Episode
NOVA: Colosseum: Roman Death Trap
Overview
One of the ancient world's most iconic buildings, the Colosseum is a monument to Roman imperial power and cruelty. Its graceful lines and harmonious proportions concealed a highly efficient design and advanced construction methods that made hundreds of arches out of 100,000 tons of stone. In its elliptical arena, tens of thousands of gladiators, slaves, prisoners, and wild animals met their deaths. Ancient texts report lions and elephants emerging from beneath the floor, as if by magic, to ravage gladiators and people condemned to death. Then, just as quickly, the Colosseum could be flooded with so much water that ships could engage in sea battles to the delight of the crowd. Now, archaeologists and engineers are teaming up to recreate a 25-foot lifting machine and trap door system capable of releasing a wolf into the Colosseum's arena for the first time in 1,500 years. Do they have what it takes to replicate the innovation and ingenuity of the Romans?
Details
- Series
- NOVA
- Season
- Season 42
- Episode
- Episode 14
- Air date
- 2015-02-11
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
Colosseum: Roman Death Trap is Episode 14 in Season 42 of NOVA. It aired on 2015-02-11. The runtime is 55 min.
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Episode 13: Sinkholes—Buried Alive
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Episode 15: Petra: Lost City of Stone
In a daring experiment, an archaeologist and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancient people of Petra built their city of stone. Meanwhile, scientists using remote sensors and hydraulic flumes uncover the vast city and its sophisticated water system. The race is on to discover how these nomads created an oasis of culture in one of the harshest climates on Earth.
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