever the limbs of any enemies, and an ancient Indian booby trap which impales its victims as they sleep. In Egypt, the ways in which a camel was turned into a weapon of war are explored and tested. Travelling further east to China, experts investigate how armour that could stop arrows were made of nothing more than paper. Finally, through painstaking research, we construct the world s first unmanned weapon that went onto the battlefield over 2000 years ago.
Rituals of Death, 8 September
Ancient Discoveries travels to Egypt to discover the mysteries of the mummified crocodiles of Kom Ombo. They x-ray an ancient mummy that has held a secret for 2000 years, and reveal the lengths that people will go to to ritualise death. New discoveries at the site of the world famous terracotta army in China reveal incredible insights into the mind-state of the great first emperor of China and his people; and what they believed about deaths. From automatic booby-trap crossbows to reanimated ghost soldiers. In Britain, forensic scientists solve a year old murder using 15th century forensic science, as well as hundreds of mini-detectives blowflies. And using virtual reality techniques doctors will now look inside the body of a victim during a live crucifixion to discover horrific new truths about the suffering on the cross.
Ancient Commandos, 15 September
Exactly as they do today, ancient commandos fought deep behind enemy lines in some of the harshest terrains know to man. Ancient discoveries battles through storms and 5 foot snowdrifts to reveal the tech and truth behind the world earliest know ski commandos. We journey to the deserts of Egypt and reveal how a tiny army beat off a major invasion force using deception and a bunch of farm animals. The famous Bayeux tapestry that tells the story of the last invasion of England in 1066 hides a secret clue to the triumph of an elite fighting force. We reveal how the simple stirrup changed the entire course of history. We uncover the secrets of the Naftun one of the ancient worlds most feared and successful commando units who specialised in fighting with fire.
Ancient Record Breakers, 22 September
Amazingly some of the world records that still stand today were set in the ancient world. The most valuable thing in the ancient world is still the most valuable thing today! 2000 dollars per gram. And incredibly it is made from nothing more than rotting shellfish. What was the fastest thing in the ancient world and is it still the fastest man-made machine today? Ancient Discoveries builds a replica of a 2000 year old jet engine. A weapons team finally reveal the only weapon in history that can shoot round corners and solve a 500 year old debate. Explosives experts reveal that the world s first gun was made of fruit. And on a windswept beach in Britain can a team of historians and engineers beat the ancient world land speed record?
Mega Ocean Conquest, 29 September
From conquering the depths of the oceans to defending the freedoms of the seas ancient man pushed the technological boundaries to the limits in the mega battle for the oceans. New discoveries will reveal how an ancient destroyer rammed its way to victory in one of the most significant battles in human history…..in Denmark, a team of divers build and test the world s first ever deep sea diving suit that was designed 350 years before the history books tell us it was possible to walk along the seabed… Can CSI science unravel the mystery of a time travelling ghost ship? And in a groundbreaking sea cannon experiment, naval experts will discover how a 16th century war fleet blasted their way to victory against an enemy armada seven miles wide, without the loss of a single ship.
This program is available in Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin subtitles.
