8.00 p.m. |HINT|Ancient Greece: Weapons of Mass Destruction
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.
HINT = History International
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.
HINT = History International