Episode

The Universe: Roman Engineering

Name: The Universe: Roman Engineering
Released: 2015-05-23
Duration: 45 min
Cast: David Ackroyd, Erik Thompson, Michio Kaku, David Brin, Alan Guth

The UniverseSeason 92015-05-23

Overview

Do Rome's ancient monuments have secret connections to the Sun? New archaeological evidence, confirmed by NASA data and recreated in state-of-the-art virtual reality, suggests that early Roman emperors mastered architecture and astronomy to make the Sun create strange special effects for reasons both political and personal. One set up an obelisk and altar that blocked the Sun on the anniversary of Julius Caesar's murder, another built a domed room that bathed him in sunlight on certain days, and the Emperor Hadrian designed the Pantheon to mark cosmic events like equinoxes, and turned the central "oculus" of the temple dome into his own personal spotlight, but for what nefarious purposes? We uncover the last great mysteries of the ancient world's greatest empire. The answers are hidden in ancient ruins...and among the stars.

Details

Series: The Universe
Season: Season 9
Episode: Episode 6
Air date: 2015-05-23
Runtime: 45 min

Episode context

Roman Engineering is Episode 6 in Season 9 of The Universe. It aired on 2015-05-23. The runtime is 45 min.

Previous / Next

Episode 5: Predicting the Future 45 min Many believe that the celestial movement of the Sun, planets and moon gives us the blueprint for life, and governs our future. From Roman emperors, to kings and queens, to modern politicians, knowledgeable and powerful people have consulted an ancient system of predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations. But is there proof that this system of tracking astronomical phenomena can actually predict our future?

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