Ancient Impossible

We think of weapons of mass destruction as a modern concept, but the ancients also created fearsome weapons of their own, some even more destructive than we can create today. Centuries before the widespread discovery of gunpowder, one ancient genius managed to build a cannon that could fire a projectile using the power of steam! We reveal an ancient troop ship mightier than an aircraft carrier, and death rays that could burn enemy ships. How were the ancients capable of creating seemingly impossible warfare technologies thousands of years before modern times?

How did the Ancients move impossibly huge objects? Why did the Roman forces at the siege of Masada decide to shift an entire mountain by hand? We reveal the ancient technology that allowed the Egyptians to move a 1,000 ton obelisk, and show how the Romans moved even heavier objects at the temples at Baalbek. As well as moving stone and earth, the ancients needed to move mountains of water, using technology we still find impressive today. Who were the most successful Mega Movers of the ancient world and how were they able to make the impossible...possible?

A massive monument carved out of solid rock, a monster-sized super-dome that defies the laws of gravity. These awe inspiring feats of engineering defy explanation, yet they are not modern–they were actually built thousands of years ago. The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure on earth for over 4,000 years! But what techniques, materials and tools could ancient engineers have used to build it? Stonehenge is one of the most mysterious structures ever built, but could the secret to its construction ever be revealed? Abu Simbel is ancient Egypt’s greatest monument which even eclipses today’s Mount Rushmore. How did the ancient engineers make the seemingly impossible possible?

Could ancient warriors have had early versions of modern day weapons, such as machine guns and bullet proof vests, centuries before we ever imagined they were possible?

Geniuses from ancient times are profiled.

Advanced tools from ancient times are examined.

Examining some of the greatest ships in history, which were designed and built thousands of years ago.

Ancient people built factories, including a war vehicle factory in Egypt and a Roman iron factory.

Ancient texts help explain the Roman Empire's advanced technologies.

Ancients get troops across a nearly 4,000 foot river, extract oil from the ground without the use of modern drilling technique and build a water tank which contained 3 million cubic feet of water.