>> Narrator: HOW DID THE ROMANS
DEFY GRAVITY AND MAKE MILLIONS
OF GALLONS OF WATER FLOW UP AND OVER MOUNTAINS? HOW DID ANCIENT EGYPTIANS CARVE
MASSIVE GRANITE OBELISKS
THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT? AND WHY WOULD THE ROMAN ARMY
MOVE A MOUNTAIN? MONUMENTS MORE COLOSSAL THAN OUR
OWN, WARSHIPS MIGHTIER THAN
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS, TECHNOLOGY SO PRECISE, IT DEFIES REINVENTION,
THE ANCIENT WORLD WAS NOT
PRIMITIVE. THEIR DISCOVERIES WERE SO
ADVANCED WE STILL USE THEM
TODAY. TRAVEL TO A WORLD CLOSER THAN WE
IMAGINE, AN ANCIENT AGE WHERE
NOTHING WAS IMPOSSIBLE. 2,000 YEARS AGO IT WAS MISSION
IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE MIGHTY ROMAN
ARMY. THEY HAD TO TAKE THIS
IMPREGNABLE MOUNTAIN FORTRESS
SURROUNDED BY SHEER CLIFFS STANDING HUNDREDS OF FEET ABOVE
THE JUDEAN DESERT. WHAT INCREDIBLE FEATS WOULD
ROMAN SOLDIERS HAVE TO DO TO
ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE? AT THE TIME, ROME WAS THE
LARGEST EMPIRE IN THE WORLD,
STRETCHING ALL THE WAY FROM THE BRITISH ISLES ON THE ATLANTIC TO
THE MIDDLE EAST IN ASIA. ROME LET NOTHING STAND IN ITS
WAY. AND ONE OF THE GREATEST EXAMPLES
OF THIS IS AT MASADA, IN MODERN-
DAY ISRAEL. THIS ISOLATED PLATEAU TELLS THE
STORY OF ONE OF THE ROMAN ARMY'S
MOST SENSATIONAL TRIUMPHS AND ONE OF THE GREATEST ENGINEERING
FEATS EVER. TODAY, THE ONLY EASY WAY UP IS
BY CABLE CAR. >> THE CABLE CAR BRINGS YOU UP
TO THE TOP IN ABOUT A MINUTE OR
SO, BUT TO GO OVER TOP AND SEE THE PATH THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY
TOOK IN ANCIENT TIMES, MAKING
THEIR WAY UP, BRINGING SUPPLIES, GETTING UP TO THE TOP OF THE
PLATEAU, IT'S AN INCREDIBLE
ENDEAVOR. >> Narrator: MASADA WAS BUILT AS
A LUXURY STRONGHOLD BY KING
HEROD, WHO UNDERSTOOD THE MILITARY VALUE OF THIS ISOLATED
PLATEAU. >> AS SUPER FORTRESSES GO,
MASADA IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT
GETS. >> Narrator: 100 YEARS LATER,
MASADA WAS OCCUPIED BY NEARLY A
THOUSAND JEWISH REBELS. THEY BELIEVED AN ATTACK ON
MASADA WAS IMPOSSIBLE. >> THE JEWISH REBELS TAKE OVER
THIS GARRISON HERE IN MASADA,
ATTACK SOME OF THE NEARBY VILLAGES AND SLAUGHTER A LOT OF
PEOPLE. AT THAT POINT, THEY HAVE ROME'S
ATTENTION. >> Narrator: GOVERNOR FLAVIUS
SILVA LED AROUND 10,000 ROMAN
TROOPS IN THE SIEGE AT MASADA. BUT EVEN WITH ALL THAT MANPOWER,
HOW COULD THE ROMANS TAKE THIS
SUPPOSEDLY IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS? SCATTERED AROUND MASADA ARE
CLUES STILL VISIBLE TODAY. THE ROMANS STARTED BY TRYING TO
STARVE THE REBELS TO DEATH. TO DO THIS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO
BUILD A 5-MILE LONG WALL
ENCIRCLING MASADA. >> THEY BUILT WHAT IS KNOWN AS A
CIRCUMVALLATION, WHICH IS
BUILDING A WALL AROUND, TRYING TO STOP SUPPLIES COMING IN TO
THE CASTLE. >> Narrator: WORKING IN THE
DESERT WHERE THE TEMPERATURES
CAN REACH 110 DEGREES SEEMS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK. >> THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED WITH
SHEER GRIT, DETERMINATION, AND
HARD WORK BY THE THOUSANDS THAT WERE THERE. >> Narrator: BUILDING A WALL OF
THIS SCALE IS AN EPIC
UNDERTAKING EVEN WITH TODAY'S EQUIPMENT. MODERN EXCAVATION USES POWERFUL
MACHINERY LIKE THIS DRAG-LINE
EXCAVATOR. THE LARGEST ARE AS BIG AS A
HOUSE. THE DRAGLINE BUCKET CAN DIG OUT
UP TO 360 TONS OF EARTH AND
RUBBLE IN ONE SCOOP. THAT'S MORE WEIGHT THAN A JUMBO
JET. IT DOES THE WORK OF 5,000 MEN. ALL THE ROMAN SOLDIERS HAD IN
THEIR ARSENAL WAS A SIMPLE
ENTRENCHING TOOL LIKE THIS, CALLED A DOLABRA, WHICH MAKES
THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS SEEM ALL THE
MORE UNIMAGINABLE. >> THE ROMAN ARMY, IT TURNS OUT,
WEREN'T JUST DEADLY WITH THEIR
SWORDS. THEY WERE ALSO DEADLY THANKS TO
THEIR SHOVELS. >> Narrator: THROUGH SHEER
DETERMINATION AND MANPOWER, THE
ROMANS COMPLETED THE WALL AROUND MASADA IN JUST A FEW
DAYS. BUT THEY DIDN'T REALIZE HOW
WELL-STOCKED THE REBELS WERE. THEY WERE READY FOR A VERY LONG
SIEGE. WHAT AMAZING ENGINEERING SECRETS
DID THIS FORTRESS IN THE SKY
HOLD THAT COULD ENABLE THE REBELS TO BELIEVE THEY COULD
OUTLAST THE ROMAN ARMY? >> CUT DEEP INTO THE ROCK OF THE
MOUNTAIN ITSELF ARE HUGE
CISTERNS. AND THERE WERE STOREHOUSES AND
GRANARIES FOR FOOD THAT WERE
ALSO CAREFULLY BUILT TO KEEP EVERYTHING AT AN EVEN
TEMPERATURE. >> WHOA. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. >> Narrator: ALL OVER MASADA,
CISTERNS LIKE THIS STORED WHAT
LITTLE RAINWATER FELL FROM A NETWORK OF CHANNELS. >> THIS HAS REALLY GOT THE ROMAN
MILITARY PREOCCUPIED BECAUSE
THEY KNOW THAT THE REBELS CAN HOLD OUT A LONG TIME. THEY KNOW ABOUT THE CISTERNS. THEY KNOW THAT THEY CAN RESIST. THEY THEMSELVES COMING HERE,
SETTING UP A CAMP, THEY DON'T
HAVE THOSE KIND OF RESOURCES. THEY HAVE TO BRING IN THE WATER. THEY HAVE TO BRING IN THE
MATERIALS
>> Narrator: IF THE ROMANS COULDN'T STARVE THE REBELS OUT,
THEY WOULD TAKE MASADA BY FORCE. >> THE ROMANS HAD TO TAKE THE
PLACE, WHICH MEANT THAT THEY HAD
TO GET UP TO THAT WALL, KNOCK A HOLE THROUGH IT, AND STORM INTO
THE FORTRESS ITSELF. >> Narrator: BUT HOW COULD THE
ROMANS HOPE TO LAUNCH AN
ASSAULT ON THIS IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS IN THE SKY? >> UP ON TOP OF THE PLATEAU IN
THE FORMER PALACE OF HEROD, YOU
HAVE JEWISH REBELS THAT ARE HOLDING OUT. NOW EVENTUALLY, IN COMES THE
MILITARY. THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS ARE READY
TO MAKE THE ASSAULT, BUT HOW ARE
THEY GONNA GET UP THERE? >> THAT'S A CHALLENGE, BECAUSE
THERE WAS ONLY NARROW PATHWAYS
LEADING UP. SO HOWEVER MANY MEN YOU'VE GOT,
HOWEVER MANY LEGIONS YOU'VE GOT,
PEOPLE HAVE GOT TO COME UP SINGLE FILE, AND THE DEFENDERS
CAN PICK THEM OFF. >> Narrator: THE ROMAN ARMY
FACED AN IMPOSSIBLE PROBLEM. WHAT COULD THEY DO? A CLOSER LOOK AT ONE SIDE OF THE
PLATEAU REVEALS HOW THE ROMANS
WOULD ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE. >> THE SOLUTION IS TO BUILD A
RAMP. >> Narrator: THE ROMAN ARMY
WOULD BUILD A MOUNTAIN TO REACH
THE TOP. THE FACT IS, SIEGE RAMPS HAD
BEEN PART OF ANCIENT WARFARE FOR
THOUSANDS OF YEARS. YOU CAN FIND EXAMPLES THROUGHOUT
THE ANCIENT WORLD. IN THE FOURTH CENTURY BC,
ALEXANDER THE GREAT BUILT THIS
CAUSEWAY 200 FEET WIDE AND 3,000 FEET LONG IN ORDER TO LAY SIEGE
ON THE ISLAND FORTRESS OF TYRE. BUT THIS RAMP WAS A FLAT ROAD
ACROSS A NARROW STRETCH OF
WATER. AT MASADA, THE ROMANS NEEDED AN
ENGINEERING MIRACLE
>> THREE QUARTERS OF THE SIDES OF THE PLATEAU, THE HEIGHT IS
ABOUT 400 FEET. BUT ON ONE SIDE, ON THE WESTERN
SIDE, IT'S ACTUALLY ONLY ABOUT
240 FEET. THAT'S WHAT THEY TARGET. THAT IS WHERE THEY'RE GONNA
BUILD THEIR RAMP. >> Narrator: BUT EVEN BUILDING
ON THE SHORTER SIDE IS A VERY
TALL ORDER. IN THE MODERN WORLD, WE USE
MASSIVE MACHINES TO SHIFT TONS
OF EARTH AND RUBBLE. THIS IS A POWERTRAIN HAUL TRUCK,
THE BIGGEST DUMPSTER IN THE
WORLD. >> ONE OF THESE CAN CARRY A LOAD
UP TO 100 TONS ON ITS OWN. JUST THINK OF HOW MANY PEOPLE
WOULD HAVE TO DIG AND THEN CARRY
THAT. SO WHEN WE COMPARE THIS, OUR
MODERN TECHNOLOGY, TO WHAT THE
ROMANS HAD TO DO ALL BY HAND, IT'S REALLY JUST INCREDIBLE. FOR THE ROMANS, EVERYTHING CAME
DOWN TO MUSCLE POWER. TO DIG OUT THE EARTH IN THE
FIRST PLACE, YOU HAD TO USE
SPADES AND PICKS. YOU THEN PUT THE SPOIL INTO
BASKETS. YOU PUT THE BASKETS EITHER ON
YOUR OWN BACK, ON THE BACK OF A
MULE OR MAYBE INTO A CART, BUT IT CAME DOWN TO HUMAN AND
ANIMAL MUSCLE POWER TO EXTRACT
THAT SPOIL AND THEN MOVE IT UP AGAINST THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN
BEFORE YOU COULD EVEN BEGIN YOUR
ASSAULT ON MASADA ITSELF. >> I'M ON THE RAMP THAT THE
ROMANS CONSTRUCTED TO TAKE OUT
THE JEWISH REBELS UP ON TOP. YOU CAN FEEL HISTORY. YOU GET A SENSE OF THE--THE SUN,
THE WIND, THE DUST, TO SAY
NOTHING OF THE REBELS THAT ARE THROWING STUFF ON YOU AS YOU'RE
TRYING TO CONSTRUCT THIS MASSIVE
RAMP. >> Narrator: THE REBELS
UNDERESTIMATED HOW DETERMINED
AND RUTHLESS THE ROMANS WERE. THEY WERE NOT GOING TO LET
NATURE GET IN THE WAY. MOVING A MOUNTAIN OF EARTH TO
GET TO THE FORTRESS WAS AN
ENGINEERING MARVEL, BUT HOW WOULD THE SOLDIERS STORM THE
FORTRESS ITSELF? >> Narrator: THE ANCIENT WORLD
WAS FAR MORE ADVANCED THAN WE
EVER IMAGINED. NOW WE ARE UNCOVERING NEW
EVIDENCE OF HOW THE ANCIENTS
WERE ABLE TO OVERCOME VAST ENGINEERING CHALLENGES AND MAKE
THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE. AT MASADA, ROMAN SOLDIERS
COMBINED THEIR ENGINEERING AND
FIGHTING SKILLS TO CREATE THE GREATEST SIEGE RAMP OF THE
ANCIENT WORLD. THIS ANCIENT MEGA MOVE WOULD
CREATE A RAMP 650 FEET LONG
RISING 240 FEET AT AN INCLINE OF 1 IN 3. THE ROMANS MOVED THE EQUIVALENT
WEIGHT OF ONE AND A HALF EMPIRE
STATE BUILDINGS BY MUSCLE POWER ALONE. >> PUT YOURSELVES IN THE SHOES
OF THE JEWISH REBELS UP ON TOP
HERE AT MASADA. SO INITIALLY, YOU'RE STARTING
OFF, YOU'RE IN A FORTIFICATION. IT'S IMPREGNABLE, AND THEN THE
ROMAN ARMY SHOWS UP, AND THEY'VE
SURROUNDED THE ENTIRE PLATEAU. THEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
RAMP BEGINS. AND YOU SEE IT START, AND IN A
COUPLE OF MONTHS, IT'S BUILDING
UP AND UP >> Narrator: WITHIN TWO MONTHS,
THE RAMP TO THE FORTRESS WAS
COMPLETE. BUT HOW WOULD THE ROMANS STORM
THE FORTRESS ITSELF? >> THEY WANNA BRING THEIR SIEGE
ENGINES, THEIR BIG TOWERS, UP TO
THE WALLS AND THEN SMASH THOSE WALLS, BREAK THROUGH AND KILL
THE REBELS. >> Narrator: BUT WHAT AMAZING
PIECE OF ENGINEERING WOULD BREAK
THROUGH THE HEAVILY DEFENDED WALLS? THE ROMANS NEEDED SOMETHING LIKE
THIS. IT WAS CALLED THE HELEPOLIS. THIS MASSIVE ARMORED SIEGE TOWER
WAS CONSTRUCTED TO BESIEGE THE
GREEK CITY OF RHODES IN THE FOURTH CENTURY BC. >> THE HELEPOLIS WAS A MASTERFUL
FEAT OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING
CONSTRUCTION. IT WAS THE LARGEST SIEGE TOWER
EVER CONSTRUCTED IN ANTIQUITY. WE THINK IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE
140 FEET HIGH, AND IT REQUIRED
SOMETHING LIKE 3,000 PEOPLE WORKING IN RELAYS TO PUSH IT
FORWARD AND KEEP IT MOVING. BUT WHEN IT WAS IN PLACE, IT WAS
A DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION
MACHINE. JUST IMAGINE THAT KIND OF
MONSTROSITY OF MACHINE MOVING
TOWARDS YOUR CITY WALLS BRINGING WITH IT THE INEVITABLE SENSE OF
DESTRUCTION. (men shouting indistinctly) >> Narrator: IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE DESERT, THE ROMANS FACED AN
IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE. THERE WERE NO RESOURCES OR
SUPPLIES, NONE OF THE MATERIAL
THEY NEEDED. HOW COULD THEY BUILD A SIEGE
TOWER OUT OF NOTHING? >> THEY NEEDED WOOD. THEY NEEDED IRON PLATE. ALL OF THIS HAD TO BE BROUGHT
IN. THE ROMAN ARMY WAS NOT SIMPLY A
BUNCH OF HIGHLY TRAINED KILLERS. IT WAS ALSO A WELL-OILED,
ORGANIZED ENGINEERING TEAM. >> Narrator: WITH A HUGE EFFORT,
THE ROMANS BROUGHT THE MATERIALS
FOR THE TOWER INTO THE DESERT. BUT A WOODEN SIEGE TOWER WOULD
BE WORTHLESS IF THE REBELS COULD
SET IT ON FIRE. >> TO MAKE SURE THIS COULDN'T
HAPPEN, THE ROMANS PUT HEAVY
IRON PLATES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TOWER... IRON PLATES THAT MEANT FIRE
COULDN'T CATCH AND THAT MOST OF
THE MISSILES THAT THE ENEMY FLUNG AT THE TOWER WOULD SIMPLY
BE DEFLECTED. >> Narrator: AS THE REBELS
WATCHED, THE ARMORED TOWER,
EQUIPPED WITH A GIANT BATTERING RAM, WAS CONSTRUCTED BELOW THEM. THIS IS THE ONLY ANCIENT
BATTERING RAM EVER FOUND. >> AND YOU WOULD MOUNT THAT IN
THE TOWER SO THAT YOU COULD
START TO KNOCK THE WALL DOWN. >> THE SIEGE ENGINE WOULD HAVE
BEEN AN IMPOSING STRUCTURE, AND
IT DOESN'T JUST SERVE THE PURPOSE OF PROTECTING THE PEOPLE
THAT ARE GONNA BE MANNING A
BATTERING RAM, BUT ALSO GIVES OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOLDIERS
WITH BALLISTAE, WITH CATAPULTS,
AND THEY COULD LAUNCH THEM AT THE REBELS AS THEY GO FORWARD
AND SMASH THE WALLS. >> Narrator: THE ROMANS WERE
READY TO ATTACK. (crowd shouting)
IT SEEMS AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK TO
FORCE THIS VAST TOWER UP THE STEEP RAMP. HUNDREDS OF SOLDIERS PUSHED IT
INTO POSITION. >> YOU'D FEEL NOTHING BUT PANIC
BECAUSE YOU REALIZE THE ROMANS
MEAN BUSINESS. THEY'RE NOT JUST SHOWING UP AT
ONE PART OF THE PLATEAU. THEY'VE SURROUNDED THE ENTIRE
AREA. THERE IS NO ESCAPE. YOU CAN'T GO OUT THE BACK DOOR. YOU CAN'T GO DOWN THE SNAKE
PATH. YOU ARE TRAPPED. YOU'VE GOT YOUR WATER SUPPLY. YOU'VE GOT YOUR FOOD, BUT
THERE'S THE ROMAN ARMY, AND
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL THEY ARRIVE AT THE TOP. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP UNTIL
EVERY SINGLE REBEL IS DEAD. IT MUST HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY
TERRIFYING TO THINK THAT YOU
HAVE NO WAY OUT. THIS IS THE END. >> Narrator: ONCE THE BATTERING
RAM SMASHED THE OUTER WALL, THE
ROMANS SET FIRE TO THE WOODEN INNER WALL AND PREPARED TO
ATTACK AT DAWN. >> THE ROMANS SMASH THROUGH THE
GATES. THEY COME OVER THE WALLS. THEY COME IN EN MASSE. >> AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE ON THE
SCENE ON THE TOP OF THE PLATEAU,
THEY DON'T ENCOUNTER RESISTANCE. WHERE ARE THE JEWISH REBELS? >> Narrator: WHEN THE ROMANS
FINALLY BROKE INTO MASADA, THEY
WERE CONFRONTED WITH A SCENE OF CARNAGE AND DESTRUCTION
>> THE ACCOUNT, ACCORDING TO THE
GREAT MILITARY HISTORIAN JOSEPHUS, IS THAT WHEN THE
ROMANS BREAK THROUGH THE
DEFENSES, THEY SEE THAT ALL THE REBELS HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE. >> Narrator: WITH ONLY TWO WOMEN
AND FIVE CHILDREN STILL ALIVE,
THE ROMANS HAD WON. BUT THE DEFENDERS DENIED THEM A
FULL TRIUMPH. >> THEY DON'T GIVE THE ROMANS
THE SATISFACTION. IT'S ONE OF HISTORY'S GREAT
TRAGIC TALES. (crowd shouting)
>> Narrator: THE ROMAN ARMY LET
NOTHING STAND IN ITS WAY. AT MASADA, THEY PROVED THEY
COULD HARNESS THEIR ENGINEERING
SKILLS NOT ONLY TO MOVE A MOUNTAIN BUT CONQUER A SEEMINGLY
IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS IN THE SKY. BUT IT WASN'T JUST THE ROMANS
WHO WERE THE GREAT MEGA MOVERS. 4,000 YEARS AGO, THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS WERE ALSO CREATING AND
MOVING MONUMENTS ON A MASSIVE SCALE. >> Narrator: THIS IS "ANCIENT
IMPOSSIBLE," MAKING YOU BELIEVE
THE UNBELIEVABLE BY REVEALING HOW ADVANCED THE ANCIENT WORLD
ACTUALLY WAS. ROMAN SOLDIERS COULD MOVE
MOUNTAINS AT WILL. BUT THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE
THE ROMANS, IT WAS THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS WHO FIRST DISCOVERED HOW TO MOVE HUGE OBJECTS. OBELISKS ARE MASSIVE MONOLITHIC
PILLARS THAT THE EGYPTIANS
PLACED IN PAIRS AT THE ENTRANCE TO TEMPLES. OVER CENTURIES, THEY PLACED
HUNDREDS OF THESE THROUGHOUT
THEIR KINGDOM. THE OBELISK WAS A SYMBOL OF RA,
THE SUN GOD, AND INCREDIBLY,
MANY OF THESE ANCIENT PILLARS STILL STAND TODAY. THE OBELISKS SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO
MOVE, BUT THE EGYPTIANS FOUND A
WAY. IN ASWAN IN SOUTHERN EGYPT LIES
AN IMPORTANT CLUE. >> I AM STANDING ON AN
UNFINISHED OBELISK. IT'S 137 FEET LONG, 14 FEET WIDE
AT THE BASE, AND IT'S MADE OF
SOLID GRANITE, WHICH WEIGHS OVER 1,000 TONS. >> Narrator: UNLIKE THE
WASHINGTON MONUMENT, WHICH HAS A
STEEL FRAME AND MORE THAN 30,000 STONE BLOCKS, EGYPTIAN OBELISKS
ARE ONE SOLID MASS OF GRANITE. >> NOW YOU MIGHT THINK THIS
OBELISK REMAINS UNFINISHED
BECAUSE IT'S SIMPLY TOO BIG, IT WAS TOO HUGE TO MOVE. BUT THE TRUTH IS QUITE
DIFFERENT, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF
THIS CRACK THAT YOU CAN SEE DOWN HERE. WHILE THIS OBELISK WAS BEING
CONSTRUCTED, THIS CRACK BECAME
APPARENT, AND THERE WAS NO WAY THEY COULD EVER MAKE USE OF THIS
OBELISK WITH THIS HUGE DEFECT. SO THEY LEFT IT HERE IN THE
QUARRY, WHERE IT WAS BEING
BUILT. THEY DEFINITELY COULD HAVE MOVED
IT. THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS CLEARLY
HAD THE TECHNOLOGY TO MOVE
1,000-TON STONES. WE'VE SEEN THEM DO IT WITH
MANY OTHER GIGANTIC MONUMENTS
>> Narrator: TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF HOW THIS MASSIVE
OBELISK COULD BE MOVED, WE FIRST
HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW IT WAS BUILT. >> CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT
WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE TO BE A
WORKER HERE? DIGGING DOWN THROUGH 14 FEET OF
SOLID GRANITE, SOME OF THE
HARDEST ROCK ON THE PLANET. AND THE ONLY TOOL YOU HAD TO DO
THIS IS A DOLERITE RAMMER, WHICH
IS ESSENTIALLY JUST ANOTHER VOLCANIC ROCK WHICH IS SLIGHTLY
HARDER. IF YOU CAN GET A CRACK IN THE
RIGHT PLACE AND USE THE RAMMER
ON THE CRACK, YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE MUCH MORE HEADWAY THAN JUST
POUNDING AWAY AT THE SOLID ROCK
ITSELF. SO IT'S REALLY QUITE CLEVER. >> MAYBE 130 MEN ALL SITTING
CROSS-LEGGED IN VERY CRAMPED
CONDITIONS ALL POUNDING AWAY. THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN DUST
CLOUDS FLYING UP. THEY WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN
BREATHING THIS DUST IN. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY
UNPLEASANT FOR THEM. >> Narrator: LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR
THE AVERAGE EGYPTIAN MAN WAS
ABOUT 33 YEARS. BUT WORKING ON THE OBELISKS WAS
A PRIVILEGED POSITION. >> WE DON'T THINK THOUGH THAT
THEY WERE SLAVES, AND WAS
SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT TAKE PRIDE IN. THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING YOU
MIGHT--YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO. >> Narrator: ONCE THE EGYPTIAN
WORKERS FINISHED THE THREE SIDES
OF THE OBELISK, THEY STILL FACED THE EPIC TASK OF REMOVING IT
FROM THE BEDROCK
>> THEY CREATED A MASSIVE FIRE ALONG THE BOTTOM HERE. THAT CREATED CRACKS IN THE
GRANITE THAT THEY COULD THEN
EXPLOIT WITH THEIR DOLERITE POUNDERS. I MEAN, THAT--THAT IS AMAZING
TECHNOLOGY. >> Narrator: ONCE THE OBELISK
WAS FREE, HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY
BE MOVED AN INCH, LET ALONE HUNDREDS OF MILES TO ITS FINAL
LOCATION? >> AFTER COMPLETING THIS
1,000-TON OBELISK, THE REAL
CHALLENGE IS MOVING IT TO ITS FINAL LOCATION. THE NILE IS A MILE AWAY. BUT WHAT'S RECENTLY BEEN
DISCOVERED IS A CANAL, WHICH HAS
BEEN BUILT, AN ANCIENT CANAL WHICH WOULD RUN RIGHT THROUGH
HERE. >> Narrator: COULD THE EGYPTIANS
HAVE MADE A BARGE LARGE ENOUGH
FOR THIS OBELISK? QUEEN HATSHEPSUT'S TOMB AT DIER
EL-BAHARI MAY HOLD THE ANSWER. PAINTED ON THE WALL ARE
IMPOSSIBLY HUGE 200-FOOT BARGES
BUILT THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THE GREAT SHIPS OF GREECE AND
ROME. BUT HOW TO GET A 1,000-TON
OBELISK ONTO THE BARGE. LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT HOW WE
SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE THIS TODAY. THIS IS THE<i> DOCKWISE VANGUARD...</i> ONE OF JUST A HANDFUL OF SHIPS
CAPABLE OF TRANSPORTING A
DEEPWATER DRILLING RIG. BUT HOW DO YOU GET A 100,000-TON
OIL PLATFORM ONTO ITS CARGO
DECK? LIKE THIS. THIS SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE HEAVY LIFT
SHIP SINKS IN THE WATER SO TUGS
CAN MANEUVER THE OIL PLATFORM INTO POSITION. ITS KNOWN AS A FLO/FLO--FLOAT
ON AND FLOAT OFF. WITH A LOAD OF UP TO 117,000
TONS IN POSITION, THIS MIGHTY
MEGA MOVER RISES FROM THE OCEAN AND IT'S ON ITS WAY. IT DOES WHAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE,
EVEN TODAY. BUT OF COURSE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE
THAT SUCH TECHNOLOGY WAS
AVAILABLE TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS 4,000 YEARS AGO. OR IS IT? ANCIENT EGYPT HAD A SECRET
WEAPON-- THE RIVER NILE. EVERY YEAR THE NILE FLOODED,
FILLING THE CANAL DUG NEXT TO
THE OBELISK. SO COULD THE UNFINISHED OBELISK
HAVE BEEN MOVED USING THE NILE
FLOODS? THE BARGE WAS WEIGHED DOWN TO
SINK IT, AND WHEN THE OBELISK
WAS LOADED, THE BALLAST WAS REMOVED, AND THE BARGE COULD
MOVE ANYWHERE ALONG THE NILE. >> TO ME, AS A MODERN ENGINEER,
LOOKING AT WHAT THEY WERE ABLE
TO ACCOMPLISH WITH SUCH SIMPLE TECHNIQUES AND TECHNOLOGIES. THAT TRULY IS AMAZING. THESE WERE INCREDIBLE ANCIENT
MEGA-MOVERS. >> Narrator: THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIANS EMPLOYED INNOVATIONS
THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE THEIR TIME TO MEGA MOVE 1,000-TON
STONES. BUT THE GREATEST MYSTERY IN THE
ANCIENT WORLD IS HOW THE ROMANS
MOVED THESE MASSIVE STONES WEIGHING UP TO 1,000 TONS EACH,
AND THEY WERE NOWHERE NEAR A
RIVER. ANCIENT ROME WAS A BIG
CIVILIZATION THAT THOUGHT BIG. BUT AT ONE SITE IN THE ROMAN
EMPIRE, CONSTRUCTION WAS SUPER-
SIZED. HOW THESE HUGE BLOCKS WERE MOVED
THERE HAS BEEN A MYSTERY FOR
2,000 YEARS. LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS STONE. LOOK AT THE PEOPLE BESIDE IT. IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO
BELIEVE THAT THE EGYPTIANS MEGA
MOVED BLOCKS LIKE THIS USING BOATS. AND IT'S EVEN HARDER TO GRASP
THAT THE ROMANS COULD MOVE THEM
ON LAND. THIS IS BAALBEK IN THE BEKAA
VALLEY IN LEBANON. IT CONTAINS THE LARGEST TEMPLE
IN ALL THE ROMAN EMPIRE. >> IT IS SOMETHING ON THE SCALE
OF THE ROMAN FORUM. THE SANCTUARY IS AMAZING. >> Narrator: AFTER CONQUERING
THE REGION, THE ROMAN EMPEROR
AUGUSTUS COMMEMORATED HIS VICTORY BY ORDERING THIS HUGE
EDIFICE. BAALBEK COVERS THE SAME AREA AS
NEARLY NINE FOOTBALL FIELDS. THE SHEER SIZE OF BAALBEK IS A
REMINDER TO SUBJECTED PEOPLES
OF THE POWER OF ROME. >> THE SCALE OF THE STONES IS
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. JUST STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO THEM
YOU REALIZE HOW LARGE THE
ENTERPRISE WAS TO BRING THOSE STONES INTO THE SANCTUARY. >> Narrator: IT'S HARDLY
BELIEVABLE, BUT THESE BLOCKS AT
THE BASE OF THE SANCTUARY WEIGH 800 TONS EACH. IS THERE A CLUE AT BAALBEK THAT
COULD SHOW US HOW THE ROMANS
MOVED THEM? >> THE QUARRY SITE IS 43 FEET
HIGHER THAN THE LEVEL OF THE
SANCTUARY, SO CERTAINLY THIS HAD A PART IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF
THE STONE BLOCKS. BUT HOW DID THEY DO IT? THAT'S THE REAL MYSTERY
>> Narrator: TO TRY TO SHOW THE
MOST ADVANCED ROMAN MEGA MOVING TECHNOLOGY, WE'RE GOING TO USE
SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED
TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TODAY. >> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE SIZE
OF ONE OF THESE STONES. HERE'S A PERSON FOR COMPARISON. WE CAN SEE THAT THE STONE IS
ABOUT 12 FOOT BY 14 FOOT BY 65
FEET LONG. >> Narrator: HOW WOULD WE MOVE A
BLOCK LIKE THIS TODAY? THIS IS THE LIEBHERR 11200, THE
MOST ADVANCED MOBILE CRANE IN
THE WORLD. IT'S GOT A TURNING CIRCLE
SMALLER THAN MOST CARS. YET IT HAS THE POWER TO LIFT THE
WEIGHT OF OVER 500 CARS. >> THIS CRANE HAS GOT JUST
ENOUGH POWER TO LIFT THIS STONE. WE CAN SEE THAT THE SCALE OF
THIS STONE IS ALMOST AS BIG AS
THE CRANE ITSELF. SO THE IDEA OF TRYING TO MOVE
THIS WITHOUT MODERN-DAY
MACHINERY SEEMS UNTHINKABLE. IF WE LOOK AT THE STONE, WE CAN
SEE NO MARKS THAT GIVE US A CLUE
AS TO HOW THE ROMANS MOVED IT. WE KNOW THAT THEY MOVED IT FROM
THE QUARRY TO THE SITE, BUT WE
HAVE NO IDEA HOW THEY DID IT. TO MAKE A MOVE LIKE THAT TODAY
USING MODERN EQUIPMENT WOULD BE
AN INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT. BUT TO HAVE DONE SO 2,000 YEARS
AGO JUST SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE. >> Narrator: HERE'S THE PROBLEM. THE MOST SOPHISTICATED CRANE IN
THE ROMAN WORLD, THE
POLYSPASTOS, COULD LIFT ONLY A FRACTION OF WHAT TODAY'S CRANES
CAN HANDLE, NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH
TO LIFT THESE STONES. THE ROMANS DID HAVE SOME OTHER
VERY INGENIOUS MACHINES. MEET THE CAPSTAN, A VERTICAL
DRUM THAT WOUND A CABLE TO MOVE
HEAVY LOADS. BUT THESE LOADS WERE IMPOSSIBLY
HEAVY EVEN FOR CAPSTANS. SO HOW DID THEY MEGA MOVE THIS
MEGA STONE INTO PLACE? >> CEDAR TREES GROW ALL AROUND
THE TEMPLE SITE, AND THEY WOULD
BE GREAT CANDIDATES TO MAKE ROLLERS TO TRY AND MOVE THIS
BLOCK. HOWEVER, WITH ALL THIS MASS,
THIS COULD EASILY TURN IT INTO
A BATTERING RAM. SO THE ROMANS COULD HAVE USED
CAPSTANS TO CONTROL THE RATE OF
DESCENT DOWN THE HILL. HOWEVER WITH THIS ROUGH GROUND,
I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN EASY TO MAKE THIS ROLLER SYSTEM WORK. SO AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, THIS
IMPOSSIBLE ENGINEERING FEAT
REMAINS IMPOSSIBLE. >> Narrator: TO FIND OUT HOW
STONES LIKE THIS WERE MOVED,
YOU'D NEED TO SPEAK TO AN ANCIENT ROMAN ENGINEER. AND INCREDIBLY, WE FOUND ONE. HERE IN THE BODLEIAN LIBRARY IN
OXFORD IS A BOOK WRITTEN AROUND
THE TIME THE EMPEROR AUGUSTUS HAD STARTED WORK ON BAALBEK. IT'S BY A ROMAN ENGINEER CALLED
VITRUVIUS. WOULD YOU BELIEVE THIS TEXTBOOK
ON ARCHITECTURE IS STILL USED
TODAY? IT DESCRIBES AN ENGINEERING
TECHNIQUE THAT COULD CRACK THE
CODE OF BAALBEK'S MEGA MYSTERY. >> LET'S SEE. "ENCLOSE THE ENDS OF THE
TRILITHON IN WHEELS. IN THE ENDS, FIX PIVOTS AND
RINGS. THE WHEEL TURNS ON THE PIVOTS
ENCLOSED IN THE RINGS, AND THE
STONE IS ENCLOSED LIKE AN AXLE IN THE WHEEL." WE'VE TRANSFORMED THE STONE
INTO A GIANT MOVING AXLE. NOW OUR SCALE HERE IS MUCH
BIGGER, BUT WITH MULTIPLE
CAPSTANS IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO CONTROL THE MOVEMENT OF THIS
DOWN THE HILL. AND WITH ENOUGH OF THEM, WE
COULD ROLL THE STONE INTO
EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE. >> Narrator: THIS IMPOSSIBLE
CHALLENGE WAS SOLVED BY AN
IMPOSSIBLY INGENIOUS SOLUTION. ROMAN MEGA MOVERS TURNED A
STATIC 800-TON BLOCK INTO A
MOBILE 800-TON AXLE. >> THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE SYSTEM
FOR MOVING THE STONE FROM "A" TO
"B." >> Narrator: THIS INGENIOUS
METHOD ENABLED THE ROMAN
ENGINEERS TO MOVE IMPOSSIBLY HEAVY LOADS. BUT WHY NOT SIMPLY USE SMALLER
BLOCKS OF STONE? >> THERE'S A LOT OF SPECULATION
AS TO WHY THEY'RE QUARRYING OUT
AND USING BLOCKS OF THAT SCALE. IS IT THE PART OF THE BRAVURA ON
THE PART OF THE ENGINEERS? "WE CAN DO THIS. WE CAN MOVE THESE BLOCKS"? IS THERE SOME RELIGIOUS
ATTRIBUTION? THESE QUESTIONS WE STILL DON'T
HAVE ANSWERS TO. >> Narrator: WITH IMPOSSIBLY
LARGE BLOCKS OF STONE TOSSED
AROUND LIKE TOYS, BAALBEK IS A MIGHTY ROMAN MEGA MOVE. BUT THERE'S EVIDENCE OF AN EVEN
GREATER MEGA MOVING ACHIEVEMENT
BY ROMAN ENGINEERS. THIS TIME, IT INVOLVES THOUSANDS
OF MILES OF WATERWAYS, THE
BIGGEST ENGINEERING PROJECT SEEN FOR NEARLY 2,000 YEARS. >> Narrator: IF YOU THINK THE
ANCIENTS WERE PRIMITIVE, THINK
AGAIN. THIS IS "ANCIENT IMPOSSIBLE,"
WHERE WE PROVE THAT THE ANCIENT
WORLD ACHIEVED FEATS SO AWESOME, THEY STILL SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO US
TODAY. AS THE POPULATION OF ANCIENT
ROME SWELLED TO MORE THAN A
MILLION, EARLY ENGINEERS WERE FACED WITH THE EPIC TASK OF
MOVING WATER FROM THE
COUNTRYSIDE TO THE CITY. FRESH WATER WAS CRUCIAL FOR
HEALTH AND HYGIENE AS WELL AS
ENTERPRISES SUCH AS MINING AND FARMING. WITHOUT IT, ROME COULD NEVER
HAVE ATTAINED SUCH UNPRECEDENTED
POWER. >> MAYBE ONE OF THE GREATEST
ENGINEERING FEATS OF THE ROMANS
IS THEY'RE ABLE TO MOVE WATER FROM A RIVER, FROM AN ORIGINAL
SOURCE INTO A CITY, AND THAT
MAKES THAT CITY GREAT. >> Narrator: WHAT WAS THE
GAME-CHANGER THAT ENABLED THE
ROMANS TO MOVE SO MUCH WATER? THE AQUEDUCT. THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN THE
FIRST TO MOVE WATER THIS WAY,
BUT THE ROMANS RAISED THE POWER OF AQUEDUCTS TO A WHOLE NEW
LEVEL. >> AN AQUEDUCT IS LITERALLY A
BRIDGE FOR WATER. YOU'RE FINDING A NATURAL
SOURCE--A SPRING OR A RIVER--AND
YOU'RE DIVERTING IT INTO A CHANNEL AND BRINGING THAT WATER,
THROUGH PRINCIPALLY GRAVITY
FLOW, INTO A CITY. >> Narrator: A REMARKABLE
EXAMPLE OF THIS ROMAN INGENUITY
IS HERE IN CAESAREA MARITIMA, IN ISRAEL. WHEN YOU'RE SANDWICHED BETWEEN
THE SEA AND THE DESERT, WHAT IS
THERE TO DRINK? WITHOUT THIS AQUEDUCT AND THE
FRESH WATER IT BROUGHT, THE CITY
WOULD NEVER HAVE EXISTED. >> IT'S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
TECHNOLOGY, THIS IS ONE OF THE
QUINTESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF ROMAN CIVILIZATION. IT'S WHY THEY ARE THE GREAT
BUILDERS AND HAD SUCH A MASSIVE
EMPIRE. >> Narrator: THE AQUEDUCT AT
CAESAREA MARITIMA SERVED 50,000
PEOPLE AND RAN FOR 6 MILES. BUT AS IMPRESSIVE AS IT IS, THIS
AQUEDUCT IS ONE OF THE SMALLEST
THE ROMANS BUILT. IN ALL, THE ROMANS BUILT 6,000
MILES OF AQUEDUCTS TO QUENCH
THEIR THIRSTY EMPIRE. AT PONT DU GARD IN SOUTHERN
FRANCE, ANCIENT ENGINEERS FACED
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE. TO SUPPLY THE CITY WITH WATER,
THEY NEEDED TO CONSTRUCT AN
AQUEDUCT MORE THAN 30 MILES IN LENGTH, AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO
SPAN THIS DEEP RIVER GORGE. >> WHY WOULD YOU BUILD SOMETHING
SO MASSIVE OVER THIS SEEMINGLY
TRANQUIL LITTLE RIVER? AT THIS POINT, THEY MUST
MAINTAIN THE GRAVITY FLOW AT A
PRETTY HIGH ELEVATION. SO THEY HAVE TO BUILD A BRIDGE. THE BRIDGE THEY BUILT STANDS
16 STORIES TALL
>> PONT DU GARD IS THE TALLEST BRIDGE, THE TALLEST AQUEDUCT
THAT THE ROMANS EVER BUILT. IT'S ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF THE
COLISEUM, THE LARGEST
AMPHITHEATRE EVER BUILT BY THE ROMANS. SO IT'S REALLY PUSHING THE
ENVELOPE, AND IT'S STILL
STANDING. >> Narrator: THE ROMANS WERE
EXPERT AT BUILDING ON A
MONUMENTAL SCALE. EVEN TODAY, THERE ARE STILL
MONUMENTAL ENGINEERING
ENDEAVORS. IN NEW YORK CITY, THE CURRENT
WATER TUNNEL EXCAVATION HAS BEEN
CALLED THE GREATEST NON-DEFENSE PROJECT OF THE WESTERN WORLD, A
MEGA BUILD HAPPENING HUNDREDS OF
FEET BENEATH THE CITY STREETS. ITS CONSTRUCTION HAS CLAIMED THE
LIVES OF NEARLY TWO DOZEN
WORKERS. >> I THINK IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
THE AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL EFFORT
THAT WOULD HAVE GONE INTO BUILDING SOME OF THESE
AQUEDUCTS. IT WAS A MASSIVE CIVIL-
ENGINEERING ENTERPRISE. IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HUGE
EXPENSE. IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN HUGE
MANPOWER, AND THE ACTUAL CAPITAL
OUTLAY MUST HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. >> I'M RIGHT AT THE VERY TOP OF
THE PONT DU GARD. I'M IN THE SPACUS OR CHANNEL
WHERE THE WATER FLOWED THROUGH,
AND THIS CHANNEL HAD TO BE MAINTAINED OVER TIME. OTHERWISE THE WATER WOULDN'T
REACH THE CITY OF NIMES. SO HERE WE SEE SOME OF THAT
CALCIUM OVER TIME, IT WAS NOT
CLEANED. THE WATER FLOW WAS CONSTRICTED. BUT IT'S AN INCREDIBLE
ACHIEVEMENT, TO BE STANDING ON
TOP OF SOMETHING AS TALL AS THE COLISEUM. WALKING THROUGH THE WATER
CHANNEL, I REALLY FEEL IN
CONTACT WITH THE PEOPLE THAT CONSTRUCTED IT AND THE PEOPLE
THAT MAINTAINED IT OVER TIME. IT IS SIMPLY AN AMAZING
EXPERIENCE. >> Narrator: AT PONT DU GARD,
ROMAN ENGINEERS HAD TO BUILD
THEIR AQUEDUCT ACROSS MOUNTAINS AND RIVER VALLEYS. HOW COULD THEY KEEP THE WATER
FLOWING OVER THIS JAGGED
LANDSCAPE? WE ALL KNOW THAT GRAVITY MAKES
WATER FLOW DOWNHILL. BUT ROMANS ENGINEERS ACHIEVED
THE IMPOSSIBLE BY MAINTAINING
THE MOST GRADUAL OF DOWNWARD SLOPES. ALONG 31 LONG MILES, THE HEIGHT
OF THE AQUEDUCT ONLY DROPS 56
FEET. >> THAT MEANS THERE IS NO MARGIN
OF ERROR. YOU HAVE TO BE PERFECT, AND THIS
IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE PERFECTION
OF ROMAN ENGINEERING. >> Narrator: WITHOUT LASERS,
THEODOLITES OR ANY MODERN
SURVEYING EQUIPMENT, ROMAN ENGINEERS KEPT THE WATER MOVING. THROUGH HILLS AND VALLEYS,
MAINTAINING A STEADY GRADIENT OF
LESS THAN 1%. AN ASTOUNDING FEAT. >> THE ROMANS WERE BUILDING
THESE THINGS ON THE MOST
ENORMOUS SCALE, AND ALL THIS WAS DONE WITHOUT ANY MATHEMATICAL
FORMULA OR ANY TRUE SCIENTIFIC
KNOWLEDGE. IT WAS JUST PRACTICAL
ENGINEERING. >> I THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT
CONSTRUCTED THIS, THE AMOUNT OF
ENGINEERING, THE SHEER LABOR FORCE TO GO THROUGH AND CUT
THESE STONES AND SINK THEM INTO
PLACE AND TO CONSTRUCT SUCH A MASSIVE ENTERPRISE. HOW AMAZING IT WAS 2,000 YEARS
AGO, HOW AMAZING IT IS TODAY. >> Narrator: THE ROMANS USED
GRAVITY TO MOVE WATER ON A SCALE
IMPRESSIVE EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARDS. THEY PROVED THEY COULD TRANSPORT
WATER DOWNHILL WITH GREAT
PRECISION, BUT COULD THEY ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE? >> Narrator: THE ANCIENT WORLD
HAD VISION AND IMAGINATION THAT
EQUAL AND SOMETIMES EVEN SURPASS OURS. THE ROMAN ARMY CONQUERED WITH
DISCIPLINE, BRUTE FORCE AND
IMPOSSIBLE ENGINEERING. BUT IT WASN'T JUST WAR THAT THE
ROMANS APPROACHED WITH RUTHLESS
DETERMINATION. ROME WAS THE MOST ADVANCED
CIVILIZATION OF THE ANCIENT
WORLD, AND CRUCIAL TO ITS ABILITY TO EXPAND AND FLOURISH
WAS ONE SIMPLE INGREDIENT--
FRESH WATER. KEEPING THE WATER FLOWING LED TO
ONE OF THE GREATEST INNOVATIONS
OF THE ROMAN WORLD. >> MAYBE ONE OF THE GREATEST
ENGINEERING FEATS OF THE ROMANS
IS THEY'RE ABLE TO MOVE WATER FROM A RIVER, FROM AN ORIGINAL
SOURCE, INTO A CITY, AND THAT
MAKES THAT CITY GREAT. >> Narrator: BY MASTERING THE
LAWS OF GRAVITY, ROMAN ENGINEERS
BROUGHT MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF FRESH WATER INTO ROME EACH DAY,
PROVIDING ACCESS THAT EVEN
TODAY'S MODERN SYSTEMS CAN'T MATCH. BUT THESE ANCIENT ENGINEERS DID
MORE THAN MASTER THE LAWS OF
GRAVITY. SOMETIMES THEY DEFIED THEM. >> THE ROMANS ARE COMING UP WITH
SOLUTIONS TO CARRY WATER ACROSS
VALLEYS, SOMETIMES WITH A BRIDGE AND SOMETIMES LITERALLY PUSHING
THE WATER UP A HILL. SO THEY BASICALLY MADE WATER
FLOW UPHILL. >> Narrator: MAKING WATER FLOW
UPHILL? IMPOSSIBLE. BUT THE ROMANS HAD AN
ENGINEERING ACE IN THE HOLE--
A U-SHAPED TUBE LIKE THIS CALLED AN INVERTED SIPHON. AS WATER FILLS THE TUBE, IT WILL
ALWAYS FIND ITS LEVEL. IF ONE END OF THE TUBE IS LOWER,
WATER WILL FLOW THROUGH IT, EVEN
UPHILL. >> ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU DO IS
HAVE TWO TANKS ON EITHER SIDE OF
THE VALLEY, AND YOU'RE GONNA BASICALLY PUSH THE WATER THROUGH
FROM ONE TANK INTO ANOTHER. >> Narrator: ROMAN INVERTED
SIPHONS ONLY SURVIVE IN RUINS. BUT WHEN THEY WERE RUNNING,
THEY'D HAVE LOOKED LIKE THIS. ACROSS THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THEY
MADE 10 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER
FLOW UPHILL EVERY HOUR. EXPERIMENTAL MODEL MAKER RICHARD
WINDLEY WILL ATTEMPT TO PROVE
HOW THIS IMPOSSIBLE FEAT WAS POSSIBLE
>> WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE TODAY IS
A MODEL, WHICH I'M HOPING WILL EXPLAIN THE PRINCIPLE OF THE
INVERTED SIPHON. >> Narrator: EVEN BUILDING AN
INVERTED SIPHON AS SMALL AS THIS
IS A DAUNTING PROSPECT. RICHARD HOPES HE CAN PULL IT
OFF. >> THE CALCULATIONS ARE ACTUALLY
QUITE TRICKY ON THIS. HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SUFFICIENT
HEAD OF WATER HERE TO FORCE THE
WATER THROUGH. >> Narrator: RICHARD HAS BUILT
AN INVERTED SIPHON TO CROSS NOT
JUST ONE VALLEY, BUT TWO, A FEAT ACCOMPLISHED MANY TIMES BY THE
ROMANS. >> WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS TO
CHARGE THE HEADER TANK, WHICH IS
THIS ONE, AND THE IDEA IS THAT ONCE THE FLOW OF WATER FROM THIS
TANK IS RELEASED, IT WILL FLOW
DOWN THE VERTICAL PIPE, ALONG THE HORIZONTAL ONE AND THEN UP
THE SECOND VERTICAL PIPE AND
INTO THE SECOND RECEIVING TANK, WHICH IS THE MIDDLE TANK. AS THAT FILLS UP, HOPEFULLY THE
WATER FROM THAT WILL TRANSFER TO
THE OUTLET AND THEN INTO THE SECOND SIPHON AND INTO THE FINAL
RECEIVER AT THE FAR END OF THE
MODEL. >> Narrator: THE WATER WILL HAVE
TO CLIMB TWO HILLS. >> THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. >> Narrator: CAN RICHARD REALLY
MAKE WATER FLOW UPHILL LIKE THE
ROMANS? >> THE WATER UNDER GRAVITY IS
COMING OUT OF THIS PRIMARY
TANK... FILLING UP THE INTERMEDIATE
TANK... AND FINALLY INTO THE RECEIVING
TANK AT THE FAR END. THAT'S 45 FEET AWAY. IT'S TRAVELLING AT A RELATIVELY
GOOD VELOCITY AND QUITE A GOOD
FLOW. >> Narrator: THE ROMANS KNEW
THAT IF EACH TANK IS SLIGHTLY
LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS ONE, THE WATER WILL RISE TO FIND ITS
LEVEL AND FILL THE TANK. IN THE IMPOSSIBLY VAST SCALE OF
THE REAL THING, ROMAN TANKS OR
CISTERNS HELD MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER. >> I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW WELL IT'S
ACTUALLY OPERATING. I HAD QUALMS AT THE BEGINNING
ABOUT WHETHER IT WOULD WORK. IT'S WORKING BEAUTIFULLY. >> AS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST, WHEN I
THINK ABOUT 2,000 YEARS AGO,
THESE ENGINEERS ARE USING PHYSICS CREATING AN INVERTED
SIPHON FOR AN AQUEDUCT CHANNEL. IT'S MIND-BLOWING. >> IT'S A STAGGERING FEAT OF
ENGINEERING WHICH SEEMS
VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. >> Narrator: WHEN GRAVITY WAS
AGAINST THEM, THE ANCIENT ROMANS
BOLDLY DEFIED IT. THE EGYPTIANS MOVED MONUMENTAL
OBELISKS ALONG THE NILE. THE ROMANS MOVED MOUNTAINS AND
BUILT MASSIVE AQUEDUCTS THAT
CARRIED WATER THOUSANDS OF MILES, PROVING THAT THE ANCIENTS
WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE
IMPOSSIBLE.
