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00:00Who kicked off civilisation?
00:03The Romans with their magnificent buildings and military muscle,
00:06the Greeks with science and democracy,
00:09the Egyptians with their fabulous kingdoms, well, none of them.
00:12In a part of the world known as Mesopotamia,
00:16long-lost people came up with everything from the wheel to writing,
00:20armies to agriculture, bread to beer.
00:24To Ninkasi!
00:25Here at home, I'll be getting to the bottom of some of the incredible inventions
00:29that shaped the way we live today.
00:31And I've sent roving reporter Hermione Coburn off to Mesopotamia
00:36in search of the civilisations history almost forgot.
00:41There are tens of thousands of burial mounds all around me.
01:14Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers,
01:17the Tigris and the Euphrates that flow through modern-day Syria and Iraq.
01:21In this narrow strip of land, human history began.
01:28The Mesopotamians weren't just a single people,
01:30but a whole series of overlapping civilisations.
01:34The Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Babylonians and the Assyrians,
01:39each one building on the achievements of the one before.
01:42And between them, they laid the foundations of our civilisation.
01:51But visualising just how far back in time all these people were living isn't easy.
01:56So I've come here to the Roman city of Palmyra in Syria,
02:00one of the world's most important archaeological sites.
02:08Now, this ancient city dates back a little under 2,000 years.
02:12Mesopotamian cities were growing 6,000 years ago.
02:17Mesopotamian cities are three times older than Rome.
02:21They once rose all over this region.
02:24Pyramid-like towers called ziggurats,
02:26the very word means to build high, dominated the skyline.
02:30But only in the last 200 years
02:32have archaeologists uncovered these lost civilisations.
02:35The wind, the rain and the punishing sun
02:38left very little evidence of Mesopotamia above ground.
02:41The Romans built for eternity out of stone,
02:45but the Mesopotamians used something far more down-to-earth.
02:56Mud was the building block of civilisation.
02:59One of the first great Mesopotamian inventions
03:02was this wooden frame
03:03that made the mass production
03:05of identical mud bricks possible.
03:08Like that, like that, like that.
03:11Bravo! Bravo!
03:15Bravo!
03:21With these bricks,
03:23the Mesopotamians created a world
03:25that lasted for four and a half thousand years
03:27and gave mankind its first cities.
03:39In Mesopotamia,
03:41natural resources like stone and timber were scarce,
03:44but mud was plentiful,
03:46and it wasn't just used for building.
03:50The rich mud was ideal for growing crops
03:54and encouraged nomadic tribes to settle in these valleys.
03:59But the mud came at a price.
04:01The Tigris and Euphrates are very unpredictable rivers
04:04and they could unleash devastating floods
04:07that could wipe out entire communities at any time.
04:10The Mesopotamians developed sophisticated irrigation techniques
04:14to control the waters,
04:16helping farmers to grow more grain.
04:18More food meant more people,
04:20and the population just grew and grew.
04:23Villages became towns.
04:24Towns became cities.
04:26Not everyone had to be a farmer,
04:28and civilisation blossomed.
04:36Controlling and harnessing the river waters
04:38is just as important today in the Middle East
04:41as it was in Mesopotamian times.
04:44These are the water wheels of Hammer north of Damascus.
04:47You can hear them groaning from miles away.
04:52Night and day,
04:53they scoop up water from the river
04:55and lift it up to aqueducts,
04:57which once fed the fields and gardens of the city.
05:00These fantastic feats of engineering
05:02are relatively young,
05:04only 800 years old.
05:05But some say
05:07the Mesopotamians' mastery of irrigation
05:09allowed them to build something even more wonderful
05:12thousands of years before these water wheels were invented.
05:18Once they'd mastered irrigation,
05:20the Mesopotamians found all sorts of things were possible.
05:24The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar,
05:26was worried about keeping happy his beautiful wife, Amietis.
05:29She longed for the trees and the mountains of her homeland.
05:34And so, according to legend,
05:35he built her the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
05:38one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
05:41Of course, they probably weren't actually hanging as such.
05:45They were sort of terraces and mounds with beautiful greenery.
05:47But, according to the Greek historian Herodotus,
05:51writing in the 5th century BC,
05:53the terraces were 320 feet high.
05:55That's twice as high as the walls of this castle.
05:58How on earth do you water a garden that big?
06:02Well, we don't know how Neb actually got the water
06:04up to the top of the Hanging Gardens,
06:05but there are various possibilities.
06:07And Marty and his team have built three wonderful machines.
06:10We're going to race them and see which is best.
06:12First up, we've got Alex with the Shadoof.
06:15Now, Alex, how does this work?
06:16It's very simple.
06:17This is like a leather bag or a bucket,
06:19which we cast out into the water.
06:22And then it's connected to this lever here
06:23with a counterweight on the other side.
06:25Oh, wow.
06:27So, I see that helps you lift the weight of water.
06:29And then you swing it over and tip it in here.
06:31Yeah.
06:32Going to win?
06:33I think so, yeah.
06:34Well, it's been around a long time.
06:36Anyway, next up, Marty with an Archimedes screw.
06:39Marty, I thought Archimedes invented this.
06:41Almost certainly not.
06:42I'm afraid the Mesopotamians beat him to it
06:44and they had these devices, yeah.
06:45So, is this going to work?
06:47Absolutely, certainly.
06:47It looks a bit ramshackle to me.
06:49Yeah, I'm very confident.
06:50Okay, and last but not least, we've got...
06:53Oh, that's Chris in the water, fending off the sharks.
06:56Good luck.
06:57But, Rob, you're driving the thing, yes?
06:58I am indeed, yes.
06:59So, what do you have to do?
07:00It's a bucket and chain system where we're pulling the water out here,
07:04taking it over to the top, dropping it through the pipe
07:06and into the terracotta box.
07:07Well, it looks good.
07:08It does, indeed.
07:09Is it going to work?
07:11Of course.
07:12You're going to win?
07:12Yeah, there's no question.
07:14We'll see.
07:15Right, chaps, back to your marks.
07:17We're going to have a Le Mans start.
07:18So, back to the middle of the path, if you would.
07:21Gird up your loins.
07:22Get ready.
07:23OK, on your marks, get set, go!
07:29The Shadoof has been around for at least 3,000 years,
07:32and it's still in use today.
07:34It's basically just a giant lever,
07:36so there's very little to go wrong.
07:38Simple, but brilliant.
07:42The bucket chain is especially good for raising water
07:45from confined spaces like wells or mines.
07:47With a few modifications, it could be powered by animals.
07:50It's even said that the inventor of the first elevator
07:53got his big idea from seeing a picture of one of these
07:55in an encyclopedia.
07:58If the Hanging Gardens did use the Archimedes screw,
08:01as some researchers believe,
08:02then it must have been invented hundreds of years
08:04before the Greek genius was born.
08:06Whatever the truth, it's still around today,
08:08and because it's especially good at lifting solids
08:11and liquids together, it's often used in sewage works.
08:14Wow!
08:15Look at the Archimedes screw.
08:17Hey, it's a close thing.
08:18It's a close thing.
08:19Ah, you're over the top!
08:21Fantastic!
08:22Just, just made it!
08:24Wow!
08:25Can you just show me how that works again?
08:27It's a truly effective machine.
08:29It's kind of like a pasta spiral.
08:31So you just pull it round,
08:33pull it round,
08:33and it lifts the water continuously up.
08:36And just spews out an enormous quantity.
08:38It just comes out at an enormous rate.
08:40Well, there we are, ladies and gentlemen,
08:42absolutely no doubt,
08:43Archimedes screw fantastically efficient,
08:45but I have to hand a good second prize to the Shadoof.
08:48And as for the bucket and chain,
08:50I think I better not say anything about that.
08:53So, maybe we should rename the Archimedes screw
08:56the Nebuchadnezzar screw.
08:58Mind you, it would have taken an awful lot of them
09:00to lift the thousands of gallons of water
09:01needed to keep the gardens green,
09:03and I'm not sure Queen Amietis would have fancied
09:06her gardens being full of sweaty slaves all the time.
09:13With irrigation,
09:15the Mesopotamians were learning
09:16to control the mysterious forces of nature,
09:18but they still faced many dangers.
09:21Droughts, crop failures,
09:23plagues and floods
09:24all seemed to be sent by the gods.
09:27Their world was ruled by supernatural powers
09:29and they were very wary of the unknown,
09:31especially of the land beyond their fertile valleys.
09:37Somewhere out here in the desert
09:39lurk monsters and demons
09:41just waiting to wreak destruction.
09:47Well, at least that's what many ancient Mesopotamians believed.
09:50Illnesses were often said to be caused
09:52by malevolent spirits inhabiting your body,
09:54and the fear of possession
09:56might drive a Mesopotamian to visit the Ashipu,
09:59a kind of spiritual doctor or exorcist,
10:01who could help drive out those harmful demons.
10:15In many parts of the Middle East,
10:16such people still exist today,
10:18and they're said to be especially good
10:20at dealing with hidden fears.
10:21This lady has promised to capture my fear demon
10:23and sent him packing.
10:26The basic idea is to trick my demon
10:28into leaving my body
10:29by tempting him to jump into something else
10:32which comes into contact with me.
10:34These ladies are using molten lead
10:36dropped into a bowl of water over my head.
10:40They say I'll know the demon has gone
10:42when the hot lead shatters as it hits the water.
10:47It may take a few goes, though.
10:49I seem to have a very stubborn demon.
10:53The Mesopotamians probably didn't use lead,
10:56but they practised the same principle
10:58of contact and transference.
11:00A genuine Mesopotamian exorcism
11:02involved bread and mice.
11:05What would happen is that the Ashipu
11:07would rub bread on you
11:08and then collect the crumbs
11:09that had fallen on the floor.
11:10And then you would spit in them
11:12and transfer your illness
11:14and your demon into those crumbs.
11:16Then you would collect the crumbs
11:17and take them out into the desert
11:19and scatter them to the god of small rodents.
11:22Now, when the poor, unfortunate rodents
11:24ate those crumbs,
11:25they would inherit your demon.
11:28Ready to go again?
11:34Yes, that's it.
11:36OK.
11:43Well, I can't say I feel completely changed,
11:47but you never know.
11:48So now what do I do with the pieces of lead?
11:52To take them out and scatter them
11:53in three different directions?
11:58Let's hope this works.
12:02Now, I'm taking no chances with my demon.
12:04I've come to the top of the highest hill
12:06and I'm scattering the lead
12:08in three different directions
12:09to confuse it
12:10so it can never find its way back to me.
12:14The Mesopotamians were extremely superstitious.
12:17Another thing they believed in was fortune-telling.
12:19They saw the future in the strangest of places.
12:24Absolutely.
12:25Casting out demons is fine,
12:27but prevention is better than cure.
12:29The Mesopotamians believed that the future
12:31lay in the lap of the gods
12:33and that sometimes they left some obscure signs
12:36as to what might be about to happen.
12:38If you could read the signs,
12:39you could see the future.
12:41They did look in some very odd places.
12:43One of their favourites
12:44was in the entrails of a sheep.
12:49There is a theory
12:50that this business of seeing the future
12:53from the entrails of slaughtered animals
12:55was scientific.
12:56I personally find that very hard to believe.
12:59But with me here
12:59is Irving Finkel
13:00who's an expert from the British Museum.
13:03Irving,
13:03it wasn't really scientific, was it?
13:05Well, people are very rude
13:06about Babylonian science
13:07but I've been working
13:08in cuneiform tablets
13:09for many, many years
13:10and in my opinion
13:11this discipline,
13:13this method of predicting the future
13:14really does qualify
13:15as a science.
13:17Go on, explain.
13:17I'll tell you why.
13:18Because there were generations
13:19of very closely observed details
13:22recorded in a systematic way
13:24and it provided a kind of system
13:26for understanding
13:28how the universe worked
13:29and there were practitioners
13:30who used this system
13:32and state policies
13:33were decided by it
13:34on a large scale
13:35and on a small scale.
13:36Many aspects of society
13:37centred on this activity.
13:39So within its own terms
13:40I think you cannot dismiss it
13:42as anything other than a real science.
13:44Okay, so give me an example
13:45of what they would decide.
13:46Well, the way it might work was
13:48let's say you're the king,
13:49you're thinking of going to war.
13:51You want to know
13:52the right day of the week
13:52to leave on
13:53for obvious superstitious reasons
13:55should you go on the Tuesday morning.
13:57So you come to me as the diviner,
13:58we go over the road,
13:59we get one of the sheep
14:00which is in very good condition,
14:01nothing wrong with it,
14:02bring it here,
14:03open it up with our knife,
14:05take out the liver
14:06and while it's still hot and steamy
14:08we examine it all over
14:10for what we know we're looking for.
14:12Hang on a sec,
14:13is there a bit of it
14:14that says war on Tuesday?
14:15Not exactly
14:16but what happened is this,
14:17the zones of the liver
14:19it's divided up into areas
14:20that the Babylonians knew very well.
14:22each one of the zones
14:23had its specific area
14:25of responsibility
14:26so we would look for the bit
14:27that was to do with the throne
14:28for example
14:29or the palace
14:30or warfare
14:31and we'd put together
14:33the evidence
14:33from the different things
14:35to see what the final message was.
14:37So in principle
14:37if your liver was in perfect condition
14:39with no signs of disease
14:41then the answer would be fine
14:43whatever the question was.
14:44Can you predict my future?
14:45What's going to happen to me tomorrow?
14:47What's going to happen to you tomorrow?
14:48Well let's have a look at this liver
14:50again.
14:51It's actually
14:51as I said
14:52in very good shape
14:53there's nothing
14:54really that's very alarming.
14:57Wait a moment
14:58there's no gallbladder.
15:00Whoever gave us this liver
15:01has removed the gallbladder entirely.
15:03Does that matter?
15:04It does matter.
15:05A liver without a gallbladder
15:06is about the worst possible omen
15:07you can ever imagine.
15:09What does it mean then?
15:11Probably the end of the world
15:11or something of that kind.
15:13End of the world?
15:13Yes.
15:15Have you got time
15:15to clear up that mess?
15:16Yes.
15:17I'm off to find a better diviner.
15:21Well I don't reckon divination
15:23would be regarded
15:24as a science today
15:25but then lots of people
15:28look to their future
15:28in the stars.
15:29The Mesopotamians
15:31looked at the patterns
15:32of the stars in the sky
15:33and came up
15:34with the signs of the zodiac
15:36that we still use today.
15:38And they cast horoscopes.
15:44All this astronomical know-how
15:46allowed the priests
15:47accurately to predict
15:49the coming of the seasons
15:50and that was vital
15:52for one of the greatest innovations
15:53in human history
15:54farming.
16:004,000 years ago
16:02the farmer wrote down
16:03for his son
16:03a complete guide
16:04to Mesopotamian farming.
16:06It was the first
16:07farmer's almanac
16:09and it was going to help me
16:10through a year
16:11down on the ancient farm.
16:12The only problem is
16:14I can't use
16:15any modern equipment
16:16and I've only got
16:17a day to spare.
16:19That ancient farmer's almanac
16:21is full of useful suggestions.
16:23Work should begin
16:24at daybreak.
16:25Make sure to plough
16:26your furrows
16:27straight and narrow
16:28and don't forget
16:29to perform the rites
16:31against mice
16:31and small birds.
16:33Possibly the world's
16:34first pest control measures.
16:37This land is part of
16:38what's known as
16:39the Fertile Crescent.
16:40A bow-shaped stretch
16:41of land
16:42that begins
16:42on the eastern shore
16:43of the Mediterranean
16:44curves round the Syrian desert
16:46and back along the valley
16:47of the Tigris
16:48and Euphrates rivers
16:49to the Persian Gulf.
16:50Blessed with dry summers
16:52and rainy winters
16:53it was where the wild ancestors
16:55of wheat and barley
16:56first grew
16:57and wild goat and sheep roamed.
16:59As such
17:00it provided perfect conditions
17:02for man's earliest experiments
17:03with food production.
17:05Animals were first
17:06domesticated
17:06and the land cultivated
17:08approximately 10,000 years ago.
17:13The agricultural season
17:15starts with ploughing
17:16and sowing
17:17in late October
17:18ready for the rains.
17:19It was the Mesopotamians
17:21invention of the plough
17:22that really revolutionised farming.
17:25The land was soon
17:26producing surplus food.
17:35Harvesting usually starts
17:36around April
17:37and can go on
17:38into August.
17:39Hard work.
17:41But the almanac warns
17:42that it's bad form
17:43for a farmer
17:44to ask anyone else
17:45to do their fieldwork
17:46for them.
17:52After the grain has ripened
17:53it needs to be harvested
17:54using a sickle
17:55and the shape of the sickle
17:56helps you collect
17:57a whole sheaf in one go.
18:01Now we're lucky
18:01because we're using
18:02iron sickles
18:03whereas the Mesopotamians
18:05would have used bronze
18:06and bronze blunts
18:07very easily
18:07so they had to employ
18:09another man
18:09to work out in the field
18:10full time
18:11just to sharpen the blaze.
18:17As soon as the crop
18:18has been harvested
18:19it needs to be broken down
18:21to release the grain.
18:22The Mesopotamians
18:23developed a simple
18:24animal-powered machine
18:26called a threshing sledge
18:27to make the job easier.
18:31The barley's piled high
18:33and gradually broken down
18:34by the horse's hooves
18:35and the weight
18:36of the threshing sledge
18:37into a much smaller pile.
18:39Stone teeth
18:39on the underside
18:40of the sledge
18:41bruise the grain
18:42splitting the hull
18:43and releasing the seed.
18:45The stalks
18:46are just pulverized
18:47into dust
18:47but that leaves
18:48most of the seed intact.
18:55Now for the winnowing stage
18:56we need wind
18:58and it needs to blow
18:59in a constant direction.
19:00Toss the waste
19:01and the seed
19:02up into the air
19:02and in theory
19:04the chaff is blown
19:05beyond the stones
19:06and the heavier seeds
19:07fall back down
19:08to the floor.
19:09Now this is one time
19:10where there's no singing
19:11because otherwise
19:12you're likely to end up
19:12with a mouthful of chaff.
19:14Now this is very itchy work
19:16and I'm told that women
19:17would often strip down
19:18to their underwear
19:19which must have been fun
19:20for the chaff sitting
19:21on the threshing sledge.
19:25Finally
19:25the grain is passed
19:26through a series of seeds
19:28to get rid of the last
19:29of the chaff
19:30and that's it
19:31the end of another year
19:32down on the farm.
19:37Nowadays working
19:38in the fields
19:38is a lot easier
19:39but it all started
19:41with the Mesopotamians.
19:45The Mesopotamians
19:47came up with
19:48many of the things
19:49like farming
19:49that we now take
19:50for granted
19:51but there's one
19:52possible invention
19:53that even today
19:54has experts arguing
19:56about whether we need
19:57to rewrite the history books
19:59the Baghdad Battery.
20:01In 1938
20:02a small clay pot
20:03was found
20:04just outside Baghdad.
20:05Inside
20:06was a copper cylinder
20:08surrounding an iron bar.
20:11What was this thing for?
20:12Well all you needed
20:13to do was to add
20:14a bit of acid
20:15a bit of vinegar
20:15a bit of grape juice
20:17and you'd get
20:18some electricity out of it
20:19and Marty has made
20:20a modern Baghdad battery.
20:22This is just a flower pot.
20:23It's a flower pot.
20:24Do you want to pour
20:24some vinegar in?
20:25That's ordinary vinegar
20:26yes?
20:26Just ordinary
20:27household vinegar
20:28and then we have
20:29a copper pipe
20:29and this is a steel nail
20:31so that's my iron bar.
20:33Okay.
20:33So that drops in there
20:34down the middle
20:35and I'm actually using
20:36a little
20:36this is my clever bit
20:37this is
20:38stops the two
20:39shorting out.
20:40They use a bit of
20:41bitumen or pitch
20:42they use bitumen
20:43and then all we have to do
20:44is drop that in there
20:45and that's it
20:45and we can measure
20:46we'll have a look
20:47and see if we can get
20:47anything out of it.
20:49So that goes in there
20:49like that
20:50and then if I attach
20:53that to there
20:54and that to there
20:54oh you can see
20:55there's a little.
20:56Yes
20:56there we are
20:56it's kicking
20:57about what?
20:58It's about
20:58half a volt.
20:59Half a volt
21:00now it's not a lot
21:00is it?
21:01The thing is
21:02that the concept
21:03of electricity
21:04couldn't have been
21:04totally alien
21:05to those Mesopotamians
21:07because they did
21:07have electric fish
21:08just look at these
21:09fish here
21:11and if I put the
21:11microphone in
21:12you should hear
21:13some clicking
21:15because they're making
21:16tiny amounts of
21:17electricity
21:18so they clearly
21:19knew a little bit
21:20about electricity
21:21so the question is
21:23what on earth
21:24might they have used
21:24these batteries for
21:25if indeed they were
21:26batteries
21:27what's your theory
21:28Marty?
21:28Well I mean
21:30there has been
21:30a suggestion
21:31they use them
21:31for electroplating
21:33and that
21:34I mean that
21:34seems reasonable
21:35to me
21:35because the
21:37iron rod inside
21:38gets effectively
21:39copper plated
21:40in this reaction
21:40the copper
21:41kind of ends up
21:42on the iron rod
21:42so there must be
21:44enough to do
21:45that sort of
21:45chemistry
21:46so maybe you could
21:47I like that
21:48electroplating theory
21:49because I happen
21:50to know that
21:50when they were
21:51curing leather
21:51they generated
21:52the sort of
21:53chemicals
21:53with which you
21:54can dissolve gold
21:55and if you do
21:56that then you
21:56can electroplate gold
21:57onto say
21:58silver statues
21:59and make them
21:59look a lot
22:00more valuable
22:01that would have
22:02been terrific
22:02coup
22:02now Irving
22:03you've got
22:04the blood
22:04off your hands
22:05good
22:05now what about
22:06this do you
22:07think they were
22:07electroplating
22:08statues
22:08I don't believe
22:09a word of this
22:09electroplating theory
22:10I'm afraid
22:11it's romantic
22:11and wonderful
22:12but I don't
22:12believe it
22:13I believe that
22:14in Mesopotamia
22:14they discovered
22:15by accident
22:15one day
22:16perhaps with
22:17a bowl of
22:17vinegar
22:17and an iron
22:19spoon or
22:19something
22:19that you could
22:20get a kind
22:20of frisson
22:21out of it
22:22but they didn't
22:22understand anything
22:23about electricity
22:24and they had
22:24no function
22:25for it
22:25I think
22:25these things
22:26belong in the
22:27field of
22:27what you might
22:28call curing
22:29and I think
22:30there are two
22:30real possibilities
22:32one is
22:33that if you had
22:34an archipoo
22:34or a priest
22:36dealing with a
22:37patient who
22:37thought they
22:37were bewitched
22:38who had diseases
22:39and a lot of
22:40mumbo jumbo
22:41and build up
22:41he said
22:42climax was a
22:43thing
22:43if you touch
22:44this with your
22:44finger
22:44you will feel
22:45this and
22:45everything will
22:46be better
22:47then that would
22:47have been
22:47very effective
22:48driving out
22:48the evil
22:48spirits
22:49yes
22:49that sort of
22:50thing
22:50you're a
22:50cynic
22:51aren't you
22:51don't believe
22:51in chemistry
22:52I don't believe
22:52in chemistry
22:53I failed my
22:53GCSE
22:54but the other
22:55thing is
22:56which is not
22:56totally separate
22:57is that
22:58we know from
22:59the classical
22:59authors
23:00that sometimes
23:01electric fish
23:01like these
23:02little specimens
23:03here
23:04were utilised
23:05in the treatment
23:06of pain
23:06they had these
23:07fish which
23:07presumably if you
23:08touch it with a
23:08wet bare foot
23:09gave you a little
23:10shock
23:10and experience
23:12showed them
23:12that it did
23:12cure some
23:13kinds of
23:14physical pain
23:14so I think
23:15one or other
23:16explanation is
23:17much more
23:17probable than
23:18the fancy
23:18electropaties
23:19maybe
23:19maybe
23:20how are we
23:20doing
23:21Marty
23:21let's see what
23:22we can get
23:22you've wired
23:23them all up
23:23hey
23:24that's about
23:25three volts
23:26three volts
23:27well that's
23:28that's
23:28jolly good
23:28we can almost
23:29see whether
23:29it can
23:30now look
23:31there you go
23:31it's jolly hot
23:32in that part
23:32of the world
23:33an electric fan
23:33would have been
23:34really useful
23:34wouldn't it
23:35yes exactly
23:35much better than
23:36an electric shock
23:37to cure you
23:37of your demons
23:38I quite like
23:38Irving's idea
23:39and I wonder
23:41whether if we
23:41lick the terminals
23:42of this
23:43we might be able
23:43to
23:44rather you than
23:45me
23:45go on
23:46yes
23:46I think
23:47we better
23:48stand back
23:48then
23:48he may explode
23:50this I have
23:50to see
23:51I hope
23:51this cures
23:52something
23:52yes
23:53what have
23:53you got
23:53Marty
23:54ingrained
23:54toenails
23:55oh yeah
23:56I don't
23:57believe it
23:57definitely
23:59it's not
24:00not lethal
24:01is it
24:01not yet
24:02anyway
24:02see if he
24:02changes
24:03colour
24:04yeah
24:05yeah
24:05it works
24:06yeah
24:06you can
24:06definitely
24:07get a little
24:07sort of tingle
24:08it's like licking
24:08a nine volt
24:09battery
24:09I don't
24:09think my demons
24:10have been
24:10exorcised
24:11totally
24:11but nevertheless
24:12you do feel
24:13better
24:13much better
24:14yes
24:14definitely
24:16whatever
24:16they use
24:17these batteries
24:17for
24:18if indeed
24:18they were
24:18batteries
24:19there is no
24:20doubt that
24:20an awful
24:21lot of
24:21good science
24:21starts in
24:22the kitchen
24:22and there was
24:23one even
24:24more fundamental
24:24thing discovered
24:25in mesopotamian
24:26kitchens
24:27thousands and
24:28thousands of
24:29years ago
24:37people have been
24:37eating bread
24:38for thousands
24:39of years
24:39and although
24:40these women
24:41still make
24:41their bread
24:42in the
24:42traditional
24:42mesopotamian
24:43way
24:43they buy
24:44their flour
24:45ready ground
24:45but I brought
24:47along this
24:47original
24:483000 bc
24:49grinding stone
24:50just to see
24:51how we get
24:52on
24:52can I have
24:53a go
24:56it's actually
24:56quite difficult
24:57I can certainly
24:58see why you buy
24:59your flour
25:00from the mill
25:03some of our
25:04earliest records
25:05of food
25:05come from the
25:06first of the
25:06mesopotamian
25:07civilizations
25:08the sumerians
25:10the wealthiest
25:11citizens enjoyed
25:12plenty of
25:13roast meat
25:13and fish
25:14in their
25:14diet
25:15but for
25:16ordinary
25:16sumerians
25:17barley and
25:18wheat
25:18were the
25:18staple foods
25:23fruit
25:24oils
25:24juices
25:25and honey
25:25enlivened
25:26the basic
25:27bread recipe
25:27there were
25:28so many
25:29varieties
25:29that the
25:30mesopotamians
25:31are said
25:31to have
25:32had more
25:32than 300
25:33different words
25:34for bread
25:34and yeast
25:35was a magic
25:36ingredient
25:36because the
25:37mesopotamians
25:38knew that it
25:39made the bread
25:39rise but they
25:40didn't understand
25:40why
25:43I'm doing it
25:44really hard
25:46and it wasn't
25:47just used for
25:48everyday consumption
25:49bread and cakes
25:50were also made
25:51in mesopotamian
25:52temples for use
25:53in religious
25:54rituals
26:05it's good
26:05it's hot
26:06shall we try it
26:15it's very hot
26:18delicious
26:21we've made this
26:22bread using wheat
26:23but the
26:23mesopotamians
26:24also had
26:24barley
26:25and the
26:26interesting thing
26:26about barley
26:27is that if you
26:28moisten it
26:29that starts the
26:29fermentation process
26:30and you end up
26:32with something
26:32far more important
26:33than bread
26:36absolutely
26:37neither man
26:38nor woman
26:39can live by
26:39bread alone
26:40and down here
26:40in the dungeon
26:41we've got
26:42something rather
26:42special brewing
26:43beer
26:43and I've got
26:44a whole production
26:45line headed by
26:46Ian Dixon
26:46who's master
26:48brewer at
26:48Sheppard Neem
26:49that's quite an
26:50old brewery
26:50isn't it
26:51since 1698
26:52but we're going to
26:53brew something
26:53rather older
26:53than that
26:54we are
26:54we're going to
26:54brew something
26:55to a recipe
26:55that was put
26:56together in 1800
26:57BC
26:58wow
26:59that's three and a
27:00half thousand years
27:00even before you
27:01were in
27:01before we were
27:02yeah
27:02so where do we
27:03start
27:03we start with
27:04barley
27:04that's the
27:05basic raw
27:06material
27:06right
27:07yeah
27:07we steep it
27:08with water
27:08so what's the
27:09stuff
27:09this is called
27:10bapia
27:10bapia
27:11it's a Sumerian
27:12barley bread
27:13and is it edible
27:14it is edible
27:15you feel free
27:16so tell me what's in
27:17it before I eat it
27:17it has barley in it
27:18predominantly barley
27:19yes
27:20then we have dates
27:21and also honey
27:22oh
27:23tastes all right
27:24very sweet
27:25very good
27:26okay so where does that go
27:27into the next stage
27:28this will go on to the next stage
27:29of the mushroom
27:29present
27:29okay
27:30jean
27:31so in here you've got
27:33we've already put some
27:34bapia
27:35at the beginning
27:36right
27:37and that's the source
27:38of starch
27:38right
27:39we then added some water
27:40yeah
27:40and to get it to the right
27:41temperature which would have
27:42been around 63 65 degrees
27:44hang on a sec
27:45they didn't have
27:45thermometers
27:46no
27:46they were very clever
27:47they added two thirds
27:48boiling to one third
27:50cold
27:50and that would have
27:51got the temperature
27:52around 63 65 degrees
27:54that's very clever
27:55and that's exactly
27:56what we do today
27:56in the brewery
27:57but we do use
27:57thermometers
27:59you're up to date
27:59so what else needs to go in here
28:01after the bapia has gone in
28:03and we've got it to 63
28:04right
28:04we then would have added
28:05some of the ground malt
28:06which has come from over there
28:08this is the enzyme source
28:09okay
28:10a little bit of this in
28:11yes a little bit please
28:12thank you
28:12yes
28:13what else do you need
28:14then we need a few dates
28:15dates
28:16good
28:16this was the abundant fruit
28:17of the time
28:18this is what I like
28:18how much are those
28:19all of it
28:20all of it
28:20yes
28:20I'm keeping one for myself
28:21it's okay
28:22okay
28:22then they would have added
28:23more sugar
28:24which obviously would have been
28:25in those days
28:27honey
28:27ah
28:28land of milk and honey
28:29a little bit of honey
28:30I can't see
28:31so we've got dates
28:32and honey
28:34and bapia
28:34and bapia
28:35and malt
28:37and the water
28:38and how long does that
28:39have to sit around
28:40this would have stood
28:41for about three hours
28:43to five hours
28:43or maybe half a day
28:45before it would have been
28:46ready for the next stage
28:47now Chris
28:48what happens next
28:49right
28:49this is the next stage
28:50in the process
28:51what we've got to do
28:52is to use this filter
28:53which is made from reeds
28:55that we've collected
28:55it looks like an old doormat
28:56well no
28:57these are reeds
28:57from the banks
28:58of the Euphrates
28:58that we collected last week
29:00oh yeah
29:00I believe you
29:00right
29:01okay
29:01so what we're trying
29:02to do here
29:03is to separate out
29:04the nice sugary liquid
29:05from the mash
29:06yes
29:06and leave the husks
29:07and the bits of the
29:09dates behind
29:10okay
29:10so if you'd like
29:11to hold it over
29:11the fermented
29:12this is our fermenter
29:14and we'll empty the mash
29:17into the filter
29:18right
29:18and we should get
29:19nice
29:21nice wort
29:22coming out of the bottom
29:24well we've certainly
29:25got liquid coming out
29:26the bottom
29:26good
29:26and indeed
29:27some of the sides
29:27as well
29:28keep tipping
29:28there's a bit more
29:29to go
29:29good
29:30that's it
29:31okay
29:31right
29:32that looks pretty good
29:33doesn't it
29:33I'll take that out
29:34of the way
29:34okay
29:34good
29:35watch out
29:35for your shoes
29:36good
29:37then right
29:38the next thing
29:38that we do
29:39ah
29:39the yeast
29:40this is yeast
29:43smells wonderful
29:44smells really
29:45really good
29:45okay
29:46can we pour that
29:47yep
29:47we pour this in
29:48and the idea
29:49of this
29:49is that it will
29:50ferment the sugars
29:52into alcohol
29:53and carbon dioxide gas
29:54how much of it goes in
29:55that's probably about right
29:56yep
29:57that's it
29:57okay
29:58so then
29:58is that it
29:59yep
29:59that's it
30:00we now have to wait
30:00five days
30:01I'm afraid
30:01five days
30:02okay
30:02well
30:03we're going to have to wait
30:04five days
30:04so just talk among yourselves
30:06would you
30:06in Sumerian times
30:08beer was unfiltered
30:09and cloudy
30:10so they invented
30:11the drinking straw
30:12probably a hollow reed
30:14to avoid getting a mouthful
30:15of the bitter residue
30:16from the bottom of the jar
30:17and they sucked up beer
30:19out of communal pots
30:20I think we'll stick to mugs
30:23that's quite nice
30:24very good
30:25it's quite bitter
30:26but it hasn't got any hops in it
30:27no they arrived in the 17th century
30:29so this is thousands of years before hops
30:31much before that
30:33the air was very important to them
30:35everyone drank it
30:36not just the men
30:36but the women
30:37and the children too
30:38because it was nutritious
30:39and also
30:40practically sterile
30:41because it's so acidic
30:42which meant not only
30:43it was much safer
30:44than the water from the river
30:45but they even used it
30:46to wash wounds
30:46and things
30:47did you know
30:48that 40%
30:50of the entire grain harvest
30:51went into making beer
30:52it can't be anything
30:53like that today
30:54no it's about 10 to 15%
30:55exactly
30:56now the goddess of beer
30:57I think was called
30:58Ninkasi
30:59is that right
30:59so I think we should
31:00drink a toast
31:00to Ninkasi
31:02Ninkasi
31:02be quite good down the pub
31:04TUNINKASI
31:06and the beer we made
31:07with that 3,000 year old recipe
31:09tastes at least as good
31:10as the stuff in my local pub
31:12of course
31:12a little overindulgence
31:14in the amber nectar
31:15must have led to
31:15exactly the same problems
31:17then as it does today
31:18but the Mesopotamians
31:20were ready for that
31:21records show
31:22a variety of ways
31:23of dealing with public drunkenness
31:25and pubs were also regulated
31:27by another amazing
31:29Mesopotamian creation
31:30written law
31:34so the pubs were actually
31:36governed by laws
31:37were they
31:37well as a matter of fact
31:38yes
31:39there is a huge monument
31:41in Paris
31:41which is known as
31:42the Code of Hammurabi
31:43the King of Babylon
31:44a great pillar of diorite
31:46and it's inscribed
31:47with many laws
31:48about society
31:49one of which does
31:50talk about a pub
31:52if you like
31:52that the alewife in charge
31:54must make sure
31:55that she doesn't cheat
31:56the punters
31:57who are drinking the beer
31:58she has to give them
31:59the right amount
31:59for the barley
32:00that they pay with
32:01and it's just one
32:02of a huge range
32:04of different topics
32:05in society
32:05which are covered
32:06in this law code
32:08so they were actually
32:09literally set in stone
32:10that's exactly
32:11what they were
32:12when Hammurabi
32:13came to the throne
32:14he wanted to make
32:15a statement
32:16in front of
32:16his population
32:18and in front of
32:18the gods
32:19about what he was
32:20going to do
32:20during his reign
32:21so this law code
32:22was written out
32:23put in the public
32:25in the marketplace
32:25theoretically
32:26for anybody to read
32:27who wanted to
32:28of course most people
32:28couldn't
32:29but it's a sort of
32:30statement of principle
32:31of law
32:31it's not a law code
32:33that as it were
32:34judges quoted from
32:36in a dispute
32:36and said it says
32:37here in the laws
32:38so we're going to do that
32:39it's more
32:39do as you would
32:40be done by
32:41so was it just
32:42specific crime
32:43specific punishment
32:44well in a way
32:45yes but they drew
32:46their material
32:47from daily life
32:48so a good illustration
32:50would be the case
32:51of a mother
32:51with several sons
32:52dying
32:53then her father
32:55would have no claim
32:55on the dowry
32:56which in Mesopotamian
32:57terms was very important
32:58but the law would
32:59stipulate that it had
32:59to be divided equally
33:00between her own children
33:02and that was the sort
33:03of thing they were
33:04concerned with
33:04so it was really
33:05socially useful
33:06it wasn't
33:07you know
33:07absolutely
33:07nailed down
33:09specific crime
33:09exactly
33:11and of course
33:12we would never
33:12have had
33:13the code
33:14of Hammurabi
33:14if the Sumerians
33:15hadn't invented
33:16writing
33:17now tell me
33:19about these
33:19animals
33:23it's hard to
33:24imagine a world
33:25without writing
33:26no books
33:27no libraries
33:28no email
33:29no text messaging
33:30but none of this
33:32would have been
33:33possible without
33:34sheep
33:41five and a half
33:42thousand years ago
33:43the villages of
33:43Mesopotamia
33:44were fast growing
33:45into busy towns
33:46trade was very
33:47important
33:47and with that
33:49it became necessary
33:50to keep an accurate
33:51record of how many
33:52sheep and how much
33:53beer and grain
33:54was passing in and
33:54out of the stores
33:55so on this
33:56go
33:56I don't want
33:57all these sheep
33:58but please
33:58get this one
33:59in a time before
34:00writing
34:01the Mesopotamians
34:02came up with the
34:03idea of using
34:03different shaped
34:04tokens to
34:05represent different
34:06animals
34:07so in theory
34:08if I want to buy
34:09say five goats
34:10and four sheep
34:11all I have to do
34:12is drop the right
34:13number of shaped
34:13tokens into a clay
34:15envelope called a
34:16boule as the
34:16animals walk past me
34:17I then have a
34:19permanent record of
34:20how many animals
34:20I've bought
34:21I've lost my goat
34:22well that's the
34:23theory anyway
34:26well the system
34:26works
34:27I've got my five
34:28goats and my four
34:29sheep
34:29but as you can see
34:31it's pretty difficult
34:31to count sheep
34:33and count tokens
34:34at the same time
34:34so to make it
34:36simpler
34:36some bright spot
34:37came up with the
34:38idea of just
34:39pressing the token
34:40onto the outside
34:41of the clay
34:42and making a shape
34:43pretty soon
34:44drawings of the
34:44tokens were being
34:45used instead of
34:46the tokens
34:47themselves
34:47so there was no
34:48need for a boule
34:49to keep them in
34:51flat clay tablets
34:52were much easier
34:53to work with
34:53and fitted neatly
34:54into the writer's
34:55palm
34:56a tool called
34:57a stylus
34:58made out of
34:58bone or wood
34:59was used to
35:00mark the soft
35:01clay
35:02remind you of
35:03anything
35:05now you could
35:05draw a picture
35:06of a token
35:07but it was much
35:08easier just to
35:09make a mark
35:10a Mesopotamian
35:11stylus left
35:13very neat
35:13little wedge
35:14shaped marks
35:15the first written
35:16words were fashioned
35:17from these
35:18distinctive wedges
35:19a style known
35:20as cuneiform
35:22cuneiform was the
35:23main script of the
35:23ancient Near East
35:24and lasted for
35:25nearly 3,000 years
35:29when they excavated
35:30the ancient city
35:31of Ebla
35:31they found
35:3217,000 of these
35:33clay tablets
35:34you can still see
35:36the marks left
35:36by the shelves
35:37that they rested
35:38on in the royal
35:38library
35:40when cities fell
35:41in battle
35:42the victors
35:42torched the
35:43buildings
35:44but that very
35:45act of destruction
35:46ensured the
35:46preservation of
35:47the tablets
35:48as they were
35:48fired and baked
35:49hard by the
35:50flames
35:55only a few
35:56highly trained
35:57scribes
35:57learned the
35:58art of cuneiform
35:59the vast majority
36:00of the population
36:01right up to kings
36:02was illiterate
36:03this private letter
36:05begins
36:05say to the lord
36:07my king
36:07so we know
36:09he couldn't read
36:09it for himself
36:10which meant
36:11the scribes
36:11could wield
36:12enormous power
36:13I wonder if they
36:14ever pulled the
36:15wool over
36:15anyone's eyes
36:18once they had
36:19writing
36:19the Mesopotamians
36:20weren't about to
36:21stop at just
36:22keeping records
36:22of sheep
36:23and goats
36:25before long
36:25they were
36:26producing
36:27the world's
36:27first novels
36:29although those
36:30books were
36:30written on clay
36:32one of the
36:33greatest stories
36:34of all time
36:35is the
36:35Mesopotamian
36:36epic of
36:36Gilgamesh
36:37this is the
36:38tale of a
36:39legendary king
36:40of suma
36:40who sets out
36:42to discover
36:42the secret
36:43of immortality
36:44along the way
36:45he defeats
36:46a demon
36:47he sees a
36:48friend die
36:48and he learns
36:49important lessons
36:50about mortal
36:51life
36:53doesn't the
36:53flood get into
36:54Gilgamesh
36:55yes it's the
36:55last bit of
36:56the story
36:56because when
36:57he crosses
36:57the water
36:58of death
36:58the boatman
36:59tells Gilgamesh
37:00about his own
37:01adventures
37:01and how the
37:02flood came
37:02and destroyed
37:03the world
37:04and an ark
37:04was built
37:05rather like
37:05in the book
37:06of Genesis
37:06so are they
37:07the same
37:07story
37:08they are
37:09in the sense
37:10that the
37:11story in the
37:12bible must
37:13derive from
37:14a middle
37:14eastern
37:15narrative
37:15which has
37:16long been
37:16in circulation
37:17right
37:17but generally
37:19what we read
37:19in Gilgamesh
37:20tells us
37:21quite a lot
37:21about Mesopotamia
37:22does it
37:22I mean
37:22it's not
37:23meant to be
37:23history but
37:24no
37:24it's literature
37:25it's myth
37:27and literature
37:28on a high
37:28level
37:28but it also
37:29tells us a lot
37:30about the world
37:31in which Gilgamesh
37:32lived
37:33because he was
37:33a historical
37:34character
37:34and the kind
37:35of impression
37:36you get
37:37of the bustling
37:37city of Uruk
37:38which was a huge
37:39city
37:40trade
37:41contact
37:41wars
37:42all the sort
37:42of things
37:43that are
37:43incidental
37:44to the narrative
37:44are in fact
37:45a rather faithful
37:46picture of what
37:46life must have
37:47been like
37:47at that time
37:50in his quest
37:51for immortality
37:52Gilgamesh travels
37:53to the island
37:54of Dilmun
37:54the modern state
37:55of Bahrain
37:56in the Arabian Gulf
37:58here he dives
37:59to the bottom
37:59of the sea
38:00searching for the
38:01plant of everlasting
38:02life
38:06now in fact
38:06the very first line
38:07of the story
38:08and some say
38:09its true title
38:10is he who saw
38:12the deep
38:13and incredibly
38:14that is the first
38:15ever recorded
38:16dive in history
38:18now to get there
38:19Gilgamesh ties
38:20a heavy stone
38:21to his feet
38:21to drag him
38:22into the ocean
38:23and that gives us
38:24a clue
38:25as to what men
38:26were really diving
38:27for here
38:27back in Mesopotamian
38:29times
38:29because tying
38:30weights to their feet
38:31to get to the bottom
38:32of the sea
38:32is exactly
38:33what pearl divers
38:35do
38:45pearls have been
38:46harvested here
38:47for some 5,000 years
38:49and Bahrain
38:50once supplied
38:5180% of the world demand
38:52but after the Japanese
38:54came up with the idea
38:55of cultivating pearls
38:56back in the 1920s
38:58the bottom fell out
38:59of the natural pearl market
39:02since ancient times
39:03Bahrainian pearls
39:05were prized
39:05for their beauty
39:07that's thought
39:07to be partly due
39:08to the unusual nature
39:09of the waters
39:10around the island
39:11beneath the seabed
39:13lie natural
39:13freshwater springs
39:14fresh water
39:16percolating up
39:17through the oyster beds
39:17creates a unique
39:19marine environment
39:20which is said
39:21to improve
39:21the luster
39:22of the pearls
39:28pearls were used
39:29to make jewelry
39:30they were known
39:31as fish eyes
39:31and the Mesopotamians
39:33were willing to travel
39:33hundreds of miles
39:34across open sea
39:35to get here
39:36and trade for them
39:37so let's see
39:39if I can find one
39:51look there is a pearl
39:54a totally natural pearl
40:00now the same fresh water
40:01that nourishes these oysters
40:05made Dilmun
40:05an essential port of cool
40:07on a much greater journey
40:08and the evidence for that
40:10lies back on shore
40:12look there it is
40:17for thousands of years
40:19sailors stopped over
40:20on the island of Dilmun
40:22to stock up on water
40:23water and supplies
40:23and they left behind proof
40:26that the Mesopotamian world
40:27stretched far beyond the Euphrates
40:30and the Tigris
40:33Bahrain is one of the world's largest burial grounds
40:37it's estimated that there's a hundred thousand graves here
40:41and lying together within these burial mounds
40:44archaeologists have found artifacts from Mesopotamia
40:47and the Indus Valley
40:50evidence that maritime trading networks
40:53linked the Mesopotamians
40:54with other civilizations
40:55as far away as the Indian subcontinent
41:01and clues as to how they might have traveled that far
41:04come from another passage
41:05in the remarkable epic of Gilgamesh
41:07because as Gilgamesh
41:09rose his boat across the waters of death
41:11on his way here to Dilmun
41:12he manages to break his oars
41:14his solution
41:16is to take off his companion's shirt
41:18and hold it up to the wind
41:19the first ever mention of a sail
41:26the invention of the sail
41:27allowed the Mesopotamians
41:29to develop a vast trading empire
41:31up and down the Tigris and Euphrates
41:33and out into the Arabian Gulf
41:36bulk transport of things like stone
41:39timber and metals
41:40was really possible only by water
41:44they didn't have a lot of timber in those days
41:46so they couldn't have made boats like this
41:48they probably made them out of reeds
41:50covered with bitumen
41:51which would keep them watertight
41:52and also keep out little aquatic monsters
41:54that would otherwise eat their way in
41:56the rigging is very simple
41:58just simple square sail
42:00and it's virtually impossible to sail into the wind
42:03or close hauled
42:04so they would have had to use oars
42:06or paddles to get upwind
42:08or against the current
42:09but the open sail
42:11must have dramatically improved their times
42:14when they were going with the wind
42:16in the right direction
42:16being able to trade with their neighbours
42:19was vital to Mesopotamian societies
42:21but all too often
42:23what started out as peaceful commerce
42:25ended up in outright war
42:29when the magnificent Sumerian city of Ur
42:32was excavated in the 1920s
42:34archaeologists found the earliest evidence
42:36of organised warfare
42:38one artefact
42:39the standard of Ur
42:40shows uniformed soldiers
42:42carrying regulation weapons
42:43from four and a half thousand years ago
42:48some were fanatically loyal to their king
42:50in the royal tombs lay the bodies of soldiers and attendants
42:53next to each
42:55a small cup of poison
42:56they had committed suicide
42:58just to accompany their ruler
43:00into the afterlife
43:04conflict raged between city-states
43:06throughout Mesopotamian history
43:08the mightiest of all the military powers
43:11were the Assyrians
43:12they ruled the greatest empire of the time
43:16which stretched from Egypt in the west
43:18to the borders of Iran in the east
43:24left, right, left, halt
43:26now Marty is a typical Assyrian foot soldier
43:30and I of course am the king
43:32now tell us about your weapons
43:34right well let me give you this first
43:35too heavy for you is it?
43:38this is the primary weapon
43:39of the Assyrian army
43:40right
43:41this
43:43hang on to it
43:44okay
43:44is a bow
43:45yeah I can see that
43:46650 metres
43:47650 metres
43:49that's a long way
43:50but anyway Marty
43:51you're no bowman
43:51you couldn't hit the castle
43:52that tower over there
43:54well the castle over there
43:55come on
44:01you hit the tower
44:01right so there's your bow and arrow
44:03so there's my bow and arrow
44:04right
44:04so you'd soften up the troops with that first
44:06you fire that first
44:07a few of those first
44:08what about your spear here?
44:10now this thing
44:10let me just pick it up
44:12this came in 1000 BC
44:14right
44:15and this would have been used to
44:16fend off the enemy from a bit of a distance
44:18keep them away from
44:20out of sword lengths
44:21so that they can't get you but you can get them
44:23yeah that's a pretty nasty weapon isn't it?
44:24the Assyrian army was fantastically well equipped and well organised
44:28in fact there was no better army until the Romans came along a thousand years later
44:32they were really good at logistics
44:34at getting all the men
44:35all the weapons
44:36and all the food ready for them
44:38and because they were surrounded by rivers
44:40they needed one special secret piece of equipment
44:43Marty you'll enjoy this
44:44have a look at this
44:46now this
44:47nobody knows about this
44:48let's look
44:49oh I think that's for the foot soldier
44:51I'd rather not to be honest
44:53really?
44:53I know what
44:54we should test it on location
44:56yes
44:56to Hermione
44:57with love
45:00Mesopotamia did after all
45:01mean the land between two rivers
45:03so an army had to be able to cross water
45:05if it was going to be any use at all
45:07every soldier had an inflatable goat skin
45:10as part of his kit
45:12now in theory
45:13this provided enough buoyancy
45:14to keep him and all his kit afloat
45:16it's time to test it out
45:22it takes quite a lot of puff to blow this up
45:27so it's pretty disgusting
45:40the Assyrian army was rarely defeated by rivers
45:44the infantry could blow up the skins as they paddled across
45:48horses were guided by swimmers
45:50and heavier items such as chariots or siege engines
45:53were broken down and ferried across in skinned boats
45:59it's quite hard to maneuver
46:02I think it's deflating
46:05oh, I'm amazed
46:08and the goat skin hasn't done too badly
46:11it's all across it's deflated
46:15but I can certainly see why Adam and Marty didn't want to try it out
46:22crossing rivers was one thing
46:25becoming the enormous fortifications that the Mesopotamians started building around their cities
46:30around 3000 BC
46:31was altogether another challenge
46:35my entire army would have to negotiate this complex tripartite gate
46:41imagine all the men being channeled through this narrow area
46:46while at the mercy of the defenders on top
46:51before getting anywhere near the city
46:55you know what would be a lot easier
46:58is if I could just bash my way through those mud brick walls
47:05the Mesopotamians had the technology to bring those walls tumbling down
47:09the Akkadian king Sargon the Great
47:12conquered city after city with battering rams well before 2000 BC
47:17later the Assyrians came up with prefabricated siege engines
47:21equipped with metal tipped rams
47:23these magnificent wheeled towers could be quickly assembled on campaign
47:28and trundled up to the defenders walls
47:33the great thing about this wonderful ram on the front
47:36is that it's adjustable up and down
47:39it's not really a battering ram so much as a prizing ram
47:42with luck we can prize off those mud bricks layer by layer
47:45and just work our way into the castle
47:54we're through the outer defenses
47:56now the gates of the castle
47:58in 701 BC
48:00the Assyrian king Sennacherib
48:02attacked the walled city of Lakshish
48:04in Judea
48:05at the forefront of the attack
48:07were his mighty siege engines
48:09packed full of archers
48:11the defenders of Lakshish
48:12threw down blazing torches
48:14but Sennacherib's men doused the flames
48:16with long-handled ladles of water
48:19Marty is this your cunning plan
48:21get on with it Adam
48:22okay
48:24right on to the gates
48:27Adam we've got spears
48:29oh
48:32wow
48:33that was close
48:34no serious damage
48:37now we're almost at the gates
48:39the weakest point of any city war
48:41was the gate
48:41once through
48:42Lakshish was at Sennacherib's mercy
48:45he was so proud of his victory
48:47that he had the story of his bloody campaign
48:49carved on the walls of his palace at Nineveh
48:52in the words of Lord Byron
48:54in his poem
48:55the destruction of Sennacherib
48:56the Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
49:00okay stop stop
49:02we're right in the middle of the courtyard
49:03this is an absolutely fabulous vehicle for attacking castles
49:08because it's great defensive stuff
49:11it can take fire
49:12it can take spears
49:13it can take rocks
49:14everything
49:14but if you're out in the open battlefield
49:17you really need something a bit quicker
49:19I've sent Hermione off to go and try and reconstruct one of the most fearsome weapons that the Mesopotamians had
49:26right chaps
49:27through the back of the castle
49:28we can go anywhere with this thing
49:32Aleppo in northern Syria
49:33claims to be the world's oldest inhabited city
49:36people have lived here continuously for 8,000 years
49:39it's had its fair share of strife
49:47I've come here to try to recreate one of the earliest fighting machines
49:51a Sumerian war chariot
49:55I'm basing the design for our reconstruction
49:58on the magnificent four-wheeled chariots
50:01shown on the standard of Ur
50:04also discovered in the royal tombs at Ur
50:07were the remains of the distinctive solid wheels
50:10which bore the chariot into battle
50:15these were basically mobile missile carriers
50:18packed full with weapons
50:20and riding on four solid wheels
50:22is this my carpenters
50:23I'm holding a job
50:25okay
50:26hi good afternoon
50:28I was wondering whether we could talk about the possibility of building a chariot
50:32should we go in
50:34thank you
50:36this is the chariot
50:37this is a picture of the chariot that I want to get built
50:40and this bit should all be made of wood
50:43and these wheels look like that
50:46they're solid wheels
50:48no spokes
50:49they're made of three parts
50:50the special Mesopotamian wheels
50:52now what I've got here is a model of a toy chariot that was found in a 5,000 year
50:59old tomb
51:00so it's just a model
51:01it gives you an idea of what the chariot should look like
51:07yes
51:07so do you think you can build one?
51:10yes
51:10yes
51:10yes
51:11okay for cram
51:12thank you
51:15while the carpenters get started on the chariot I'm off in search of everything else I need
51:20luckily the Aleppo souk is full of traditional shops and craftsmen
51:25you're here?
51:26yeah
51:35okay what I'm looking for is some spears
51:37like long, tall, sharp, like a javelin
51:40do you have any of them?
51:43yeah?
51:45oh yeah these are great
51:46this is just what I need
51:56perfect
52:03one of the most vital parts of the Sumerian chariot was the rain ring
52:07with it the driver was able to control the donkeys that pulled the heavy vehicle along
52:12great thank you very much
52:16the chariot wouldn't have been possible without what may be the greatest invention of all time
52:21the wheel
52:23now I thought you could just take a big log of wood
52:26cut a slice out of it like that
52:27and then stick an axle in the middle and you've got a wheel
52:30but the trouble is it doesn't work
52:32for one thing it splits
52:33just look there are splits developing all round this wheel
52:35it's absolutely hopeless
52:36so they couldn't do that
52:37Marty what did they do?
52:39well what they came up with is this
52:41this is what's called a tripartite wheel
52:43you pitch it up like that
52:44tripartite's got three bits to it
52:46one there, one plank there
52:47a plank in the middle
52:48and a plank there
52:49why couldn't they just take one big plank?
52:51ah well you see the thing is
52:52the size of your plank is dependent on the size of your trees
52:55yes
52:55because obviously the biggest plank you can have is
52:58the same diameter as the tree
52:59and they didn't have very big trees
53:01ah that would slow them up
53:02I do
53:02they made this out of the biggest trees they could get
53:05the biggest planks they could make
53:06and they put several of them together
53:08now wouldn't it be easier just to put one plank there
53:10and then one in the middle and one your side
53:12well that's what they started doing
53:13but then they developed this
53:14because it's stronger
53:15and it's got fewer joins at the edges
53:17ah
53:18because if you had three planks
53:19you'd have joint one two four
53:21you've got four joins
53:22and now we've only got two
53:23yeah
53:23but what keeps them sort of in line
53:25well in here we've got a bunch of pegs
53:28right
53:28let's have a look
53:30there you go
53:31so here we go
53:32there's a bunch of little pegs here
53:34which meet up with holes in here
53:36and that obviously stops the planks from sort of shifting out of alignment
53:39and then just with some lashing
53:41some string
53:42here and here
53:43that holds it all together
53:44that's quite cunning isn't it
53:45and what about the chunk in the middle?
53:47well this would have been
53:48an actual bit of a log
53:50cut through with a hole drilled in it
53:52right
53:53and then sank into the middle
53:54obviously it's not a very big log
53:55right
53:55and then the axle goes through that
53:56the axle just goes through there
53:57exactly
53:58and this turns on the axle
54:00yeah and then because it's so wide
54:01it doesn't wobble around so much
54:03ah
54:03because if it was thin it would wobble that way
54:04exactly
54:05that's great
54:05that's really quite simple isn't it
54:07anyway let's see how her man is getting on with her chariot
54:14got you the rain ring
54:17it's finished
54:23this is fantastic
54:25hey
54:26mahaba
54:26mahaba
54:27it's brilliant
54:29god
54:30it's amazing
54:31quiet
54:32quiet
54:35wow
54:36wow
54:36god
54:36you feel quite high up here actually
54:38quite high
54:43now all we have to do is take it for a proper test drive
54:50our chariot
54:51our chariot has a two mule power engine
54:53we know the sumerians would have used four highly trained donkeys capable of pulling their chariots at up to 20
54:59miles an hour
54:59there's a good solid wooden framework
55:01now unlike the modern car the leather work is on the outside
55:04it was put on when it was wet and as it dried it pulled the whole body work of the
55:09chariot together giving it added strength
55:12we've got some built in road rage protection here
55:15more rawhide on the outside of the wheel
55:18and with these bindings that's holding together the three solid bits of wood that make up the tripartite wheels
55:30they were basically mobile missile launchers packed with weapons
55:34one man drove while another hurled javelins
55:37it's thought an expert javelin thrower could launch up to 30 javelins a minute
55:47if necessary he could jump off the back with an axe for a bit of hand-to-hand combat
55:56if they'd never seen one before chariots like these would have been terrifying to the enemy
56:00but what they didn't know was all they had to do was jump out of the way
56:04because they were useless at turning corners
56:08why was that?
56:11turning a vehicle like Hermione's Cimmerian chariot was incredibly difficult
56:15for one thing it had a very high centre of gravity
56:18so if you started to turn it was allowable to tip over
56:20for another thing these huge wooden wheels were on a fixed axle
56:24remember it had four wheels two axles
56:26and the axles were fixed so they couldn't turn
56:29so they were being dragged sideways
56:30and that meant that not only was the chariot likely to break up
56:34but so were the wheels because they're made in three parts
56:36and they were can't take sideways forces
56:38which meant you could charge into battle
56:40but it was a sort of kamikaze mission
56:42because you couldn't turn around and come back again
56:44all that changed with the Assyrians
56:47who invented to start with the spoked wheel
56:49much much more efficient
56:51for one thing there are all these air spaces
56:53so it's much much lighter
56:54and for another thing it's strong in all directions
56:57and you can turn this easily
56:59and of course you can turn it much more easily
57:01if you've only got two wheels
57:02okay let's go
57:06Hermione's Sumerian chariot handles like a truck
57:09but this is a sports car
57:12chariot design gradually evolved
57:15they were improved by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans
57:18and surprisingly by the Britons
57:20but it was the Mesopotamians who got the whole thing rolling in the first place
57:28in ancient Mesopotamia
57:30civilization flourished five and a half thousand years ago
57:34the invention of writing gave human beings history
57:38which meant that the people who came afterwards
57:40knew about the thoughts and the deeds of their ancestors for the first time
57:45the Mesopotamians gave us the wheel
57:48farming
57:49cities
57:50bureaucracy
57:51astrology
57:53bread
57:54beer
57:55the list goes on and on
57:56but a whole lot of their inventions were forgotten
57:58and had to be reinvented
57:59hundreds even thousands of years later
58:03Babylon was conquered by the Persians in 539 BC
58:07and after the Persians came the Greeks and the Romans and loads of other people
58:10but actually it was those ancient Mesopotamians
58:14who more than anyone else
58:15shaped the world that we live in today
58:19To receive a free open university leaflet
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58:23and details of open university programs
58:25telephone
58:260870
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58:280352
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58:32slash history
58:34Next time
58:35Ancient Egypt
58:36For 2,000 years
58:38it was a world superpower
58:39from pharaohs to pyramids
58:42papyrus to pottery
58:43and boats to bellows
58:45I'll be exploring a civilization that left an extraordinary legacy
58:49The game
58:49The game
58:49The game
58:50The game
58:51The game