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The ancients left us many puzzles, not the least of which is how they managed such huge construction projects as Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid using their primitive technology. Some find it most plausible that they had help from benevolent aliens, but
Nova sent teams of clever engineers and archaeologists to Egypt, Britain, Rome, and Peru to explore the possibility that ingenuity and muscle power were all it took to build these eternal monuments. Each installment of
Secrets of Lost Empires is a riveting story of modern scientists constructing small-scale versions of these megaliths using only ancient technology. Their triumphs and failures teach us much about our ancestors (and modern engineering) and suggest that they might not have needed extraterrestrial assistance after all.
--Rob Lightner
Product Description
Uncover the secrets of ancient civilizations as NOVA journeys to five archaeological sites where teams of experts use traditional techniques to test their hypotheses. Stonehenge watches a band of experts move, raise, and cap a structure like the mysterious Stonehenge, armed with Stone Age tools. Inca explores magnificent mountainside citadels, and marvels as villagers create a 150-foot suspension bridge using nothing but grass. Obelisk faces the challenge of quarrying, chiseling, hauling, and mounting an obelisk, using stones, ropes, logs, and dirt. Colosseum tries out two possible designs for the canopy that once covered the Colosseum, one of them borrowed from ancient ships. Pyramid joins the race to erect an 18-foot stone pyramid in three weeks, while testing out some clever construction theories. Winner of BRONZE WORLD MEDAL, 1998 New York Festivals.
