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Ancient Discoveries Season 6 Episodes
Season 6 Episode Guide
14 Episodes 2009 - 2009
Episode 1
Airborne Assault
Thu, Nov 5, 2009 60 mins
Assault from the air didn't begin with the era of the airplane. The kite bomb was a medieval siege weapon that dropped bombs from a kite over cities. Ancient bouncing bombs that actually skipped across water terrorized shipping in Turkey in 1453. Ancient China's whistling arrows, the world's earliest rocket-powered explosive missile, and the earliest known successful parachute, are also examined.
Episode 2
Guns n' Ammo
Thu, Nov 12, 2009 60 mins
Ancient artillery is examined, including a weapon made from a bamboo tube; a device for tracer fire; the "Roaring Meg" cannon; and a 9-barrel medieval gun.
Episode 3
Ancient Mega-Fort
Fri, Dec 4, 2009 60 mins
History's most formidable defenses are examined, including England's great castles; underground defenses in Cappadocia, Turkey; and the ancient Mayan killer-bee method. Also: a study of a replica of a section of the ancient Roman fort of Alesia; and the firing of a cannon used to break through the defenses of Constantinople.
Episode 4
Ancient Secret Agents
Thu, Dec 10, 2009 60 mins
Ancient espionage is examined, including the methods for sending covert messages, such as fire beacons, traveling by horse, and carrier pigeons. Also: invisible ink; and ninjas.
Episode 5
Gruesome Medicine
Thu, Dec 18, 2008 60 mins
Unusual medical practices are examined and, in some cases, tested on patients. Included: the use of leeches as a cure; the transfer of an electrical charge using a live torpedo fish. Also: trepanning, which the Inca performed to relieve pressure on the brain; Roman battlefield-surgery techniques and tools; the brain surgery performed on England's Henry V to remove an arrow from his skull.
Episode 6
Gruesome Medicine
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 60 mins
Secret weapons are examined. Included: one of the largest booby traps in history; Mithridates' use of a flammable mud in a revolt against Rome; precursors to modern letter bombs. Also: the tactics of Spartacus.
Episode 7
Ancient Commandos
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 60 mins
Ancient commandos and their technology and techniques are examined. Included: ski commandos; a small army in Egypt that defeated invaders; and the Normans' invasion of England in 1066.
Episode 8
Ancient Special Forces
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 60 mins
Special forces and their tactics and tools are examined. Included: Roman techniques for capturing ships from underwater; and Roman war-dog units; and the Japanese samurai sword.
Episode 9
Twisted Weapons of the East
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 60 mins
Unusual weapons of the East are examined. Included: flexible steel swords from India; an Indian trap that impales sleeping victims; Chinese armor made from paper.
Episode 10
Ancient Record Breakers
Tue, Dec 22, 2009 60 mins
Ancient world records. Included: a weapon that can shoot around corners.
Episode 11
Mega Ocean Conquest
Tue, Dec 22, 2009 60 mins
Seafaring achievements are examined. Included: a deep-sea diving suit is made in Denmark from an ancient design.
Episode 12
Rituals of Death
Tue, Dec 22, 2009 60 mins
Death rituals are examined. Included: mummification in Egypt; the Terracotta Army in China. Also: forensic scientists in England use 15th-century techniques in a murder case.
Episode 13
Secret Science of the Occult
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 60 mins
Ancient occult technology is explored, including a statue of Jesus in England that appears to come to life; a sanctuary in Greece where ghosts seem to be flying.
Episode 14
Riots and Revolution
Wed, Nov 22, 2023 60 mins
The show tracks down the secret manual that explained how the Vietnamese defeated not only the US in the 20th century, but the Mongols 700 years earlier. It reveals the largest booby trap in history, one that snagged an entire battle fleet, how king Mithridates used a substance called burning mud in his revolt against Rome, and how the terrorist booby-traps and letter bombs of today were invented hundreds of years ago.