Ancient Discoveries

Learn about deadly weapons such as the staff, ermei, and crossbow; find out if Chi warriors can really kill a man with a single touch; and investigate the how Eastern warriors withstand pain.

There's little room for errors at sea. Relive the most extraordinary Naval ambitions of antiquity, from Nero's collapsible death yacht to Greek chemical bomb fire ships.

What exactly was the ancient weapon engineered to stop an onslaught of bullets, elephants, and cavalry? Watch as experts and archaeological digs reveal new evidence into this invention.

Throughout history man has gone to great lengths to develop the technology of torture. Historians, virtual reality artists and experts reveal the startling torture technologies of the ancient world.

The Romans created a hydraulic mining system that blew millions of tons of material away. Ancient sappers dug under walls to bring a whole castle down. What technologies made these feats possible?

Explore the ways in which the amazing successes and stunning failures of ancient military engineers have directly affected the weapons and tactics used by the armed forces today.

Are some of the most spectacular stories of the Bible based in scientific fact? Archeologists and experts attempt to answer some of the book's greatest mysteries.

Assault from the air didn't begin with the era of the airplane. Take a look back at early methods of airborne attack, from medieval kite bombs to ancient China's whistling arrows.

Examine some of the strangest and deadliest weapons ever built. Hidden in an ancient manuscript lies a secret recipe for ancient tracer fire, but does it really work? Did a nine-barreled medieval volley gun mark the birth of the modern machine gun?

Holding off invasion and protecting its people, ancient civilizations came up with creative, efficient, and effective means of self-protection and defense. Go behind some of history's most impregnable walls.

Investigate the systems by which ancient intelligence services transmitted messages over thousands of miles and the ways in which they manipulated darts, poisons, and even explosives.

Modern medicine it isn't, but at the time, it was the best that could be done - and perhaps it may have new applications in our world.

Track down the manual that explained Vietnamese military secrets, discover King Mithridates' "burning mud," and learn how the terrorist booby-traps and letter bombs of today were invented hundreds of years ago.

Exactly as they do today, ancient commandos fought deep behind enemy lines in some of the harshest terrains know to man. Discover the secrets and triumphs of these daring and oft-outnumbered elite forces.

Discover through epic experiments how the ancient Romans captured enemy ships from underwater; the secrets of the samurai sword; and how the Japanese protected galloping cavalrymen with thin layers of silk.

Travel to the farthest corners of the ancient East to uncover weapons never before seen by the world at large, from the world's first unmanned weapon to a steel projectile that can sever limbs.

Amazingly, some world records that still stand today were set in the ancient world. Explore how changing measurements and values have made the ancient world's greatest wonders even more impressive with time.

Dive in to experiments and demonstrations of the ways in which ancient man pushed technological boundaries to the limit to conquer the depths of the oceans and defend the freedoms of the seas.

Delve into the rituals and mysteries surrounding mummification, crucifixion, 15th-century forensic science, and China's famous terracotta army.