Ancient Superstructures
"Ancient Superstructures“ reveals the secrets behind the world’s most famous monuments. Some of the ancient marvels which are among the most studied and scrutinized monuments in the world still remain shrouded in mystery. What if the answers were right in front of us… but invisible to the human eye? This ground-breaking series takes a unique approach in delving into engineering mysteries behind the world’s most famous ancient structures, by observing them from different perspectives of scale. From satellite imagery and aerial views right down to macro and microscopic levels, each perspective reveals data that helps shed new light on historical and construction enigmas that have baffled historians for years.
Episodes
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Pierrefonds looks like a 14th-century fortress, yet it is a 19th-century masterpiece. We uncover how a ruined stronghold became a revolutionary hybrid of Middle Ages and Industrial Age innovation.
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Rising 80 metres above Athens, the Acropolis is a high-speed engineering feat forged in an age of war and political ambition. This episode decodes the logistics behind the Parthenon.
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Neuschwanstein is Louis II of Bavaria's 19th-century fairy-tale castle that inspired Walt Disney. Inside, medieval fantasy hides modern innovation: steel beams, plumbing, and central heating.
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Begun in 1882, the Sagrada Família became Gaudí's radical engineering laboratory. In 2026, the church yet to be finished, builders use modern engineering to raise the 170-metre spires above Barcelona.
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Aachen Cathedral is a 1,200-year engineering marvel. We decode the 'smart' mortar, the hidden iron ring stabilising the cupola, and the metal reinforcements that let stained glass replace stone.
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For 2,600 years, Carcassonne has stood as Europe's ultimate fortress. Blending archaeology and engineering, we learn how innovation, strategy and restoration shaped an 'impregnable' citadel.
