Customer Reviews

Secrets of the Lost Empires II: Medieval Siege [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This it IT! I have been waiting for NOVA to release this episode on video. Get this tape! I can't imagine anyone not being spellbound by the process of constructing these ancient machines of war; the scholarship, the research, the craftsmanship and just the coolness of seeing these huge machines fling their payloads into a castle wall is too amazing! Want a taste of what you will learn? OK, ponder this - the wheels on these catapults are not for transportation!

This is one of the most entertaining and educational shows PBS has ever run. While it has the normal amount of science presented in the typical Nova narrative style, it also has some truly outrageous visuals--I actually laughed out loud a few times at the sight of these immense machines hurling 250-lb balls at a castle wall.

Having the tape is a no-brainer, but now I want to build my own trebuchet.

This is a very well-done documentary about two midieval historians who take on a mission: given two weeks, build a trebuchet and use it to knock a hole in a 5-foot thick castle wall 200 yards distant.

The documentary covers the little known history of this amazing siege weapon, and let me tell you, it's really incredible seeing these contraptions chucking 250-pound stones around. One of the historians has build a smaller-scale model that throws small upright pianos and 55-gallon drums of flaming napalm, and the other has built an even smaller scale model that throws rocks across an indoor hall. The bigger of the two full-size ones is almost 5 stories high!

The other episodes in this series are good also, but there's just something truly amazing about watching these wood-and-rope machines knocking holes in big walls.

At the end, one of the historians observes (in a cultured British accent): "I think it's plain that given a team of builders and a couple of weeks, you can knock a castle into powder."

This is absolutely THE coolest video that you'll ever purchase! I originally saw this on PBS when it first aired back in 2000 and I was transfixed for the ENTIRE show!

Unlike some of the other "How did they build that?" series that I've seen on TV, NOVA, the engineers, and the timber framer crews did their best to actually build these "weapons of mass destruction" just like they would have 7 centuries before - with only wood, rope...and a lota' sweat! (Wait to you see the 14th century lathe they constucted to make the hinge pin with.)

Even if you aren't into warfare, seeing 250 lb. sandstone balls...hurled at a simulated and realistic castle wall...200 yds. away...at over 125 MPH...with startling accuracy...is just down-right fascinating! (Let's see an NFL quarterback do THAT!)

I'm still patiently waiting for the DVD but I might have to break down and purchase this on VHS if it doesn't come out soon. Worth every penny...and then some!

We watched this video in our technology class before we built our own trebuchets (we have a maximum height limit of 3 feet to launch a foosball 75 feet- the weight:distance ratio is the same as the men use in the video). It was really helpful, but moreover, it was really interesting to learn about medieval seige weapons and to watch how one was built. Following the trials of the men launching their own trebuchet was very engrossing, and gave me great ideas for bulding the one I'm working on now. If you're thinking of building your own trebuchet, this video is a must!

As a once over lightly of Seige weapons it was interesting and entertaining. I was hoping for more information on construction .