What the Ancients Knew

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összes plakát
Dokument
Egyesült Államok, 2005, 45 perc

Zeneszerző:

Charlie Barnett

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Travel back in time to understand the motivations behind early solutions and inventions

The Greeks The Western world is built on the wisdom and traditions of the ancient Greeks, who uncovered the fundamental principles that established the basics of modern technology. Explore their contributions to geometry, astronomy, and physics and take a close-up look at how they applied their knowledge: Thales predicted an eclipse, Pythagoras discovered mathematical correlation between a musical instrument's string length and its tone, Archimedes developed laws of mechanics, and a group of 90 priests made well-informed educated guesses about many things.

The Chinese From AD 600 to 1500, China was the most technologically advanced society on Earth. Early discoveries put China in the vanguard of science and technology in the ancient world and light years ahead of Western cultures for a very long time. But Chinese researchers shared something with those in the West: ancient Chinese alchemists and inventors were trying to solve problems. Advances in Chinese science and technology were spurred by dynastic emperors seeking practical solutions to the challenges of ruling and defending their vast empires. Building on thousands of years of observation and experimentation, ancient Chinese researchers sought to harness the power of the classic elements--earth, wind, water, and fire.
To provide the emperors with everything from practical tools to find their way on a dark night to battlefield advantages and eternal life solutions, the Chinese created historic technological breakthroughs, including movable type, the multistage rocket, and the blast furnace.

The Romans More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman army swept across Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. Backed by the legions, their military, and engineering skills, the Romans built one of the largest empires in history, dominating as many as 36 modern nations. Technology helped shape the ancient world and reverberates in our Western lifestyle and amenities today. But the Roman legacy is less about invention itself than about the spreading of the ancient technology.
Rather than invent most of what they became famous for, the Romans adopted, perfected, and spread their enemies' inventions throughout their empire.

The Egyptians More than 5,000 years ago, faith moved mountains--virtually. Observations must have led the ancient Egyptians to believe that the cycles of life were governed by a rule whereby each phenomenon they detected had a counterpart. Life, they concluded, must have an afterlife as its opposite. And to enjoy the afterlife, you needed a body, one that was your own in this life and one that would remain intact. Achieving this goal propelled discoveries and innovations in technology and science.
The program traces the scale and effects of ancient Egyptian faith by closely examining the rise and fall of pyramid construction. Viewers will discover how life in ancient Egypt was consumed with the preparation for the afterlife. As the desire and financial ability of Egyptians seeking the afterlife increased, a highly specialized and diversified workforce grew. This helped promote an intricate industry and infrastructure of organization, supply lines, and administration. (forgalmazó hivatalos szövege)

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