Ancient Megastructures
Overview
Examine how ancient civilisations built some of the most magnificent structures on the face of the Earth, many centuries before the industrial revolution.
Top Cast
Alisdair Simpson
Self - Narrator (voice)
Seasons
Season 1 (2011)
No overview available.
3 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: The Colosseum
2011-03-19Follow the dramatic story behind the building of the Colosseum in Ancient Rome. The Romans used innovative technology that we still use today, but the money to pay for the project enslaved the nation.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 2: The Great Pyramid
2011-03-26The Great Pyramid of Giza is 4,500 years old. It's the only ancient wonder of the world still standing. To cut and move the 2 million stones needed to build it would involve the whole Egyptian state.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 3: Chartres Cathedral
2011-03-12Building the Chartres Cathedral pushed construction techniques to the limit, but behind this engineering triumph lies a dark story of violence, political double-dealing and destruction.
Runtime: N/A minSeason 2 (2008)
From the dreams that inspired them, to the blood and sweat that built them, the new season unveils the full story behind six magnificent structures that forever changed the landscape of architecture: Petra, Alhambra, St.Paul’s Cathedral, Hagia Sophia, Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat.
6 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: The Alhambra
2008-01-01The Alhambra is the greatest example of Islamic military architecture in Europe. Sultan Muhammad I constructed this ingenious, impregnable fortress in 1238 amid treacherous political betrayals.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 2: Istanbul's Hagia Sophia
2008-01-01Fiery Roman Emperor Justinian ordered the rebuilding of the great church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul almost 1500 years ago. Modern science now uncovers the secret to this vast golden dome's longevity.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 3: Petra
2008-01-01Carved into the side of a narrow gorge in the unforgiving deserts of Petra in modern day Jordan, the ancient Nabataeans turned engineering on its head to create their glorious royal city, Khazneh.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 4: St. Paul's Cathedral
2008-01-01From the ashes of London's Great Fire in 1666 rises Christopher Wren's daring architectural vision. As England's first Baroque cathedral, St Paul's is an icon to rival the grandeur of ancient Rome.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 5: Angkor Wat
2008-01-01Hidden deep in Cambodia's jungles, the temple of Angkor Wat is a towering monument to the Hindu god Vishnu, belying its origins as the mausoleum for a usurper king who murdered his great uncle.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 6: Machu Picchu
2008-01-01Built using techniques that surpass modern ones, the temples, altars and residences of Machu Picchu have resisted torrential rains, landslides and earth tremors since being abandoned by the Incas.
Runtime: N/A min
