Mining the earth for coal, erecting drilling rigs for oil and natural gas, and smelting iron ore are all fundamentals of the modern industrialized world, but they are nothing new. Travel to China to explore the origins and use of these vital resources more than 2,000 years ago. Host Michael Guillen explores the site of ancient drilling rigs that drilled for gas centuries before anyone else. We explore the modern science of "geobotany" using vegetation to tell us what is in the earth beneath, and how the Chinese pioneered this.

Twenty-five hundred years before modern air travel the ancient Chinese had learned the complicated principles of fluid and aerodynamics. Travel halfway around the world to China where the notion of "hard air" (air pressure) was understood by Taoist monks thousands of years ago who, according to some accounts, were actually able to parasail from mountain to mountain. Host Michael Guillen demonstrates how the ancient Chinese paper and silk making skills allowed them to make lighter-than-air objects, and see how this knowledge let them to sail into the wind and uncover a number of maritime innovations.

An examination of ancient Greek weapons of mass destruction. Host Michael Guillen demonstrates the forerunner of the long-range missile, a ballista--a catapult that could launch a 25-pound missile over a quarter of a mile. Greeks also developed toxic weapons by coating the tips of arrows with poisons ranging from jellyfish, to human waste, to snake venom to poisonous plants. They refined the use of fire as a weapon of terror. Michael introduces us to Professor John Haldon who recreated the weapon known as Greek Fire. Developed by Byzantine Greeks, it closely resembled napalm. The engineering consulting firm Arup tests whether the story of Archimedes' "burning mirror," which reflected sunlight off soldiers shields with deadly effects, was fact or fiction. The episode ends by demonstrating how the "arms race" started with the ancient Greeks, who developed ever more potent weapons of mass destruction to overcome their enemy's defenses.

Looking at the incredible array of telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory, one can appreciate just how advanced the science of astronomy has become. Travel to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to get a first hand look at the ancient world's most skilled astronomers: the Maya. Host Michael Guillen studies the giant pyramid of Kukulkan and explains how it functioned as a giant solar observatory. He examines the round structure at Tikal known as El Caracol which looks amazingly like a modern day observatory. Guillen demonstrates how the Maya might have used the sun to lay out their various temples and observatories, and he examines their incredibly complex and accurate calendar. Learn how the Maya created vulcanized rubber in order to play their cosmological game of Pok-A-Pok.

Around the world, archaeologists are uncovering artifacts that suggest the existence of previously unknown ancient civilizations, much like the mythical city of Atlantis. There is a growing belief among certain scientists and archeologists that tens of thousands of years ago, before the rise of today's man, sophisticated human societies populated large cities that possibly featured mechanized transportation, electricity, and advanced weapons systems. Proponents of this theory believe that these civilizations were wiped off the planet and that the evidence now lies buried miles beneath the Earth's surface. This two-hour special will investigate these beliefs and uncover the truth about people who lived before the beginning of recorded time.

Field investigators using the latest research, expert analysis, and cutting-edge technology take us back to ancient Greece, to a peaceful island that exploded with devastating force.

Aphrodisias is a magnificent city of marble dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. It is widely recognized as one of the best-preserved sites in the Classical World.

Mining the earth for coal, erecting drilling rigs for oil and natural gas, and smelting iron ore are all fundamentals of the modern industrialized world, but they are nothing new. Travel to China to explore the origins and use of these vital resources more than 2,000 years ago. Host Michael Guillen explores the site of ancient drilling rigs that drilled for gas centuries before anyone else. We explore the modern science of "geobotany" using vegetation to tell us what is in the earth beneath, and how the Chinese pioneered this.

Twenty-five hundred years before modern air travel the ancient Chinese had learned the complicated principles of fluid and aerodynamics. Travel halfway around the world to China where the notion of "hard air" (air pressure) was understood by Taoist monks thousands of years ago who, according to some accounts, were actually able to parasail from mountain to mountain. Host Michael Guillen demonstrates how the ancient Chinese paper and silk making skills allowed them to make lighter-than-air objects, and see how this knowledge let them to sail into the wind and uncover a number of maritime innovations.

An examination of ancient Greek weapons of mass destruction. Host Michael Guillen demonstrates the forerunner of the long-range missile, a ballista--a catapult that could launch a 25-pound missile over a quarter of a mile. Greeks also developed toxic weapons by coating the tips of arrows with poisons ranging from jellyfish, to human waste, to snake venom to poisonous plants. They refined the use of fire as a weapon of terror. Michael introduces us to Professor John Haldon who recreated the weapon known as Greek Fire. Developed by Byzantine Greeks, it closely resembled napalm. The engineering consulting firm Arup tests whether the story of Archimedes' "burning mirror," which reflected sunlight off soldiers shields with deadly effects, was fact or fiction. The episode ends by demonstrating how the "arms race" started with the ancient Greeks, who developed ever more potent weapons of mass destruction to overcome their enemy's defenses.

Looking at the incredible array of telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory, one can appreciate just how advanced the science of astronomy has become. Travel to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to get a first hand look at the ancient world's most skilled astronomers: the Maya. Host Michael Guillen studies the giant pyramid of Kukulkan and explains how it functioned as a giant solar observatory. He examines the round structure at Tikal known as El Caracol which looks amazingly like a modern day observatory. Guillen demonstrates how the Maya might have used the sun to lay out their various temples and observatories, and he examines their incredibly complex and accurate calendar. Learn how the Maya created vulcanized rubber in order to play their cosmological game of Pok-A-Pok.

Around the world, archaeologists are uncovering artifacts that suggest the existence of previously unknown ancient civilizations, much like the mythical city of Atlantis. There is a growing belief among certain scientists and archeologists that tens of thousands of years ago, before the rise of today's man, sophisticated human societies populated large cities that possibly featured mechanized transportation, electricity, and advanced weapons systems. Proponents of this theory believe that these civilizations were wiped off the planet and that the evidence now lies buried miles beneath the Earth's surface. This two-hour special will investigate these beliefs and uncover the truth about people who lived before the beginning of recorded time.

Field investigators using the latest research, expert analysis, and cutting-edge technology take us back to ancient Greece, to a peaceful island that exploded with devastating force.

Aphrodisias is a magnificent city of marble dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. It is widely recognized as one of the best-preserved sites in the Classical World.

Mining the earth for coal, erecting drilling rigs for oil and natural gas, and smelting iron ore are all fundamentals of the modern industrialized world, but they are nothing new. Travel to China to explore the origins and use of these vital resources more than 2,000 years ago. Host Michael Guillen explores the site of ancient drilling rigs that drilled for gas centuries before anyone else. We explore the modern science of "geobotany" using vegetation to tell us what is in the earth beneath, and how the Chinese pioneered this.

Twenty-five hundred years before modern air travel the ancient Chinese had learned the complicated principles of fluid and aerodynamics. Travel halfway around the world to China where the notion of "hard air" (air pressure) was understood by Taoist monks thousands of years ago who, according to some accounts, were actually able to parasail from mountain to mountain. Host Michael Guillen demonstrates how the ancient Chinese paper and silk making skills allowed them to make lighter-than-air objects, and see how this knowledge let them to sail into the wind and uncover a number of maritime innovations.

An examination of ancient Greek weapons of mass destruction. Host Michael Guillen demonstrates the forerunner of the long-range missile, a ballista--a catapult that could launch a 25-pound missile over a quarter of a mile. Greeks also developed toxic weapons by coating the tips of arrows with poisons ranging from jellyfish, to human waste, to snake venom to poisonous plants. They refined the use of fire as a weapon of terror. Michael introduces us to Professor John Haldon who recreated the weapon known as Greek Fire. Developed by Byzantine Greeks, it closely resembled napalm. The engineering consulting firm Arup tests whether the story of Archimedes' "burning mirror," which reflected sunlight off soldiers shields with deadly effects, was fact or fiction. The episode ends by demonstrating how the "arms race" started with the ancient Greeks, who developed ever more potent weapons of mass destruction to overcome their enemy's defenses.

Looking at the incredible array of telescopes at Kitt Peak National Observatory, one can appreciate just how advanced the science of astronomy has become. Travel to Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to get a first hand look at the ancient world's most skilled astronomers: the Maya. Host Michael Guillen studies the giant pyramid of Kukulkan and explains how it functioned as a giant solar observatory. He examines the round structure at Tikal known as El Caracol which looks amazingly like a modern day observatory. Guillen demonstrates how the Maya might have used the sun to lay out their various temples and observatories, and he examines their incredibly complex and accurate calendar. Learn how the Maya created vulcanized rubber in order to play their cosmological game of Pok-A-Pok.

Around the world, archaeologists are uncovering artifacts that suggest the existence of previously unknown ancient civilizations, much like the mythical city of Atlantis. There is a growing belief among certain scientists and archeologists that tens of thousands of years ago, before the rise of today's man, sophisticated human societies populated large cities that possibly featured mechanized transportation, electricity, and advanced weapons systems. Proponents of this theory believe that these civilizations were wiped off the planet and that the evidence now lies buried miles beneath the Earth's surface. This two-hour special will investigate these beliefs and uncover the truth about people who lived before the beginning of recorded time.

Field investigators using the latest research, expert analysis, and cutting-edge technology take us back to ancient Greece, to a peaceful island that exploded with devastating force.

Aphrodisias is a magnificent city of marble dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. It is widely recognized as one of the best-preserved sites in the Classical World.