Strangest Things (2021–2022): Season 2, Episode 8 - The Standard of Ur - full transcript
Experts examine the enigmatic mosaic adorned on the ancient Standard of Ur.
[narrator] Does this
bizarre object tell
the lost story
of a 4500-year-old war?
For both the party and battle.
So what more do you want
in terms of a story?
[narrator] Could this weapon
really replace gunpowder
with steam?
This gun was designed to fire
hundreds of rounds a minute,
and that was unheard of.
[narrator] What was
the sinister purpose
of this strange,
carved monolith?
[Dr. Marina] They would open
the chest, extract the heart,
and make a fire within
the chest.
[narrator] These are the most
remarkable and mysterious
objects on Earth,
hidden away in museums,
laboratories, and storage
rooms.
Now, new research
and technology can get
under their skin
like never before.
We can rebuild them,
pull them apart,
and zoom in,
to reveal the unbelievable,
the ancient,
and the truly bizarre.
These are the world's
strangest things.
In a cabinet at
the British Museum,
is a unique, 4500-year-old
wooden box,
from the birthplace
of civilization.
There's no other object
really like it.
[narrator] For nearly
a century, its true purpose
has been unknown.
Now, using cutting-edge
technology,
we are going to open up
this ancient box and reveal
its secrets.
This is theStandard of Ur.
A wooden box,
nearly 20 inches long,
and eight and a half
inches high.
At one end is a peculiar,
little doorway,
and its surface is covered
in detailed mosaic pictures,
made with polished shell,
red limestone,
and lapis lazuli.
The result is a truly,
beautiful object.
[narrator] And these
tiny images seem to tell
a story.
Of action, of fighting,
but also feasting,
celebration.
[narrator] But their meaning
is as much a mystery
as the box itself.
What is this strange thing?
What do these images mean?
Where did it come from?
The mystery begins
in Southern Iraq,
in the ruins of the ancient,
Mesopotamian city of Ur.
[Dr. Kevin] Ur is one
of the world's earliest
cities.
It was founded by
the Sumerians, in the area
that we call today,
the "Cradle of Civilization."
This is really
where things began.
This is where laws began,
where writing began,
where farming began.
This is where the beginnings
of cities and city states
took place.
[narrator] And Ur is at
the heart of it.
It was a city that gained
tremendous wealth
through trade,
so we find a lot of artifacts
from Persian Gulf,
and Arabian Sea, Asia, India.
So, it was a city that was
able to become quite wealthy
and even powerful.
[narrator] In the 1920s,
renowned archaeologist,
Sir Leonard Woolley,
excavates a vast
cemetery complex
near the ziggurat,
a huge, pyramid temple
built from baked mud bricks.
[Dr. Mark] Leonard Woolley
finds this group of tombs,
which were quite distinct
because they had
many individuals buried
in them,
often placed next
to each other
and they seem to have been
all buried at the same time,
which means that
there may have been some form
of sacrifice.
[narrator] The tombs
are packed with treasures,
gold, sculptures,
and precious stones.
It's a sensational discovery.
The 1920s were absolutely
a golden age for archaeology.
We have Howard Carter
in Egypt,
and Sir Leonard Woolley in Ur,
matching the splendor
of what was found in Egypt.
European royalty visited Ur,
even Agatha Christie.
[narrator] In one
of the tombs,
Woolley discovers
something extraordinary.
[Dr. Kevin] A workman saw
a small shimmer,
and began to clear away
the earth to reveal a mosaic.
[narrator] It is
theStandard of Ur,
or what is left of it
after four and a half
thousand years in the ground.
The wooden frame
has rotted away,
but the soil has preserved
the mosaic pieces in place.
By painstakingly filling
the voids left by
the rotted wood
with plaster and wax,
Woolley is able to secure
the mosaics in their original
positions,
and to retain the shape
of this lost artifact.
So, what we're seeing now is
a reconstruction of a very
painstaking process.
[narrator] But of all
the fabulous treasures found
in the royal cemeteries at Ur,
why does this odd box become
the most famous by far?
Everything about
the decoration
of this enigmatic,
4500-year-old object,
shouts success,
because the polished shell,
sandstone, and especially
the lapis lazuli
are exotic materials
from distant lands.
[Dr. Mark] Everything had
to be imported
from Central Asia,
and Afghanistan, even India.
So it also gives you the sense
of the objects themselves
reflect the power
and the wealth of the society.
This is a city that's able
to accrue
this tremendous wealth
and make such objects.
[narrator] It's not just
the exotic origins
of the box's decoration
that astounds experts.
It is crafted
with extraordinary skill.
This is only possible
because a previously unseen
kind of worker
appears in
the first civilizations.
[Jeannette] The food surplus
that comes with farming
in these settlements,
creates a new type of role
in society which is
the craftsman.
And because these artisans
don't have to go out
and collect food
for their families,
they can actually trade
their crafts for food.
And you see this
increasing skill in everything
that they create.
They're making furniture,
they're making musical
instruments,
weaponry, and even jewelry.
[narrator] TheStandard is
one of the finest examples
of this work.
And that is one reason
why it becomes
the poster child
for the lost civilization
of Ur.
The other reason
is that it's an enigma.
Nothing like it has ever
been found before or since.
So just what is it for?
In the 100 years since
its discovery,
there's been no shortage
of big ideas to explain
its purpose.
[Dr. Mark] One idea is that
maybe it's a storage device,
perhaps treasure,
perhaps in offerings.
There's a little area
where you can open this box
and then add and remove funds.
So maybe it's a kind
of... uh, sort of,
treasure box essentially.
[narrator] But something
about this idea
just doesn't fit.
Because money as we know it
has not been invented yet.
[Dr. Mark] Wealth was often
assumed to be larger objects,
metals, or food, or grain.
But how are you gonna fit
these large and bulky items
into a very small box?
[Dr. Kevin] Of course, also,
it needs to be said,
that no valuables
were discovered inside of it.
This is not a treasure chest.
[narrator] Could these
tiny images hold a clue
to its true purpose?
One of the two main panels
is known as "War."
[Dr. Mark] We see this battle
going on, chariots, and troops
marching off into war,
and then in another register,
individuals getting
trounced upon,
these chariots running
them over.
And so, both marching
into war, but also the people
who are defeated
being killed and stampeded
upon by the victors.
You also see the king,
this large character
also prominently displayed
as being victorious
in this warfare.
[narrator] When Woolley finds
the box, he suggests it is
a military standard.
And the name sticks.
[Dr. Mark] Standards are
often used in warfare,
in particular
as a way of demarcating
your side.
The standard is the key symbol
which you carry into battle.
So holding the standard
is both a signal to your army,
but also
a propagandistic tool
to your enemies,
that, "We're still here,
we're still fighting."
[narrator] And one
of the images on the standard
looks very familiar.
[Dr. Mark]
One of the individuals shown
on theStandard of Ur,
looks like there's something
similar to that standard,
at least in shape,
under the individual's body.
[narrator] Is this an image
of a similar standard?
Unfortunately there are
a few flaws to this idea.
[Dr. Kevin] One is the size
of the imagery,
which would have been
almost invisible
from a more than a few yards
away.
Second, is the relative
fragility of the piece.
And then finally, there is
the fact that within
its actual construction,
there's no obvious point
for the insertion of a pole
to mount it on top
of the standard.
[narrator] If it's not
Woolley's standard,
what is it?
What is this 4500-year-old
object actually for?
For decades, experts have been
studying
these intricate mosaics
in search of the answer.
On the opposite side
to the War panel, is the one
called, "Peace."
The Peace side
is showing a kind of banquet,
a kind of celebration.
[narrator] Zooming in on this
digital reconstruction,
reveals a possible clue
to its purpose,
hidden in plain sight.
The upper register
is the most interesting.
Here we see a large figure,
we assume that this is
the king.
Before him are arrayed
a group of sitting officials,
raising glasses with the king.
And beside them there is
a musician playing a lyre.
[narrator] The theory is that
theStandard of Ur is actually
a sound box for a lyre.
[Dr. Mark] The most ancient
lyre that we know of is about
3200 BCE
found in the same region,
in ancient Sumer, which is
southern Mesopotamia.
So this is a region where
such a musical instrument
was in fact invented.
[narrator] The similarities
between theStandard of Ur
and a lyre found in a tomb
at the same excavation,
are striking.
[Dr. Mark] It's possible
that this is a lyre,
because both of 'em
have a box-like middle,
with extensions where
the strings would be.
And the hollow inside the box
could make a musical sound
when it's strummed up
with strings.
[narrator] So
is that the answer?
Is this the sound box
of the king's lyre?
This is an attractive notion,
but there's one big problem
with it.
If this is a sound box,
it has been coated
with bitumen,
and with stone and shell,
which would have had
a considerable damping effect,
effectively rendering it
useless as a sound box
for a stringed instrument.
[narrator] There is one
final explanation
for this strange box.
For years, the assumption
has been that these are
symbolic images,
representing a well-balanced
society.
An advertisement in effect
for how civilizations
should run.
[Dr. Mark] One is
the war-like aspect that's
necessary to maintain power,
and the trade connections
that war would have had.
So war is a necessary
component of that,
in asserting power.
But at the same time,
a society enjoys its fruits,
its economic benefits,
and the partying,
and the feasting
that you would have
as a way to affirm
the loyalties you have
to the king.
And the king's, also, power
as... as someone who gives
his people these great feasts.
[narrator] But experts
now suspect,
the events depicted could be
a real historical event.
[Dr. Mark] What we're seeing
is a story where there's
a prominent battle
in the time of the king.
And he was ultimately
victorious,
and when you win in battle,
what you do, you usually
celebrate.
You're showing
the actual battle happening
one side,
and then on the other side
you show the feasting
that would occur
after the battle,
that you're celebrating
your great victory.
[narrator] An advertisement
of victory fits
with the small size,
and the intricate,
delicate decoration.
[Dr. Kevin] It's unlikely
that such an elaborate object
would've been truly
functional.
It would've been largely
for display.
[narrator] So perhaps
this strange box once
sat on display
in one of the first cities
on Earth,
purely to remind people
of a great success in battle
of Ur's powerful king.
Both a party and battles,
so what more do you want
in terms of a story?
[narrator] The one thing
we're certain of,
is that theStandard of Ur
is a unique and beautiful
snapshot
of an ancient,
lost civilization.
At London's
Royal Armoury Museum,
is an unknown
and very deadly gun.
What we're looking at here,
is the 19th century version
of a weapon
of mass destruction.
[narrator] Now brought
out of the shadows
and painstakingly
reconstructed...
this is 170-year-old
machine gun,
powered by steam.
Who would've thought
that steam could challenge
gunpowder?
[narrator]
Almost five feet long,
it is made of iron,
with a wooden crank handle,
and a bizarre brass funnel.
[cranking]
It might look odd but it is
one of the most devastating
weapons of its time.
This gun was designed to fire
hundreds of rounds a minute.
Some say even
up to a thousand,
and that was unheard of.
[narrator] But did it actually
work?
How did it work?
And why would anyone want
a machine gun powered
by steam?
This was an era when
everything was being converted
to steam power.
It just seemed like steam
was this panacea
that you could use to make
any task easier.
[Dr. Sarah] It was
the driver behind
the Industrial Revolution.
Factories and mills which used
to be powered by water
and horsepower,
were now powered much more
efficiently by steam.
[narrator] The possibilities
seemed endless.
[Dr. Sarah] Steam had
so much potential
that everyone was turning
to it as a new source
of power,
from pragmatic things
like steam powered tractors,
through to really quite
crack-pot inventions.
One of the oddest is the idea
of a sort of steam powered
automaton.
Like a giant metal soldier
that would pull along
a cart of people.
[train whistling]
[narrator] Steam powers
everything, except guns.
Until this mad contraption
is created.
But who comes up with
such a bizarre device?
This outlandish,
19th century invention
is the steam gun.
The man who dreams it up
is, prolific, American
engineer, Jacob Perkins.
By the time Jacob Perkins
arrives on British shores,
he already has a seriously
impressive track record.
[Dr. Andrew] He'd invented
just a whole range
of different inventions
from devices to measure
the speed of ships,
to a technique
for plating buckles.
That was his first invention
at the age of 15.
He really was born to be
an inventor.
[narrator] While in England,
Perkins catches the steam bug,
and hits on
an extraordinary idea.
[Andrea] As part of his work,
Perkins designed some
really high pressure boilers
pushing the technology
to its limits. And of
the things that he sees,
is that when he releases
the pressure a bit,
he can observe
little particles fired
at great speed,
and that gives him an idea.
[narrator] Perkins begins
to design a revolutionary
steam powered gun
hoping to sell it to
the British military.
Over the years, his son,
Angier, develops
and improves it,
culminating in 1851,
in this.
But this extraordinary
contraption won't be
an easy sell.
The problem with selling
his invention is that
they already know
how to fire a gun.
I mean, gunpowder
and propellants already exist.
[narrator] Since
its invention over
1,000 years ago,
nearly all firearms
are powered by gunpowder.
It was invented in China,
and it's just salt, pewter,
charcoal, and sulfur, very,
very finely ground.
And the things is
that when you ignite it...
[crackling]
...it burns incredibly fast,
and produces huge amounts
of gas.
And so what you've got is
a pulse of gas that can really
push a bullet or a cannonball.
[narrator] Gunpowder is
a winning formula.
So why does Perkins want
to swap it for steam?
By the time Perkins arrives
on British shores in 1819,
recent conflicts had shown
that even gunpowder
has its problems.
In the decade before Perkins
invented the steam gun,
Britain was heavily involved
in the Napoleonic War,
to try and prevent Napoleon
from advancing his empire
across the whole continent.
[narrator] Napoleon's tactics
proved brutally effective
against British fire power.
Napoleon's strategy relied
on speed, momentum,
and mobility.
-[horse neighing]
-[Dr. Sascha] Whereas,
the British favor
a large number soldiers
spread out in a relatively
thin line,
to all fire in one direction.
Napoleon opts for
the column formation.
Narrower, but deeper,
and this favors
forward movement.
[soldiers yelling]
[narrator] The French
are fast, the guns facing them
are anything but.
[Dr. Sarah] If you're fighting
on the British side,
you're most likely
carrying a musket.
And that musket probably
would've been one called,
the "Brown Bess."
[narrator] These muskets use
a ball and a paper cartridge
filled with gunpowder.
Reloading one of these muskets
is a quite laborious process,
'cause every part
of what you're doing
is separate.
You have the gunpowder,
you have the tamping between
the powder and the ball,
you have the ball itself,
which has to be loaded in
separate.
You gotta be careful,
because it's a ball,
and it can roll back out again
if you handle it poorly.
And then to fire the musket,
you have to cock it.
And then you gotta start
the whole process
all over again.
[narrator] Reloading
and firing just once can take
20 seconds,
and even when you fire
chances are you miss.
Muskets aren't just slow,
they are hopelessly
inaccurate.
[Dr. Andrew] Because
the musket was loaded
from the front,
the balls were made
intentionally, slightly
smaller
than the barrel to allow them
to be easily passed inside.
But that means they can
jiggle around inside
the barrel
and come out in all kinds
of different angles.
[narrator] Perkins
is convinced that his
steampunk invention
is not only faster but more
accurate.
His problem is that history
is already littered
with strange weapons
trying to solve
the same issues,
and mostly failing.
Some add more barrels
to the gun so they can be
fired all at once.
[Dr. Andrew] You can
concentrate your fire
in a single shot,
but ultimately it doesn't
solve the problem.
First off, they're still just
as inaccurate
as the individual barrels
that they are made of.
And secondly, although
you can fire lots of shots
at once,
they then take even longer
to reload.
Obviously, as many times
longer as you have barrels.
[narrator] Other weapons try
a rapid loading mechanism.
Back in the 2nd century BCE,
the Chinese developed
a repeating fire crossbow
that used a little magazine
that could drop ten bolts
into position to fire
in 20 seconds.
[narrator] But a rapid firing
mechanism in a gunpowder
weapon
is altogether more complex.
One of the problems
with using gunpowder,
especially if you're trying
to fire again, and again,
and again,
is the gunpowder burns hot.
And so your gun will gradually
get hotter, and hotter,
and hotter.
Until, eventually,
the metal will actually
soften,
and the gun itself
will deform.
[narrator] Perkins believes
the answer to all these
problems
is to do away with gunpowder
altogether,
and replace it with steam.
But is that
just a pipe dream?
This odd, 19th century
contraption is
the Perkins' steam gun.
But he isn't the first
to dream up this idea.
[Dr. Andrew] Back in
the 15th century,
Leonardo da Vinci
who seems to have invented
basically everything
in his sketch books,
had drawn an unusual picture,
of what looks like
a steam powered gun.
[narrator] He calls it,
the "Architonnerre."
[Dr. Andrew] And actually,
da Vinci attributes this idea
to the ancient Greek
scientist, and polymath,
Archimedes,
who lived
in the 3rd century BCE.
Which means, the idea
of a steam gun
could date back
over 2,000 years.
[narrator] The Architonnerre
uses a coal fire
to generate steam
by heating the gun itself.
Perkins uses his own
state of the art boiler
operating at extremely high
pressure.
And his original machine
is designed to take
full advantage of it.
[Dr. Andrew] There's
a six foot, or two meter long,
smooth ball barrel,
and at one end,
there's a magazine,
which just using gravity
feeds balls into it.
[narrator] The gun
is connected to
a high pressure steam boiler.
[Dr. Andrew] By opening
the valve, you can allow
the pressurized steam
into that barrel which fires
those balls out
the end of the gun.
[narrator] Perkins' son,
Angier, improves on
the original 1824 design,
giving it more
precise control.
In Jacob Perkins'
original design, the balls
were just falling into the gun
under the force of gravity.
Whereas his son, Angier,
extended it,
and made it a slightly more
controllable design.
What that meant was that
by turning a handle,
you are cranking two pins,
which would allow each ball
to fall into the barrel
individually.
And then, as the crank
continued to turn,
it would open a valve
which would blast
that steam pressure through
and fire
the thing out the end
of the gun.
And then that cycle repeats,
as fast as you could crank it,
it would carry on firing.
[narrator] Is steam about
to trump 1,000 years
of gunpowder supremacy?
[narrator] In 1824,
after five years of work,
Jacob Perkins is ready
to demonstrate his original
steam gun
to the top brass
of the British military.
Front and center is none other
than the Duke of Wellington
himself,
who is now
Master General of Ordnance,
responsible for evaluating
and procuring new weapons
for the entire army.
[narrator] Under Wellington's
gaze, Perkins' bizarre
contraption
is subjected to rigorous tests
of speed,
power and accuracy.
If Wellington was looking
for a fast-firing weapon,
this steam gun delivered.
The ports differ quite widely,
but at the lowest end
of the estimates,
it was said to fire
250 rounds a minute.
And up at the top end,
people claimed
1,000 rounds a minute.
So, if you think about
the comparison with a musket,
which was firing
just four times a minute,
this is anywhere
from 60 to 250 times faster.
[rapid gunfire]
[narrator] The steam gun
is not only fast,
it's deadly accurate.
[Andrea] One of the things
about using steam
is that it's incredibly clean.
All you've got is H2O.
And you'll not be left
with any of the residues
that you might get
with gun powder.
So you can design
your steam gun
to much higher tolerances
and you'll get better accuracy
than you can with just
a conventional musket.
[narrator] And unlike
a gunpowder firearm,
there is no risk
of the barrel deforming.
[Andrea] When you
generate the stream,
it's gonna be
only 100 or 200 degrees
above the boiling temperature
of water.
And that's going to be as hot
as your gun will ever get.
And so you could fire
over and over again
and you're never
gonna overheat.
[narrator] But can
Perkins' steam gun
pack enough punch?
Perkins cranked up
the boiler to full pressure,
900 PSI.
And he demonstrated it
over a range of 100 feet.
He could smash a hole
in 11 one-inch planks.
[rapid gunfire]
[narrator] Perkins'
strange contraption proves
that steam can power a weapon
of extraordinary speed
and accuracy.
It should be
an unmitigated success,
but things don't quite
go to plan.
Even after years of tests
and refinement
by Perkins' son Angier,
the British forces
just aren't interested in it.
They refused
to purchase his device,
and it ends up being just
kind of a demonstration piece.
[narrator] So what goes wrong
for this bizarre gun?
The first obstacle
is a military bogged down
by tradition.
[Dr. Sarah] The British Army
at that time
were not considered
to be early adopters.
So improving
on traditional techniques,
yes, that was accepted,
but the idea of moving
from gunpowder to steam,
that was just too radical.
[narrator] The second problem
is a whopper.
[Dr. Andrew] In order
to fire this thing,
you needed
a five-ton steam boiler
to be lugged around with it
at all times.
This is an incredibly
risky device to be dragging
around the battlefield.
-You got this enormous
pressurized steam boiler.
-[kettle whistling]
It's basically a bomb.
[narrator] The final problem
is by the time Angier
perfects his father's
steam gun,
gunpowder technology
has moved on.
They got rid
of paper cartridges
and managed to come up
with brass cartridges
to store the gunpowder
on the back of the bullet.
And bullets were also
becoming pointed,
which means they were
much more aerodynamic.
That meant much,
much higher speeds,
much longer range,
and critically,
much greater accuracy.
And that means the problems
that the steam guns
were hoping to address
were being solved, and better,
with gunpowder-based
technology.
[narrator] Perkins' creation
doesn't stand a chance.
So, is that the end
of the steam-powered gun?
Not quite.
[narrator] Despite its speed
and power,
this weird 19th century
steam-powered weapon
just can't compete
with gunpowder.
But more than
100 years later,
the British Army finally
find a home for Perkins'
revolutionary ideas.
[Dr. Sascha] In the 1940s,
anti-aircraft guns
were sometimes redeployed
from merchant ships
onto British warships,
leaving the former
quite unprotected
from aircraft attack.
With gunpowder
in somewhat limited supply,
the Department
of Miscellaneous
Weapon Development
turned to a resource
that was readily available
on ships...
steam.
[narrator]
Enter the Holman Projector.
[Dr. Sarah]
The Holman Projector
worked by connecting pipes
to the ship's steam boiler.
Then a grenade was dropped
down the barrel,
and the pressure
from the steam
would shoot the grenade out.
And this
effectively functioned
as an anti-aircraft weapon.
It was an unrifled gun,
and that meant that you could
throw anything down there.
So if you didn't
have a grenade,
you had the option
of a cabbage, a can,
or apparently,
the biggest favorite
was a potato.
[narrator] Making it
the world's first
anti-aircraft spud gun.
And just as Perkins predicted,
it is lethal.
[Dr. Sascha] There are reports
that one sailor
on a merchant ship
called theHighlander,
successfully downed
a German aircraft
using a Holman Projector.
It's not clear
from the reports
whether or not he fired
a potato at it.
[narrator] Finally,
the steam gun has its day,
albeit almost 120 years
after Jacob Perkins
has the idea.
In Mexico's National Museum
of Anthropology
is a strange monolith
from a lost world
with a violent past.
The civilization
that created this object
was almost wiped from history.
[narrator] Now,
we're bringing every detail
of this astonishing artefact
out into the light.
This is the Teocalli Stone.
Cut from volcanic rock,
it stands roughly
four feet tall, three feet
wide, and three feet deep.
It effectively looks like
a model version of a temple.
[narrator] But carved
into every surface
are disturbing images,
eerie figures
with skull-like faces,
weird animals, plants,
and monsters.
They all hint at a gruesome
and violent past.
Waging sacred war
in order to have
the human sacrifices
to, to offer the sun.
[narrator] Is this
a sacrificial altar?
[Dr. Marina]
They would open the chest,
extract the heart,
and make a fire
within the chest.
[narrator] Or are we simply
misreading its purpose?
Just so many different clues
that can be read
in different ways,
and you have to
really read closely
and piece them together
to figure out
what it's all about.
[narrator] What becomes
of the legendary leader
it is created for?
And could it really
have anything to do
with human sacrifice?
1926, Mexico City.
A mysterious object
is unearthed
from the foundations
of the National Palace.
They knew about
this object before,
but it was only in 1926
that they dug it up
and it was able to be examined
fully for the first time.
[narrator] The strange shapes
on the back of this monolith
point archaeologists toward
its legendary creators.
[Jeannette] You see
these carvings with an eagle
with its wings widespread
on top of a cactus.
And that's an image
that most people in Mexico
would recognize today
as it's on the Mexican flag.
[narrator]
It is a 13th century legend.
A group of migrants
are traveling
through the Valley of Mexico.
They are about to transform
Central America.
[eagle squawking]
There was a prophecy
that said that the capital
would be created
when an eagle
was seen standing on a cactus
in the middle of a lake.
And this would end up
being Lake Texcoco
in what is now Mexico City.
[narrator] Archaeologists know
exactly whose legend this is.
[Jeannette] Without any doubt,
this monolith was created
by the Mexicas
of Tenochtitlan.
[narrator] The Mexica
have a more familiar name
for many,
the Aztecs.
Mexico City is built
on the side of their
vast capital, Tenochtitlan.
The modern National Palace
in Mexico was actually built
on top of where the palace
of the ancient rulers
would have been located.
Therefore, this monolith
found in the foundations
of the National Palace
probably belonged
to an important figure
that lived in that palace.
[narrator] Who is this figure?
Can the eerie images
at the top identify him?
[Dr. Marina] On the left,
is the god Huitzilopochtli
which is a god
that is associated
with kingship.
And on the right
is the god Tezcatlipoca
who was the god of night,
but also a god
that was associated
with warriors and with kings.
[narrator] But these strange
carvings reveal more
than Aztec gods.
They could also narrate
historical events
and represent
real historical figures.
So the figure on the right
might also be a real ruler.
[narrator] This image
holds clues to the identity
of that ruler.
[Caroline]
It shows a diadem,
a little crown,
and a nose plug,
And those are symbols
of rule in Aztec culture.
[narrator] Experts believe
this all points to one person,
the most legendary
and ruthless
of all Aztec leaders.
In other pictographic sources,
those symbols are often
associated with Moctezuma II.
[narrator] And they don't
come bigger than Moctezuma II.
He ruled from 1502 to 1520,
taking the Aztec Empire
to the height of its power,
ruling over 5,000,000 people
across 80,000 square miles.
Moctezuma II is this
almost mythical figure.
He had this enormous zoo,
and there is evidence
for this.
He has great luxury
that he lives in.
Supposedly, he has hundreds
of wives and children.
He's a figure that not only
has enormous power,
but goes to great lengths
to promote himself
as a figure of power
and authority.
[narrator] An object of
extraordinary craftsmanship,
made for the greatest leader
of one of the most remarkable
civilizations of the Americas.
What is the purpose
of this strange thing?
[narrator]
This strange monolith
is created for the fabled
Aztec leader Moctezuma II.
But what is it?
[Jeannette] The shape of it.
The lines representing steps.
It's unmistakable
when you compare it
to known temples
of the period.
It effectively looks like
a model version of a temple.
[narrator] Scale models
of temples are not unusual
in Mexica society.
But there is something strange
about this one.
[Dr. Marina] Across the
empire, we have been able
to find smaller models.
[narrator] These scale models
are usually just
a few inches tall.
None of them
are as large as this one.
[narrator]
The four-foot tall Teocalli
is a giant in comparison.
Some experts think
there's a very good reason
for its oversized proportions.
[Dr. Marina] On top
of some of these models
are gods sitting on them
as if they were sitting
on thrones.
So the Teocalli is not just
a representation of a temple,
but the throne for a god.
[narrator] The Teocalli
is now known by another name,
the Throne of Moctezuma II.
But there is a problem
with this idea.
In this period,
thrones were most usually
made of reeds.
It's not a chair society.
You sat on a fabulous
reed mat.
I think it's unlikely
that Moctezuma
actually sat on it.
[narrator] Some scholars
believe it could be
a symbolic throne,
a token of power,
rather than a real one.
But close examination
of the other bizarre symbols
reveals a much more
disturbing explanation
for this strange thing.
Experts believe this circle
at the top of the monolith
is a solar disc.
A calendar that charts
the 52-year Mexica cycle
of life and death.
[Jeannette] According to
Mexica traditions,
the sun had already
been swallowed up
four times prior,
and during Moctezuma's reign,
this was the fifth sun.
And in order to ensure
that the sun always
comes back up after night,
you have to appease it
with blood sacrifice.
And that's what the symbolism
there is about,
waging sacred war
in order to have
the human sacrifices
to offer the sun.
[narrator] This idea
has given the monolith
a second name.
[Jeannette] When renowned
Mexican archaeologist
Alfonso Caso
first sees the monolith,
he names it the
Teocalli de la
Guerra Sagrada,
which in English means
Temple of the Sacred War.
[narrator] And other
mysterious symbols
carved on the monolith
can narrow down exactly
when this strange relic
is made
and exactly what it is for.
On the front of the monolith
are two date glyphs.
One rabbit.
And two reed.
And those symbolized
1506 and 1507
in our modern-day calendar.
[narrator] These dates
point to the most
critical event
in the whole 52-year
Mexica calendar...
the New Fire Ceremony.
It has just one goal...
preventing the end
of the world...
through human sacrifice.
The priest would
congregate on a temple
and sacrifice a victim.
They would open the chest,
extract the heart,
and make a fire
within the chest
of this victim
that would symbolize
the creation of the new fire
of the new era.
If the fire worked,
that indicated that everything
was going to go well.
If it didn't work,
then it was
the end of the world.
[narrator] To the people
who made this strange object,
human sacrifice
is actually about
preserving life.
It wasn't seen as a punishment
or as a vengeful action.
In fact, the gods demanded
this blood sacrifice,
and the ruler
had a responsibility
to provide human sacrifice
in order to ensure
the survival of your people.
[narrator] But rather than
simply commemorating
Moctezuma's New Fire Ceremony,
could this bizarre
stone monolith
have played a vital
and bloody part in it?
We think of altars
as being big tables.
But Aztec sacrificial altar
is actually quite pointed,
similar to the top
of the Teocalli,
because the way that sacrifice
is most often conducted
is that four priests
hold the arms and legs
of the person
and pull them back
to stretch the chest up
so that they can easily
remove the heart
from the chest cavity.
There isn't any residue
of blood as far as I know.
But it's not impossible
it was a sacrificial altar.
[narrator] Is this
extraordinary object
the last thing victims see
before their hearts
are torn out?
Or is it simply a throne
for a legendary leader?
For now, its true purpose
remains a mystery.
One thing we do know
is that whatever the outcome
of Moctezuma's
New Fire Ceremony,
it does turn out to be
the end of the world.
[thunder rumbling]
In 1519, barely a decade
after Moctezuma's
New Fire Ceremony,
the Spanish
conquistadors arrive.
[Caroline] Hernan Cortes
besieges Tenochtitlan.
And what happens then
is the most
incredible destruction
because the Mexica
refused to surrender.
So Cortes ends up
having to advance
through the city
destroying buildings
as he goes.
It's an absolute massacre.
[narrator] Moctezuma II's life
ends in tragedy.
And so does the Mexica Empire.
[Caroline] Ten years after
the Spanish invasion,
something like 90%
of the Aztec Mexica people
are dead either
through violence or disease.
It's the most astonishing
decimation of populations.
[narrator]
And the Christian invaders
rewrite Mexica history
to create a highly exaggerated
bloodthirsty legend.
[Caroline] Because the Spanish
are so obsessed
with human sacrifice
as a justification
for the conquest,
and because it seems so alien
to us now,
we often see the Aztecs
through this narrow lens
of sacrificial violence.
We seem them
as this bloodthirsty culture.
But the reality
is that they believe
if they don't sacrifice humans
to the gods,
the world will come to an end.
[narrator] The truth behind
Mexica ritual
is buried in the
conquistadors' obsession
with sacrifice...
just like this
mysterious monolith
tribute to a godlike king...
which ends up lost
beneath the foundations
of Mexico City.
bizarre object tell
the lost story
of a 4500-year-old war?
For both the party and battle.
So what more do you want
in terms of a story?
[narrator] Could this weapon
really replace gunpowder
with steam?
This gun was designed to fire
hundreds of rounds a minute,
and that was unheard of.
[narrator] What was
the sinister purpose
of this strange,
carved monolith?
[Dr. Marina] They would open
the chest, extract the heart,
and make a fire within
the chest.
[narrator] These are the most
remarkable and mysterious
objects on Earth,
hidden away in museums,
laboratories, and storage
rooms.
Now, new research
and technology can get
under their skin
like never before.
We can rebuild them,
pull them apart,
and zoom in,
to reveal the unbelievable,
the ancient,
and the truly bizarre.
These are the world's
strangest things.
In a cabinet at
the British Museum,
is a unique, 4500-year-old
wooden box,
from the birthplace
of civilization.
There's no other object
really like it.
[narrator] For nearly
a century, its true purpose
has been unknown.
Now, using cutting-edge
technology,
we are going to open up
this ancient box and reveal
its secrets.
This is theStandard of Ur.
A wooden box,
nearly 20 inches long,
and eight and a half
inches high.
At one end is a peculiar,
little doorway,
and its surface is covered
in detailed mosaic pictures,
made with polished shell,
red limestone,
and lapis lazuli.
The result is a truly,
beautiful object.
[narrator] And these
tiny images seem to tell
a story.
Of action, of fighting,
but also feasting,
celebration.
[narrator] But their meaning
is as much a mystery
as the box itself.
What is this strange thing?
What do these images mean?
Where did it come from?
The mystery begins
in Southern Iraq,
in the ruins of the ancient,
Mesopotamian city of Ur.
[Dr. Kevin] Ur is one
of the world's earliest
cities.
It was founded by
the Sumerians, in the area
that we call today,
the "Cradle of Civilization."
This is really
where things began.
This is where laws began,
where writing began,
where farming began.
This is where the beginnings
of cities and city states
took place.
[narrator] And Ur is at
the heart of it.
It was a city that gained
tremendous wealth
through trade,
so we find a lot of artifacts
from Persian Gulf,
and Arabian Sea, Asia, India.
So, it was a city that was
able to become quite wealthy
and even powerful.
[narrator] In the 1920s,
renowned archaeologist,
Sir Leonard Woolley,
excavates a vast
cemetery complex
near the ziggurat,
a huge, pyramid temple
built from baked mud bricks.
[Dr. Mark] Leonard Woolley
finds this group of tombs,
which were quite distinct
because they had
many individuals buried
in them,
often placed next
to each other
and they seem to have been
all buried at the same time,
which means that
there may have been some form
of sacrifice.
[narrator] The tombs
are packed with treasures,
gold, sculptures,
and precious stones.
It's a sensational discovery.
The 1920s were absolutely
a golden age for archaeology.
We have Howard Carter
in Egypt,
and Sir Leonard Woolley in Ur,
matching the splendor
of what was found in Egypt.
European royalty visited Ur,
even Agatha Christie.
[narrator] In one
of the tombs,
Woolley discovers
something extraordinary.
[Dr. Kevin] A workman saw
a small shimmer,
and began to clear away
the earth to reveal a mosaic.
[narrator] It is
theStandard of Ur,
or what is left of it
after four and a half
thousand years in the ground.
The wooden frame
has rotted away,
but the soil has preserved
the mosaic pieces in place.
By painstakingly filling
the voids left by
the rotted wood
with plaster and wax,
Woolley is able to secure
the mosaics in their original
positions,
and to retain the shape
of this lost artifact.
So, what we're seeing now is
a reconstruction of a very
painstaking process.
[narrator] But of all
the fabulous treasures found
in the royal cemeteries at Ur,
why does this odd box become
the most famous by far?
Everything about
the decoration
of this enigmatic,
4500-year-old object,
shouts success,
because the polished shell,
sandstone, and especially
the lapis lazuli
are exotic materials
from distant lands.
[Dr. Mark] Everything had
to be imported
from Central Asia,
and Afghanistan, even India.
So it also gives you the sense
of the objects themselves
reflect the power
and the wealth of the society.
This is a city that's able
to accrue
this tremendous wealth
and make such objects.
[narrator] It's not just
the exotic origins
of the box's decoration
that astounds experts.
It is crafted
with extraordinary skill.
This is only possible
because a previously unseen
kind of worker
appears in
the first civilizations.
[Jeannette] The food surplus
that comes with farming
in these settlements,
creates a new type of role
in society which is
the craftsman.
And because these artisans
don't have to go out
and collect food
for their families,
they can actually trade
their crafts for food.
And you see this
increasing skill in everything
that they create.
They're making furniture,
they're making musical
instruments,
weaponry, and even jewelry.
[narrator] TheStandard is
one of the finest examples
of this work.
And that is one reason
why it becomes
the poster child
for the lost civilization
of Ur.
The other reason
is that it's an enigma.
Nothing like it has ever
been found before or since.
So just what is it for?
In the 100 years since
its discovery,
there's been no shortage
of big ideas to explain
its purpose.
[Dr. Mark] One idea is that
maybe it's a storage device,
perhaps treasure,
perhaps in offerings.
There's a little area
where you can open this box
and then add and remove funds.
So maybe it's a kind
of... uh, sort of,
treasure box essentially.
[narrator] But something
about this idea
just doesn't fit.
Because money as we know it
has not been invented yet.
[Dr. Mark] Wealth was often
assumed to be larger objects,
metals, or food, or grain.
But how are you gonna fit
these large and bulky items
into a very small box?
[Dr. Kevin] Of course, also,
it needs to be said,
that no valuables
were discovered inside of it.
This is not a treasure chest.
[narrator] Could these
tiny images hold a clue
to its true purpose?
One of the two main panels
is known as "War."
[Dr. Mark] We see this battle
going on, chariots, and troops
marching off into war,
and then in another register,
individuals getting
trounced upon,
these chariots running
them over.
And so, both marching
into war, but also the people
who are defeated
being killed and stampeded
upon by the victors.
You also see the king,
this large character
also prominently displayed
as being victorious
in this warfare.
[narrator] When Woolley finds
the box, he suggests it is
a military standard.
And the name sticks.
[Dr. Mark] Standards are
often used in warfare,
in particular
as a way of demarcating
your side.
The standard is the key symbol
which you carry into battle.
So holding the standard
is both a signal to your army,
but also
a propagandistic tool
to your enemies,
that, "We're still here,
we're still fighting."
[narrator] And one
of the images on the standard
looks very familiar.
[Dr. Mark]
One of the individuals shown
on theStandard of Ur,
looks like there's something
similar to that standard,
at least in shape,
under the individual's body.
[narrator] Is this an image
of a similar standard?
Unfortunately there are
a few flaws to this idea.
[Dr. Kevin] One is the size
of the imagery,
which would have been
almost invisible
from a more than a few yards
away.
Second, is the relative
fragility of the piece.
And then finally, there is
the fact that within
its actual construction,
there's no obvious point
for the insertion of a pole
to mount it on top
of the standard.
[narrator] If it's not
Woolley's standard,
what is it?
What is this 4500-year-old
object actually for?
For decades, experts have been
studying
these intricate mosaics
in search of the answer.
On the opposite side
to the War panel, is the one
called, "Peace."
The Peace side
is showing a kind of banquet,
a kind of celebration.
[narrator] Zooming in on this
digital reconstruction,
reveals a possible clue
to its purpose,
hidden in plain sight.
The upper register
is the most interesting.
Here we see a large figure,
we assume that this is
the king.
Before him are arrayed
a group of sitting officials,
raising glasses with the king.
And beside them there is
a musician playing a lyre.
[narrator] The theory is that
theStandard of Ur is actually
a sound box for a lyre.
[Dr. Mark] The most ancient
lyre that we know of is about
3200 BCE
found in the same region,
in ancient Sumer, which is
southern Mesopotamia.
So this is a region where
such a musical instrument
was in fact invented.
[narrator] The similarities
between theStandard of Ur
and a lyre found in a tomb
at the same excavation,
are striking.
[Dr. Mark] It's possible
that this is a lyre,
because both of 'em
have a box-like middle,
with extensions where
the strings would be.
And the hollow inside the box
could make a musical sound
when it's strummed up
with strings.
[narrator] So
is that the answer?
Is this the sound box
of the king's lyre?
This is an attractive notion,
but there's one big problem
with it.
If this is a sound box,
it has been coated
with bitumen,
and with stone and shell,
which would have had
a considerable damping effect,
effectively rendering it
useless as a sound box
for a stringed instrument.
[narrator] There is one
final explanation
for this strange box.
For years, the assumption
has been that these are
symbolic images,
representing a well-balanced
society.
An advertisement in effect
for how civilizations
should run.
[Dr. Mark] One is
the war-like aspect that's
necessary to maintain power,
and the trade connections
that war would have had.
So war is a necessary
component of that,
in asserting power.
But at the same time,
a society enjoys its fruits,
its economic benefits,
and the partying,
and the feasting
that you would have
as a way to affirm
the loyalties you have
to the king.
And the king's, also, power
as... as someone who gives
his people these great feasts.
[narrator] But experts
now suspect,
the events depicted could be
a real historical event.
[Dr. Mark] What we're seeing
is a story where there's
a prominent battle
in the time of the king.
And he was ultimately
victorious,
and when you win in battle,
what you do, you usually
celebrate.
You're showing
the actual battle happening
one side,
and then on the other side
you show the feasting
that would occur
after the battle,
that you're celebrating
your great victory.
[narrator] An advertisement
of victory fits
with the small size,
and the intricate,
delicate decoration.
[Dr. Kevin] It's unlikely
that such an elaborate object
would've been truly
functional.
It would've been largely
for display.
[narrator] So perhaps
this strange box once
sat on display
in one of the first cities
on Earth,
purely to remind people
of a great success in battle
of Ur's powerful king.
Both a party and battles,
so what more do you want
in terms of a story?
[narrator] The one thing
we're certain of,
is that theStandard of Ur
is a unique and beautiful
snapshot
of an ancient,
lost civilization.
At London's
Royal Armoury Museum,
is an unknown
and very deadly gun.
What we're looking at here,
is the 19th century version
of a weapon
of mass destruction.
[narrator] Now brought
out of the shadows
and painstakingly
reconstructed...
this is 170-year-old
machine gun,
powered by steam.
Who would've thought
that steam could challenge
gunpowder?
[narrator]
Almost five feet long,
it is made of iron,
with a wooden crank handle,
and a bizarre brass funnel.
[cranking]
It might look odd but it is
one of the most devastating
weapons of its time.
This gun was designed to fire
hundreds of rounds a minute.
Some say even
up to a thousand,
and that was unheard of.
[narrator] But did it actually
work?
How did it work?
And why would anyone want
a machine gun powered
by steam?
This was an era when
everything was being converted
to steam power.
It just seemed like steam
was this panacea
that you could use to make
any task easier.
[Dr. Sarah] It was
the driver behind
the Industrial Revolution.
Factories and mills which used
to be powered by water
and horsepower,
were now powered much more
efficiently by steam.
[narrator] The possibilities
seemed endless.
[Dr. Sarah] Steam had
so much potential
that everyone was turning
to it as a new source
of power,
from pragmatic things
like steam powered tractors,
through to really quite
crack-pot inventions.
One of the oddest is the idea
of a sort of steam powered
automaton.
Like a giant metal soldier
that would pull along
a cart of people.
[train whistling]
[narrator] Steam powers
everything, except guns.
Until this mad contraption
is created.
But who comes up with
such a bizarre device?
This outlandish,
19th century invention
is the steam gun.
The man who dreams it up
is, prolific, American
engineer, Jacob Perkins.
By the time Jacob Perkins
arrives on British shores,
he already has a seriously
impressive track record.
[Dr. Andrew] He'd invented
just a whole range
of different inventions
from devices to measure
the speed of ships,
to a technique
for plating buckles.
That was his first invention
at the age of 15.
He really was born to be
an inventor.
[narrator] While in England,
Perkins catches the steam bug,
and hits on
an extraordinary idea.
[Andrea] As part of his work,
Perkins designed some
really high pressure boilers
pushing the technology
to its limits. And of
the things that he sees,
is that when he releases
the pressure a bit,
he can observe
little particles fired
at great speed,
and that gives him an idea.
[narrator] Perkins begins
to design a revolutionary
steam powered gun
hoping to sell it to
the British military.
Over the years, his son,
Angier, develops
and improves it,
culminating in 1851,
in this.
But this extraordinary
contraption won't be
an easy sell.
The problem with selling
his invention is that
they already know
how to fire a gun.
I mean, gunpowder
and propellants already exist.
[narrator] Since
its invention over
1,000 years ago,
nearly all firearms
are powered by gunpowder.
It was invented in China,
and it's just salt, pewter,
charcoal, and sulfur, very,
very finely ground.
And the things is
that when you ignite it...
[crackling]
...it burns incredibly fast,
and produces huge amounts
of gas.
And so what you've got is
a pulse of gas that can really
push a bullet or a cannonball.
[narrator] Gunpowder is
a winning formula.
So why does Perkins want
to swap it for steam?
By the time Perkins arrives
on British shores in 1819,
recent conflicts had shown
that even gunpowder
has its problems.
In the decade before Perkins
invented the steam gun,
Britain was heavily involved
in the Napoleonic War,
to try and prevent Napoleon
from advancing his empire
across the whole continent.
[narrator] Napoleon's tactics
proved brutally effective
against British fire power.
Napoleon's strategy relied
on speed, momentum,
and mobility.
-[horse neighing]
-[Dr. Sascha] Whereas,
the British favor
a large number soldiers
spread out in a relatively
thin line,
to all fire in one direction.
Napoleon opts for
the column formation.
Narrower, but deeper,
and this favors
forward movement.
[soldiers yelling]
[narrator] The French
are fast, the guns facing them
are anything but.
[Dr. Sarah] If you're fighting
on the British side,
you're most likely
carrying a musket.
And that musket probably
would've been one called,
the "Brown Bess."
[narrator] These muskets use
a ball and a paper cartridge
filled with gunpowder.
Reloading one of these muskets
is a quite laborious process,
'cause every part
of what you're doing
is separate.
You have the gunpowder,
you have the tamping between
the powder and the ball,
you have the ball itself,
which has to be loaded in
separate.
You gotta be careful,
because it's a ball,
and it can roll back out again
if you handle it poorly.
And then to fire the musket,
you have to cock it.
And then you gotta start
the whole process
all over again.
[narrator] Reloading
and firing just once can take
20 seconds,
and even when you fire
chances are you miss.
Muskets aren't just slow,
they are hopelessly
inaccurate.
[Dr. Andrew] Because
the musket was loaded
from the front,
the balls were made
intentionally, slightly
smaller
than the barrel to allow them
to be easily passed inside.
But that means they can
jiggle around inside
the barrel
and come out in all kinds
of different angles.
[narrator] Perkins
is convinced that his
steampunk invention
is not only faster but more
accurate.
His problem is that history
is already littered
with strange weapons
trying to solve
the same issues,
and mostly failing.
Some add more barrels
to the gun so they can be
fired all at once.
[Dr. Andrew] You can
concentrate your fire
in a single shot,
but ultimately it doesn't
solve the problem.
First off, they're still just
as inaccurate
as the individual barrels
that they are made of.
And secondly, although
you can fire lots of shots
at once,
they then take even longer
to reload.
Obviously, as many times
longer as you have barrels.
[narrator] Other weapons try
a rapid loading mechanism.
Back in the 2nd century BCE,
the Chinese developed
a repeating fire crossbow
that used a little magazine
that could drop ten bolts
into position to fire
in 20 seconds.
[narrator] But a rapid firing
mechanism in a gunpowder
weapon
is altogether more complex.
One of the problems
with using gunpowder,
especially if you're trying
to fire again, and again,
and again,
is the gunpowder burns hot.
And so your gun will gradually
get hotter, and hotter,
and hotter.
Until, eventually,
the metal will actually
soften,
and the gun itself
will deform.
[narrator] Perkins believes
the answer to all these
problems
is to do away with gunpowder
altogether,
and replace it with steam.
But is that
just a pipe dream?
This odd, 19th century
contraption is
the Perkins' steam gun.
But he isn't the first
to dream up this idea.
[Dr. Andrew] Back in
the 15th century,
Leonardo da Vinci
who seems to have invented
basically everything
in his sketch books,
had drawn an unusual picture,
of what looks like
a steam powered gun.
[narrator] He calls it,
the "Architonnerre."
[Dr. Andrew] And actually,
da Vinci attributes this idea
to the ancient Greek
scientist, and polymath,
Archimedes,
who lived
in the 3rd century BCE.
Which means, the idea
of a steam gun
could date back
over 2,000 years.
[narrator] The Architonnerre
uses a coal fire
to generate steam
by heating the gun itself.
Perkins uses his own
state of the art boiler
operating at extremely high
pressure.
And his original machine
is designed to take
full advantage of it.
[Dr. Andrew] There's
a six foot, or two meter long,
smooth ball barrel,
and at one end,
there's a magazine,
which just using gravity
feeds balls into it.
[narrator] The gun
is connected to
a high pressure steam boiler.
[Dr. Andrew] By opening
the valve, you can allow
the pressurized steam
into that barrel which fires
those balls out
the end of the gun.
[narrator] Perkins' son,
Angier, improves on
the original 1824 design,
giving it more
precise control.
In Jacob Perkins'
original design, the balls
were just falling into the gun
under the force of gravity.
Whereas his son, Angier,
extended it,
and made it a slightly more
controllable design.
What that meant was that
by turning a handle,
you are cranking two pins,
which would allow each ball
to fall into the barrel
individually.
And then, as the crank
continued to turn,
it would open a valve
which would blast
that steam pressure through
and fire
the thing out the end
of the gun.
And then that cycle repeats,
as fast as you could crank it,
it would carry on firing.
[narrator] Is steam about
to trump 1,000 years
of gunpowder supremacy?
[narrator] In 1824,
after five years of work,
Jacob Perkins is ready
to demonstrate his original
steam gun
to the top brass
of the British military.
Front and center is none other
than the Duke of Wellington
himself,
who is now
Master General of Ordnance,
responsible for evaluating
and procuring new weapons
for the entire army.
[narrator] Under Wellington's
gaze, Perkins' bizarre
contraption
is subjected to rigorous tests
of speed,
power and accuracy.
If Wellington was looking
for a fast-firing weapon,
this steam gun delivered.
The ports differ quite widely,
but at the lowest end
of the estimates,
it was said to fire
250 rounds a minute.
And up at the top end,
people claimed
1,000 rounds a minute.
So, if you think about
the comparison with a musket,
which was firing
just four times a minute,
this is anywhere
from 60 to 250 times faster.
[rapid gunfire]
[narrator] The steam gun
is not only fast,
it's deadly accurate.
[Andrea] One of the things
about using steam
is that it's incredibly clean.
All you've got is H2O.
And you'll not be left
with any of the residues
that you might get
with gun powder.
So you can design
your steam gun
to much higher tolerances
and you'll get better accuracy
than you can with just
a conventional musket.
[narrator] And unlike
a gunpowder firearm,
there is no risk
of the barrel deforming.
[Andrea] When you
generate the stream,
it's gonna be
only 100 or 200 degrees
above the boiling temperature
of water.
And that's going to be as hot
as your gun will ever get.
And so you could fire
over and over again
and you're never
gonna overheat.
[narrator] But can
Perkins' steam gun
pack enough punch?
Perkins cranked up
the boiler to full pressure,
900 PSI.
And he demonstrated it
over a range of 100 feet.
He could smash a hole
in 11 one-inch planks.
[rapid gunfire]
[narrator] Perkins'
strange contraption proves
that steam can power a weapon
of extraordinary speed
and accuracy.
It should be
an unmitigated success,
but things don't quite
go to plan.
Even after years of tests
and refinement
by Perkins' son Angier,
the British forces
just aren't interested in it.
They refused
to purchase his device,
and it ends up being just
kind of a demonstration piece.
[narrator] So what goes wrong
for this bizarre gun?
The first obstacle
is a military bogged down
by tradition.
[Dr. Sarah] The British Army
at that time
were not considered
to be early adopters.
So improving
on traditional techniques,
yes, that was accepted,
but the idea of moving
from gunpowder to steam,
that was just too radical.
[narrator] The second problem
is a whopper.
[Dr. Andrew] In order
to fire this thing,
you needed
a five-ton steam boiler
to be lugged around with it
at all times.
This is an incredibly
risky device to be dragging
around the battlefield.
-You got this enormous
pressurized steam boiler.
-[kettle whistling]
It's basically a bomb.
[narrator] The final problem
is by the time Angier
perfects his father's
steam gun,
gunpowder technology
has moved on.
They got rid
of paper cartridges
and managed to come up
with brass cartridges
to store the gunpowder
on the back of the bullet.
And bullets were also
becoming pointed,
which means they were
much more aerodynamic.
That meant much,
much higher speeds,
much longer range,
and critically,
much greater accuracy.
And that means the problems
that the steam guns
were hoping to address
were being solved, and better,
with gunpowder-based
technology.
[narrator] Perkins' creation
doesn't stand a chance.
So, is that the end
of the steam-powered gun?
Not quite.
[narrator] Despite its speed
and power,
this weird 19th century
steam-powered weapon
just can't compete
with gunpowder.
But more than
100 years later,
the British Army finally
find a home for Perkins'
revolutionary ideas.
[Dr. Sascha] In the 1940s,
anti-aircraft guns
were sometimes redeployed
from merchant ships
onto British warships,
leaving the former
quite unprotected
from aircraft attack.
With gunpowder
in somewhat limited supply,
the Department
of Miscellaneous
Weapon Development
turned to a resource
that was readily available
on ships...
steam.
[narrator]
Enter the Holman Projector.
[Dr. Sarah]
The Holman Projector
worked by connecting pipes
to the ship's steam boiler.
Then a grenade was dropped
down the barrel,
and the pressure
from the steam
would shoot the grenade out.
And this
effectively functioned
as an anti-aircraft weapon.
It was an unrifled gun,
and that meant that you could
throw anything down there.
So if you didn't
have a grenade,
you had the option
of a cabbage, a can,
or apparently,
the biggest favorite
was a potato.
[narrator] Making it
the world's first
anti-aircraft spud gun.
And just as Perkins predicted,
it is lethal.
[Dr. Sascha] There are reports
that one sailor
on a merchant ship
called theHighlander,
successfully downed
a German aircraft
using a Holman Projector.
It's not clear
from the reports
whether or not he fired
a potato at it.
[narrator] Finally,
the steam gun has its day,
albeit almost 120 years
after Jacob Perkins
has the idea.
In Mexico's National Museum
of Anthropology
is a strange monolith
from a lost world
with a violent past.
The civilization
that created this object
was almost wiped from history.
[narrator] Now,
we're bringing every detail
of this astonishing artefact
out into the light.
This is the Teocalli Stone.
Cut from volcanic rock,
it stands roughly
four feet tall, three feet
wide, and three feet deep.
It effectively looks like
a model version of a temple.
[narrator] But carved
into every surface
are disturbing images,
eerie figures
with skull-like faces,
weird animals, plants,
and monsters.
They all hint at a gruesome
and violent past.
Waging sacred war
in order to have
the human sacrifices
to, to offer the sun.
[narrator] Is this
a sacrificial altar?
[Dr. Marina]
They would open the chest,
extract the heart,
and make a fire
within the chest.
[narrator] Or are we simply
misreading its purpose?
Just so many different clues
that can be read
in different ways,
and you have to
really read closely
and piece them together
to figure out
what it's all about.
[narrator] What becomes
of the legendary leader
it is created for?
And could it really
have anything to do
with human sacrifice?
1926, Mexico City.
A mysterious object
is unearthed
from the foundations
of the National Palace.
They knew about
this object before,
but it was only in 1926
that they dug it up
and it was able to be examined
fully for the first time.
[narrator] The strange shapes
on the back of this monolith
point archaeologists toward
its legendary creators.
[Jeannette] You see
these carvings with an eagle
with its wings widespread
on top of a cactus.
And that's an image
that most people in Mexico
would recognize today
as it's on the Mexican flag.
[narrator]
It is a 13th century legend.
A group of migrants
are traveling
through the Valley of Mexico.
They are about to transform
Central America.
[eagle squawking]
There was a prophecy
that said that the capital
would be created
when an eagle
was seen standing on a cactus
in the middle of a lake.
And this would end up
being Lake Texcoco
in what is now Mexico City.
[narrator] Archaeologists know
exactly whose legend this is.
[Jeannette] Without any doubt,
this monolith was created
by the Mexicas
of Tenochtitlan.
[narrator] The Mexica
have a more familiar name
for many,
the Aztecs.
Mexico City is built
on the side of their
vast capital, Tenochtitlan.
The modern National Palace
in Mexico was actually built
on top of where the palace
of the ancient rulers
would have been located.
Therefore, this monolith
found in the foundations
of the National Palace
probably belonged
to an important figure
that lived in that palace.
[narrator] Who is this figure?
Can the eerie images
at the top identify him?
[Dr. Marina] On the left,
is the god Huitzilopochtli
which is a god
that is associated
with kingship.
And on the right
is the god Tezcatlipoca
who was the god of night,
but also a god
that was associated
with warriors and with kings.
[narrator] But these strange
carvings reveal more
than Aztec gods.
They could also narrate
historical events
and represent
real historical figures.
So the figure on the right
might also be a real ruler.
[narrator] This image
holds clues to the identity
of that ruler.
[Caroline]
It shows a diadem,
a little crown,
and a nose plug,
And those are symbols
of rule in Aztec culture.
[narrator] Experts believe
this all points to one person,
the most legendary
and ruthless
of all Aztec leaders.
In other pictographic sources,
those symbols are often
associated with Moctezuma II.
[narrator] And they don't
come bigger than Moctezuma II.
He ruled from 1502 to 1520,
taking the Aztec Empire
to the height of its power,
ruling over 5,000,000 people
across 80,000 square miles.
Moctezuma II is this
almost mythical figure.
He had this enormous zoo,
and there is evidence
for this.
He has great luxury
that he lives in.
Supposedly, he has hundreds
of wives and children.
He's a figure that not only
has enormous power,
but goes to great lengths
to promote himself
as a figure of power
and authority.
[narrator] An object of
extraordinary craftsmanship,
made for the greatest leader
of one of the most remarkable
civilizations of the Americas.
What is the purpose
of this strange thing?
[narrator]
This strange monolith
is created for the fabled
Aztec leader Moctezuma II.
But what is it?
[Jeannette] The shape of it.
The lines representing steps.
It's unmistakable
when you compare it
to known temples
of the period.
It effectively looks like
a model version of a temple.
[narrator] Scale models
of temples are not unusual
in Mexica society.
But there is something strange
about this one.
[Dr. Marina] Across the
empire, we have been able
to find smaller models.
[narrator] These scale models
are usually just
a few inches tall.
None of them
are as large as this one.
[narrator]
The four-foot tall Teocalli
is a giant in comparison.
Some experts think
there's a very good reason
for its oversized proportions.
[Dr. Marina] On top
of some of these models
are gods sitting on them
as if they were sitting
on thrones.
So the Teocalli is not just
a representation of a temple,
but the throne for a god.
[narrator] The Teocalli
is now known by another name,
the Throne of Moctezuma II.
But there is a problem
with this idea.
In this period,
thrones were most usually
made of reeds.
It's not a chair society.
You sat on a fabulous
reed mat.
I think it's unlikely
that Moctezuma
actually sat on it.
[narrator] Some scholars
believe it could be
a symbolic throne,
a token of power,
rather than a real one.
But close examination
of the other bizarre symbols
reveals a much more
disturbing explanation
for this strange thing.
Experts believe this circle
at the top of the monolith
is a solar disc.
A calendar that charts
the 52-year Mexica cycle
of life and death.
[Jeannette] According to
Mexica traditions,
the sun had already
been swallowed up
four times prior,
and during Moctezuma's reign,
this was the fifth sun.
And in order to ensure
that the sun always
comes back up after night,
you have to appease it
with blood sacrifice.
And that's what the symbolism
there is about,
waging sacred war
in order to have
the human sacrifices
to offer the sun.
[narrator] This idea
has given the monolith
a second name.
[Jeannette] When renowned
Mexican archaeologist
Alfonso Caso
first sees the monolith,
he names it the
Teocalli de la
Guerra Sagrada,
which in English means
Temple of the Sacred War.
[narrator] And other
mysterious symbols
carved on the monolith
can narrow down exactly
when this strange relic
is made
and exactly what it is for.
On the front of the monolith
are two date glyphs.
One rabbit.
And two reed.
And those symbolized
1506 and 1507
in our modern-day calendar.
[narrator] These dates
point to the most
critical event
in the whole 52-year
Mexica calendar...
the New Fire Ceremony.
It has just one goal...
preventing the end
of the world...
through human sacrifice.
The priest would
congregate on a temple
and sacrifice a victim.
They would open the chest,
extract the heart,
and make a fire
within the chest
of this victim
that would symbolize
the creation of the new fire
of the new era.
If the fire worked,
that indicated that everything
was going to go well.
If it didn't work,
then it was
the end of the world.
[narrator] To the people
who made this strange object,
human sacrifice
is actually about
preserving life.
It wasn't seen as a punishment
or as a vengeful action.
In fact, the gods demanded
this blood sacrifice,
and the ruler
had a responsibility
to provide human sacrifice
in order to ensure
the survival of your people.
[narrator] But rather than
simply commemorating
Moctezuma's New Fire Ceremony,
could this bizarre
stone monolith
have played a vital
and bloody part in it?
We think of altars
as being big tables.
But Aztec sacrificial altar
is actually quite pointed,
similar to the top
of the Teocalli,
because the way that sacrifice
is most often conducted
is that four priests
hold the arms and legs
of the person
and pull them back
to stretch the chest up
so that they can easily
remove the heart
from the chest cavity.
There isn't any residue
of blood as far as I know.
But it's not impossible
it was a sacrificial altar.
[narrator] Is this
extraordinary object
the last thing victims see
before their hearts
are torn out?
Or is it simply a throne
for a legendary leader?
For now, its true purpose
remains a mystery.
One thing we do know
is that whatever the outcome
of Moctezuma's
New Fire Ceremony,
it does turn out to be
the end of the world.
[thunder rumbling]
In 1519, barely a decade
after Moctezuma's
New Fire Ceremony,
the Spanish
conquistadors arrive.
[Caroline] Hernan Cortes
besieges Tenochtitlan.
And what happens then
is the most
incredible destruction
because the Mexica
refused to surrender.
So Cortes ends up
having to advance
through the city
destroying buildings
as he goes.
It's an absolute massacre.
[narrator] Moctezuma II's life
ends in tragedy.
And so does the Mexica Empire.
[Caroline] Ten years after
the Spanish invasion,
something like 90%
of the Aztec Mexica people
are dead either
through violence or disease.
It's the most astonishing
decimation of populations.
[narrator]
And the Christian invaders
rewrite Mexica history
to create a highly exaggerated
bloodthirsty legend.
[Caroline] Because the Spanish
are so obsessed
with human sacrifice
as a justification
for the conquest,
and because it seems so alien
to us now,
we often see the Aztecs
through this narrow lens
of sacrificial violence.
We seem them
as this bloodthirsty culture.
But the reality
is that they believe
if they don't sacrifice humans
to the gods,
the world will come to an end.
[narrator] The truth behind
Mexica ritual
is buried in the
conquistadors' obsession
with sacrifice...
just like this
mysterious monolith
tribute to a godlike king...
which ends up lost
beneath the foundations
of Mexico City.