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Technophiles of the 21st century can be smug about the advances made in recent years. But modern man doesn't have a monopoly on knowledge; in fact many of the advances made in earlier centuries have been lost to us. How did the Egyptians build their obelisks? How were the Chinese able to build the rainbow bridges? What are the mysteries of the Roman Baths?
Nova explores these and other ancient engineering feats in its brilliant series
Secrets of the Lost Empires II. Using the same techniques as in the first series of
Secrets of the Lost Empires,
Nova brings together teams of scientists, engineers, and historians to re-create ancient marvels.
The first volume of this series, Medieval Siege, explores warfare of yore. In 1304, Edward I mounted a siege against the Scots at Stirling Castle. As the battle dragged on, he ordered a tremendous new weapon to be made, a "giant seesaw" with one end heavily weighted and the other end holding a projectile. This weapon, the trebuchet, was nicknamed Warwolf. Today, there is no physical evidence of these weapons, only a few sketches in old manuscripts. In this episode, a team of medieval warfare experts gathers to try and build a trebuchet, a weapon that could demolish a castle wall from 200 yards away. As they fail and then succeed at their task, we are treated to the experience of the battlefield, the interiors of the castles, and discover how the trebuchet, "the atom bomb" of the 14th century, was a turning point in history. A mixture of science, history, and culture studies, this series is a delightful exploration into the mysteries of centuries long past. --Jenny Brown
Product Description
The Scots inside Stirling Castle must have felt untouchable. Protected by a massive stone fortress, they prepared for a long drawn-out siege against the army of England’s Edward the First. Fifty carpenters worked day and night to create the fourteenth century version of the atom bomb: the trebuchet—a fearsome, gravity-powered catapult dubbed "Warwolf" that was capable of hurling boulders, bee hives and plague-infected corpses long distances. Travel back to the Middle Ages and relive a fascinating turning point in warfare and medieval history. - Enter the battlefield and experience the chaos of medieval warfare—200 years before the invention of the cannon - Discover how the mechanized catapult sent English history and warfare in different directions - Enter gigantic medieval castles and explore why these mighty fortresses became vulnerable to the "Warwolf" - See how the medieval manuscripts provided clues in the trebuchet mystery - See medieval experts create two competing full-scale catapults - Travel to the banks of Loch Ness as newly designed catapults attempt to destroy a castle wall with 250 pound stone balls Secrets of Lost Empires II Unlock mysteries and uncover lost history with the experts as they use yesteryear’s thrilling technology to recreate five ancient engineering marvels and to discover what daily life was really like in these communities. Travel around the globe from Egypt to Rome and take a fresh, "hands-on" look at mankind’s greatest cultures and civilizations. It’s history from a whole new point of view!
by William Gurstelle
