All language subtitles for Ancient Top 10 Series 1 4of9 Ancient Ships 720p

- This week on
"Ancient Top 10,"

a ship that carried more men

than a modern day
aircraft carrier.

- Its deck was bigger than
an American football field.

Get your mind around
what it would take

to build something like that.

- The "Titanic"
of the ancient world.

- It was the most luxurious
passenger ship

that had ever been built.

- A lethal torpedo ship
that saved a nation.

- The trireme is the epitome of
ancient naval warfare.

- A 2,000-year-old ship
with technology onboard

that's still in use today.

- They are so opulent.
They are so extraordinary.

They are such remarkable feats
of engineering.

- And the first ironclad vessel
in history.

- This was
an unbelievable ship.

The beast of the east.

- The most advanced naval
designs of their time.

Where will they be ranked
on the only top ten list

thousands of years
in the making?

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

The spread of trade, culture,
and civilization,

land grabs and invasions--

so much in the ancient world
was influenced by ships.

- One thing that separates
humans from the rest of

the natural world is
our desire and our ability

to explore around us,
and in the ancient world,

that could not have been done
without amazing ships.

- Thousands of years ago,

waterways were an essential
part of life.

And the key to
military dominance.

- We tend to think of seas
as boundaries,

but actually, if you lived in
any ancient civilization,

these were the highways.

If you could rule the waves,
then basically

you could rule your world.

- This week's
"Ancient Top Ten"...

it's ancient ships.

The most astonishing vessels,
ranked according

to how advanced they were
for their time.

Coming straight in
at number ten...

♪ ♪

The devastating
Phoenician fireship.

- The fireship, it's been
used throughout history.

It's simple.

You steer a floating firebomb
at your enemy.

[explosion]

- During the 4th century B.C.,

Alexander the Great
was at war with the Phoenicians.

He attacked their
island city of Tyre.

- It was a strategic port in
what is now Lebanon,

on the coast of
the Mediterranean Sea.

Alexander wanted to expand the
Macedonian Empire into Asia,

and conquering Tyre
was the key.

- In order to reach it,
he built a giant causeway

and was pushing two huge
siege towers across it.

However, the Phoenicians had
a trick of their own.

They counter-attacked with
a Phoenician fireship.

- The timber frames
of the towers

would make them
highly vulnerable

to this ingenious,
floating weapon.

- The design of
a fireship is actually

surprisingly difficult,
because ships are made of wood

and they're made of wet wood,
which tends to put fires out,

so the fire has to breathe to
allow it to carry on burning,

and the Phoenicians faced up

to that design problem
and absolutely nailed it.

- The Phoenicians took
an old cargo ship

and filled it with
combustible material.

There were two masts
and they hung cauldrons

full of flammable liquids
from them.

They lit the whole thing on fire
and drove it into the causeway.

- The back of the ship
was weighed down

so that the bow was raised

and could make contact
with the siege towers.

On impact, the the cauldrons
spilled their contents,

fueling the flames and causing
a massive explosion.

[explosion]

There was
a 500-foot-wide firestorm.

- Alexander's men
were jumping into the sea

to escape the flames,
but there was no escape,

because the sea itself
was on fire.

- The brilliance of
the Phoenician design

was in creating a floating
chemical firebomb

that could stay lit,
even in water.

It's theorized that bees wax,
animal fat,

and other buoyant but flammable
ingredients were used,

but we don't know for sure.

It's a clever,
ancient mystery.

- The Phoenician fireship was
the first recorded use

of the fireship in history,
and what an impressive design.

Sailors fear nothing more
than fire at sea

because there's nowhere to run,

and the basic idea and design

of the Phoenician fireship

was copied for millennia.

- A floating weapon of fire
which could attack

large targets at close range.

It showed the importance of
controlling the sea

as well as land
during invasions.

And gave power-grabbing
dictators in the ancient world

a new way to expand
their empires.

Just the fireship on its own
would have been a contender

for our top ten countdown.

But the explosive Phoenician
fireship is guaranteed a place.

♪ ♪

Another ship powering its way
on to our list

is a Nordic warrior of stealth,

used to inflict terror on
unsuspecting enemies.

Sailing in at number nine...

♪ ♪

The Viking longship.

- Scandinavia in Europe,
1,000 years ago,

home to the Vikings.

They were fearless explorers

and soldiers of the sea.

- People often think of
the Vikings as these

axe-wielding barbarians.

They were very tough fighters,

but they were
incredible navigators,

and the Viking age
would not have happened

without the longboat.

- The name "Viking" means
"a pirate raid,"

and that's exactly what
they did throughout Europe

with one of
the greatest ships ever.

- The Vikings were
masters of surprise.

Sailing right to the shore,

they could storm the enemy.

They were feared for
their slaughter and violence,

spilling the blood of priests,

even human trafficking.

They repeatedly
targeted monasteries

lying on remote areas
of the British coast

because they held
treasure troves of wealth.

And for this,
they needed a boat

capable of traveling
long distances quickly.

- They could reach a top speed
of 15 knots,

which is faster than anything
else on the sea at the time,

and it's true that the Vikings
simply couldn't have achieved

what they managed to achieve
without their longships.

♪ ♪

- The Vikings weren't
interested in naval warfare,

that is, you know,
ships fighting out at sea.

What they were interested in
was raiding enemy territory.

- And the ships they built were
perfect for the job in hand.

- The awesome design
of the Viking longship

meant they could travel
in just three feet of water.

No shoreline was safe
from Viking attack.

- It had a very shallow draft
and flat bottom.

That meant the ship could sail
close to the coast

and also way up into
the river systems.

- On one occasion, the Vikings
managed to row and sail

over 100 miles inland
and they attacked Paris,

which absolutely shocked
the whole of Europe.

- And the Vikings demanded
a ransom to leave.

The French King had to pay
5,700 pounds

in weight of silver
to get rid of them.

[all screaming]

Light and strong,
some could even be carried

to maneuver around obstacles
blocking their way.

The biggest could hold 60 men
and was 100 feet long.

[lightning crashing]

At the bow of the ship was
often a dragon's head.

It scared off the evil spirits
of the sea

and earned them the name
"dragonships."

There was one other feature
of the longship

that was
particularly ingenious.

- It had no front or rear,
both ends were identical.

And that meant it could
run up the beach,

Vikings could jump out,
do battle,

jump back in the ship,
and head out to sea

without turning the boat around.

- The Vikings then had two ways
to make a swift exit,

either by oars or sail.

♪ ♪

The sail made the longships
travel faster and further

with far less manual effort.

But oars were used near
the coast or in a river

to gain speed quickly,
or when the wind was low.

During raids, the
unpredictability of the wind

made rowing the better method
to make an escape.

- They weren't just brilliant
for these quick strikes.

They were also perfect
for long sea voyages,

which gave the Vikings
a huge reach.

It meant that no one
was safe from them.

- One epic journey
led to the Vikings becomingny

the first Europeans
to visit America,

nearly 500 years
before Columbus.

It's believed that Viking
explorer Leif Ericson

was blown off course when
he travelled a staggering

7,000 miles with his crew.

He landed on Vinland,
what is now Canada,

and the North American natives
were superior in number

and fierce in combat.

He didn't settle there for long
and was never to return

to North American shores again.

- Ships were so important
to the Vikings,

they also used them to honor
their most prominent people.

After an important Viking died,
they would be placed

in a specially-made burial ship

and surrounded by
their weapons, jewelry,

even sacrificed slaves.

This would be set alight,

in order to lead them into
a successful afterlife.

♪ ♪

The longship was a marvel
of engineering design

that was both
durable and fast,

and opened up a world
of untold riches.

♪ ♪

- Coming up, a Chinese symbol
of opulence and power,

forming the largest armada the
ancient world had ever seen.

♪ ♪

And a military warship
used by the Romans

that was a weapon of stealth
and surveillance.

♪ ♪

[dramatic music]

- Welcome back to
"Ancient Top Ten's"

top ten ancient ships,
ranked by experts,

according to how advanced
the ships were for their time.

Coming in at number eight...

♪ ♪

The extraordinary Chinese junk.

- The true mark
of a fantastic design

has to be longevity,
and that's why

the Chinese junk's
in my top ten.

It hasn't just been around for
centuries, but for millennia.

It's one of those perfect
maritime designs.

♪ ♪

- The word "junk" simply comes
from a Chinese word

for "boat" or "ship."

It's the longest-lasting
ship design,

having been used constantly
since the 2nd century A.D.

Six centuries ago,
Chinese Admiral Zheng He

used the junks to form
the largest armada

in the ancient world.

Zheng He embarked on seven
epic trading expeditions.

♪ ♪

Nearly 28,000 men
sailed on 317 ships.

♪ ♪

The junk was versatile
and adaptable.

It could navigate
rivers and seas.

This was due to
its shallow draft.

- The Chinese junk
had a flat bottomed hull.

This came about because,
surprisingly, for a country

so big, there wasn't
a huge amount of the best

ship-building wood,
so they designed a boat

that would use the least amount
of wood possible.

- Despite the junk's economical
use of materials,

it took armies of craftsmen to
build Zheng He's vast armada.

30,000 carpenters, sailmakers,
and shipbuilders

worked day and night
in the shipyards.

They even lived there.

And they worked on
several design features

that were way ahead
of their time.

- What was extraordinary about
the Chinese junk

was that the sails could
completely rotate

around the mast.

This meant the ship could sail
directly into the wind

just like a modern day yacht.

- Being able to
take advantage of the wind,

rather than be at its mercy,
was vital for the long voyages

taken by Zheng He and his crew.

Also crucial
to their navigation

was another Chinese invention.

- One of the key attributes of
the Chinese junk

is that its rudders could be
lifted up or down.

This allowed it to travel
in shallow or deep water.

It could go
practically anywhere.

- From rivers
to treacherous seas,

the ingenuity of the design of
the junk had no limits.

- Chinese junks
were the first ships to have

internal bulkheads, or walls.

And this was inspired by
the structure of bamboo.

- The shipbuilders noticed that

bamboo stalks were
separated into sections,

which gave them added strength.

They copied this ingenious
design using bulkheads,

which they also realized
could be made watertight.

- Bulkheads separated up
the ship and could be sealed

in case of danger of flooding.

- So if one was damaged,
it could be flooded

and not endanger
the rest of the ship.

- The Chinese were so
innovative, that in the West,

bulkheads weren't introduced
until the age of steamships,

1,000 years later.

Another remarkable feature
of the junk's design

is that it could be
scaled up or down.

From small river craft,
to this.

♪ ♪

This is a life-sized replica
of a 15th century junk

in Zheng He's fleet.

Known as a "treasure ship,"
it's over 400 feet long.

In fact, Zheng He's largest
treasure ship was so big

that all the ships belonging to
Christopher Columbus

could have been stored
on just one deck.

- Each of these Chinese junks
were the size

of a football field,

and fleets of these things were
assembled for massive

long-distance voyages,
for example, to Africa.

Some scholars believe that they
were used to travel across

the Pacific all the way
to the Americas.

A kind of Columbus-type voyage.

- While the showboating junk
was used to attract

awe and attention,
our next ship was designed

to do the exact opposite.

An ancient patrol boat that
surveyed Roman borders,

it was used to deter
a barbaric enemy.

Coming in at number seven...

♪ ♪

The Roman Mainz ships.

♪ ♪

This is the German town of
Mainz on the Rhine River.

In Roman times, it was the
capital of the Roman province

of Germania Superior.

The river was the frontline
between the Roman Empire

and the hostile German tribes
on the other side.

And it's here that a remarkable
discovery was made.

- Back in the 1980s when
some builders were digging

the foundations for a hotel,
they found there in the ground

what turned out to be
one of the most amazing

ancient archaeological
discoveries.

- There were
the remnants of five

extraordinary ancient ships.

They were Roman,
from the 4th century A.D.,

and originally part of
a flotilla of warships

who were protecting
the provincial capital.

- The Mainz ships were
a perfect design solution

to a strategic problem.

The Romans needed to control
rivers within their empire.

- It was clear that they were
sleek and built to be fast.

This is what one of
the Mainz ship looked like,

recreated in a German museum.

70 feet long
and just nine feet wide

with space for 30 oarsmen,

who were protected by shields.

- Mainz ships are
an innovative design.

It's a huge leap forward
in terms of construction.

They built the skeleton first

and then put thin planking
on the outside.

This made it incredibly light
and maneuverable,

exactly what you want for
a river patrol vessel

and exerting power.

This is how we still build ships
today, 1,500 years later.

♪ ♪

- Because they were so light,

they could achieve speeds
of ten knots,

which meant they could race
to block the river

against German boats
at short notice

to protect the capital
against a surprise attack.

♪ ♪

They were also
ramming machines,

targeting enemy fortifications
along the river.

They had a strong stern,
able to withstand impact.

- There were no weak points.

The frame of the ship,
the spine, was crafted

from a solid tree trunk.

The Mainz ships were strong,
they were slim-line, agile,

but they could
punch through anything

they found on the river.

- The Mainz ships
could be manned

with heavily-armed soldiers,

or their design slightly altered
so that they could mount

heavy artillery, like
a ballista, a giant crossbow.

- Soldiers on these boats
might have had

handheld ballistas, too.

One of these has been
discovered in north Germany.

It's one of the rarest
weapon finds in history.

Experts believe it was used
on close-combat ships.

- For the Germanic tribespeople
at the very edge

of the Roman Empire,
this would have been

technological wizardry.

- With the Rhine
as the frontline,

the Romans would have deployed
these fighting boats

in much the same way as
armed river patrol boats

were later used
in the Vietnam War.

American troops used boats to
secure vital waterways,

intercept enemy ships,
and quickly and stealthily

deploy Navy Seals.

But for the Romans,
the Mainz patrol boats

just weren't enough.

- As amazing
as these ships were,

there was only so much
they could do

when they were faced with hordes
of murderous barbarians.

Control of the river was
ultimately lost,

and there were actually
abandoned forts

all along the river.

♪ ♪

- Though the Romans
lost that battle,

they won the war
when it came to innovation.

♪ ♪

Coming up, an all-powerful
floating fortress.

And a brutal ramming ship
that would rule the seas

with a deadly force of
a modern-day torpedo.

It's the "Ancient Top Ten"
countdown.

♪ ♪

- We're counting down
the most awe-inspiring

ancient ships in history,

according to how advanced
they were for their time.

It's no surprise
that we find ourselves

once more in the waters
of ancient China.

Coming in at number six...

♪ ♪

The Chinese tower ship,

the ultimate power in
the Chinese universe.

- The Chinese tower ships must
have been a terrifying sight.

These were floating fortresses
with three decks

packed full of weapons.

- They guarded the country's
huge inland rivers.

Traveling by land was
difficult and dangerous.

Control of the rivers
was the key to power,

and there were 20,000 miles
of them.

- The Chinese Emperor's forces
had to patrol the rivers

to keep order, and they needed
ships to do it,

because if trouble
ever broke out,

it was always
along the river systems,

because that's where the local
kingdoms and power bases were.

- On the mighty River Yangtze
in the 3rd century A.D.,

naval architects
came up with this:

the "tower ship."

Measuring up to 600 feet square

and resembling a castle,
its multiple decks

could carry an entire army.

- Imagine how awe-inspiring
it must have been

to watch this floating fortress
just sail on past.

♪ ♪

- It must have been
absolutely terrifying.

Like having the Death Star
appear on your doorstep.

♪ ♪

- And it allowed the Emperor
to use his force

to oppress any rebellion.

After this colossus,
fortified ships became

a feature on the great
Chinese rivers.

This monstrous example
from the 6th century A.D.

was five stories high.

It even has a massive arm
with a huge weight

to smash enemy boats.

And then there was this beast
from the 5th century A.D.

This bizarre vessel may look
like a big barge,

but it's actually
an ancient warship.

There are no oarsmen.

All the men are hidden
and totally protected.

It's propelling itself across
the river as if by magic.

The Chinese had invented
pedal power.

- Throughout history,
the Chinese have been

at the forefront of
military technology.

- The floating fortresses were
astonishing battleships.

Any one of them could make our
list of ancient ships.

But the greatest of all was
the monster of the Yangtze.

The immense scale of it
makes it beat anything

we've seen so far.

Size doesn't always
win out, though.

Our next ship is smaller,
yet more deadly.

A ramming ship that packs
a brutal punch.

Smashing in at number five...

♪ ♪

The brutal,
terrifying trireme.

- The trireme is the epitome
of ancient naval warfare.

It has to be in the top ten.

- In the 8th century B.C.,
Greece was beginning to emerge

as a powerful civilization
in the ancient world.

Within a few centuries,
classical Greece

was at its height.

Its growth coincided with
the development of this:

the trireme.

- The trireme
was no ordinary ship.

It was one of the most effective
warships of the ancient world.

And they perfected this design
2,500 years ago.

♪ ♪

- The design of the trireme
was so superior

that it made the Greeks
the deadliest force on the seas.

- With a standard length
of 118 feet,

standing 21 feet high
and just 12 feet wide,

it was a sleek, fast
war machine.

And sitting close to
the waterline

was its secret weapon.

- Part of the trireme's design
was this huge copper-clad ram

in the front of the vessel,
and it would use that

to punch holes
in enemy ships and sink them,

making it the equivalent of
a modern day torpedo.

♪ ♪

But for this,
it needed speed,

and the trireme was one of
the fastest ships

on the ancient seas.

- It was thanks to
the unique arrangement

of highly trained oarsman.

This reconstruction of
an ancient Greek trireme

built in the 1980s shows
how effective they were.

170 rowers, 85 a side,

arranged in three levels,

one above the other.

This is why it's called
a trireme,

which means "triple rowed."

By having
the upper rows stick out,

each oarsman can be to the side
of the one above or below,

making it possible for everyone
to row at the same time.

That's three times the power
in every stroke.

This had never
been tried before.

- They would row
at three speeds--

they had cruising speed,
battle speed,

and then ramming speed,
where they would effectively

turn the trireme
into a deadly torpedo,

and you better hope that you
weren't at the receiving end.

♪ ♪

The best example to show
the effectiveness of the trireme

can be found
at the Battle of Salamis.

The Greek ships
were outnumbered

by their Persian enemies,
up to three to one.

And they would've surely lost
if it wasn't for the power

of the awesome trireme.

♪ ♪

The Greek Trireme smashed into
the Persian ships,

effectively winning them
the battle and the war.

Many people actually see this
as the first victory

of democracy over tyranny.

- It led to a period of
Greek cultural growth,

during which it's said
that the basic principles

of today's Western society
were formed.

♪ ♪

This takes us past the halfway
mark of our top ten list

of ship designs
that were so advanced,

they changed the ancient world.

Coming up, an armor-plated,
futuristic vision

from 500 years ago.

And a luxury cruise ship that
was the "Titanic" of its time.

It's the "Ancient Top Ten"
countdown.

♪ ♪

- This is the "Ancient Top Ten"
list of ancient ships,

ranked according to
how advanced they were

for their time.

At number ten, we saw the
explosive Phoenician fireship.

At number nine,
the remarkable Viking longship.

At number eight was
the enduring Chinese junk.

Number seven, the deadly Roman
Mainz boats on river patrol.

And at number six was
the Chinese tower ship.

And at number five,
the lethal trireme.

All of these were made of wood,

but next in our countdown is
something truly revolutionary.

The world's first
ironclad ship.

[explosions]

At number four...

the monstrous turtle ship.

- This was
an unbelievable ship,

the beast of the east,

and it had its own armor,
just like a turtle.

♪ ♪

This was the best-protected ship
there had ever been.

♪ ♪

- In the 16th century,

Korea was under attack

from its historical enemy,
Japan,

and its navy
was outnumbered 30 to 1.

The Korean admiral,
Yi Sun-Sin,

knew that he needed to
come up with something new

and extraordinary.

So he designed something
himself.

And this was it.

This is an exact replica
in a military museum

in Seoul, South Korea.

It was called a "turtle ship"

because of its
protective armor.

- The turtle ship was a 16th
century Korean battleship.

It was covered in metal plates
hundreds of years

before ironclad ships would be
seen in Europe or America.

♪ ♪

- This unique feature
formed an enclosed deck

which protected the ship
and the crew inside.

The metal plates also had
vicious iron spikes

sticking out of them.

In battle, straw mats were used
to hide the spikes,

so that anyone who tried to
attack, got a nasty surprise.

- Not only did the enemies
trying to board the ship

have to deal with
the metal spikes,

there was also
a great dragon's head

that spewed gases
that may have been poisonous.

- The turtle ship was like
nothing else on the sea.

Admiral Yi Sun-Shin actually
describes the release

of noxious gases from the bow
of his turtle ship.

This is incredible.

It's chemical warfare
hundreds of years ago.

- The ship could also unleash
massive firepower.

- The turtle ship
was armed with 14 cannons

positioned all the way
around the ship,

which gave it
a 360-degree field of fire,

and each of those cannon
was incredibly powerful.

It had a range
of up to 1,600 feet,

which was far more powerful than
anything else at the time.

It was by far the most deadly
ship on the sea.

♪ ♪

- The cannon fired missiles
like a weapon

from the 20th century.

And it's possible
that smoke was emitted

to make smoke screens
to hide its movement

from the enemy
in close combat.

The result was that,
when the turtle ships

went into action,
the Japanese took a hammering.

- In one battle,
133 Japanese ships

faced just 12 turtle ships.

And those turtle ships damaged
90 of the Japanese ships

and sank 31 of them.

The Japanese had to flee.

It was one of the most decisive
naval battles in history.

Not one turtle ship sank.

- The design of this
Korean warship

was so advanced for its time,
it saved a nation.

It's no surprise that military
power struggles

have inspired the most
technological innovations

in the ancient world.

But thankfully,
someone also had an eye

on the more
pleasurable side of life.

Our number three is like
a modern day cruise ship.

The extraordinary "Syracusia."

- The ship was the brainchild
of Archimedes,

and essentially
what he's creating

is an ancient "Titanic,"

in terms of luxury and scale.

This is a new experience on
the sea like never before,

and this construction
is so luxurious,

it's like the first cruise ship.

- In the 3rd century B.C.,
the city of Syracuse

on the island of Sicily
was home to one of

the greatest minds of all time,

the extraordinary inventor,
Archimedes.

Not only was he one of
the world's greatest

mathematicians, but he created
some incredible technology.

He thought up a giant claw
that could reach out

from the walls of Syracuse to
tear enemy ships from the sea,

a steam cannon
that could fire missiles

at a frightening speed,

and possibly an ancient
solar death ray,

which turned the sun into
a scorching laser beam

that could set ships on fire.

It's also thought that
he designed this:

the "Syracusia."

Quite possibly the world's
first cruise ship.

- Historical sources tell us
that the "Syracusia"

was the height of luxury.

It had a gymnasium, library,
and apartments.

♪ ♪

- It was the most luxurious
passenger ship

that had ever been built.

It was filled with paintings
and statues,

bronze bath tubs,
even irrigated flowerbeds.

It's been estimated that it was
up to 360 feet long,

and it would take the same
amount of timber to build it

as it would to build a fleet
of 60 triremes.

- And inside this
floating palace

was yet more of the amazing
inventions of Archimedes.

One of his most famous
of all time--

and it would make the
difference between success

or fatal failure
of the "Syracusia."

And it's coming up on TV's most
"Ancient Top Ten."

♪ ♪

[thunder rumbling]

- The most incredible ships
sailed the seas centuries ago,

exploring virgin lands,
invading new territories,

forming and re-shaping empires.

But a cruise ship?

That isn't something
normally associated

with the ancient world.

Then again,
it's a world full of surprises.

♪ ♪

At number three
in our countdown

is the "Syracusia,"
a luxury liner

from the 3rd century B.C.,

and the brainchild of
the Greek genius, Archimedes.

- Not only was "Syracusia"
luxurious, but it was armed.

It had a catapult
designed by Archimedes

that could throw
a massive 180-pound stone.

Nobody was gonna
mess with this ship.

- Even if they did,
it wouldn't go down easily.

The "Syracusia" had on board
the Archimedes Screw,

one of his most famous
inventions,

that pumped water uphill.

- In fact, it's possible
that Archimedes invented

his famous screw as
a fundamental solution

to pumping water
out of the "Syracusia."

Amazingly, it's believed that
this mega-ship was kept afloat

by one man operating
the bilge pump.

All this is owed to Archimedes.

- For its technology alone,
the "Syracusia" was already

way ahead of the game.

But the added features of
passenger comfort and pleasure

made it even more advanced.

Together, they earn it
a well-deserved

place on our list.

♪ ♪

We're nearing
the top of our countdown

of the most awe-inspiring
and technologically advanced

ships of ancient times.

Up next,
A titan of the sea.

A ship built to blow the
"Syracusia" out of the water

in a deadly game of
one-upmanship

by its ancient
Egyptian Pharaoh.

At number two...

it's the "forty."

- Ancient sources describe
the forty as being massive.

420 feet long,
4,000 rowers,

and 3,000 soldiers.

- The forty was one of the
largest ships of ancient times.

It is possibly the biggest
human powered vessel--

and wooden ship--in history.

And how did it do this?

- The only way to build
something this big

is to have a double hull,
like a catamaran.

- Double hull,
double capability.

Everything was super-sized.

But why was this
monster of the sea built?

Partly because of the number
three on our list,

the luxury Greek liner,
the "Syracusia."

This spectacle of
wealth and power

ignited a rivalry in Egypt.

- The Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy
was not gonna be outdone

by "Syracusia," so he built
a bigger ship,

and that ship was the forty.

- But the forty
was no pleasure cruise.

- Ptolemy IV's ship was a huge
troop carrier.

Its deck was bigger than
an American football field.

Think about this,
if you could move troops

en-masse to a conflict you could
control any part of the world.

It was basically an ancient
aircraft carrier.

♪ ♪

- In fact, sources say
its crew was 7,500 men.

♪ ♪

That's more than
any modern ship--

2,000 more than
the USS Roosevelt.

- The forty got its name from
the fact that it had

40 banks of rowers.

Get your mind around
what it would take

to build something like that.

You need the engineers
and the construction laborers,

but you also need
all those raw materials.

This was no small feat.

- And it was built to be
superior on many more levels.

It also had the potential to be
a giant weapon itself.

It weighed nearly 4,000 tons.

Smaller ships wouldn't have
stood a chance.

- In ancient times, harbors had
chains to protect them

from enemy ships.

But they would
have been useless

when up against
the forty.

It's even possible
it could have been used

to crush the
harbor walls themselves.

- The sheer bulk of it would
have been a power unmatched

in the ancient world.

- But how was this behemoth
maneuvered around?

It seems an impossible task.

The rowers on the upper tiers

somehow had to work oars--
an incredible 57 feet long.

- One of the biggest mysteries
about the forty

is how they fit 4,000 people
inside the ship

and then coordinated
their rowing.

We still don't know how they
did it and we may never know.

♪ ♪

Coming up,
it's our number one.

♪ ♪

With under-floor heating,
ball bearings,

and incredible technology--

and built by one of the most

sadistic Roman Emperors ever.

♪ ♪

- This is "Ancient Top Ten's"
list of incredible

ancient ships,
based on how advanced they were

for their time.

♪ ♪

At number ten was the
terrifying Phoenician fireship.

♪ ♪

At number nine was the sleek,
stealthy Viking longship.

♪ ♪

The pearl of the east,
the Chinese junk,

was at number eight.

And at number seven,
the lethal Roman patrol boats

on the River Rhine.

At number six, the massive
floating fortress from China.

♪ ♪

And at number five,
the devastating torpedo ship,

the trireme.

Number four was
the extraordinary

Korean turtle ship.

And number three,
the remarkable luxury liner,

the "Syracusia."

Number two,
the monster of the seas,

the forty.

But now it's time for
the most advanced

ancient ship design
of all.

When it was discovered
by archaeologists,

they simply couldn't
believe their eyes.

Not just one but two
breathtaking ships

found side by side.

At number one...

♪ ♪

The exceptional Nemi ships.

- The Nemi ships--
the most awe-inspiring

ancient ships ever.

- They come from the greatest,
most advanced civilization

of the ancient world:
Rome.

Its emperors were all powerful
and they competed

to be the most outrageous,
the most extravagant,

the most magnificent.

- I can't express to you enough
how much Roman emperors

believed in themselves.

They were the masters
of the universe.

They believed they were gods.

- It's not surprising, then,
that the 20th century

fascist leader of Italy,
Benito Mussolini,

looked back nostalgically
to those times.

And the fanciful dreaming of
a modern-day dictator

led to one of the most amazing
discoveries ever.

♪ ♪

It was here, at Lake Nemi,

a small volcanic lake
just south of Rome.

"Drain it," said Mussolini.

Why?

Because he knew that beneath
its surface

lay something extraordinary:

the biggest ruins
of ancient ships ever found.

- The Nemi ships are
an incredible discovery.

It's safe to say they are the
Pompeii of maritime archaeology.

- What they discovered showed
two of the most

technologically advanced ships
of ancient times.

They were the result of
one man's superhuman ego,

and he was the most infamous
Roman emperor of them all.

- The most power crazy
of the emperors?

Caligula.

He was determined to show off
his god-like powers

by being the most extravagant
and the most outrageous.

♪ ♪

- From this power-crazy madness
came something

absolutely incredible.

- These were Caligula's
wonder ships,

both nearly 250 feet long.

- One was a temple ship
where you could worship

the goddess Diana.

But the other was a party ship

where you could see Caligula
in his true light.

- He lived a hedonistic life.

His debauchery and sexual
depravity knew no bounds.

- Caligula said he desired
nothing as much as that

which was impossible,
and the Nemi ships are really

an incarnation of that idea.

They are so opulent.
They are so extraordinary.

They are such remarkable feats
of engineering.

So they seemed to
really encapsulate

Caligula's excessive,
slightly split personality.

- Emperor Caligula was trying
to outdo all the ships

that had come previously.

The Nemi ships were fitted with
the latest technology.

Bilge pumps, under-floor
heating, ball bearings.

We're talking almost
2,000 years ago.

These ships were packed with
the latest tech.

- Ball bearings were unheard of
in the ancient world.

They might have been part of a
spectacular, magically rotating

statue of the goddess Diana.

They weren't seen again until
almost 1,500 years later

with Leonardo da Vinci.

And even the ship's anchors
were ahead of their time.

- The Nemi ships had anchors
made of iron rather than wood.

This was a first, and it goes to
show how forward-thinking

the designers of this
incredible ship were.

- Iron was a much more
effective material to use.

And the innovation
didn't stop there.

There were incredible
chain bilge pumps,

next seen over
1,000 years later.

Super advanced plumbing
with piston pumps

for hot and cold water--only
re-invented in the Middle Ages.

But the ships were so high-spec
that building them

almost bankrupted Rome.

- It's not known quite why
the ships were left to sink,

but after their recovery
from the lake,

the Italians built
a huge museum to house them.

Tragically,
it was largely destroyed

in the devastation of
World War II.

But just the few remaining
artifacts are themselves

technological wonders.

♪ ♪

- There's no question that
the Nemi ships

brilliantly project
the decadence

and the extravagant power
of Rome.

And that's why they have to be
number one in our top ten.

♪ ♪

- The shipbuilders of antiquity
came up with a huge array

of fantastic ships.

Their pioneering work
thousands of years ago

gave us designs which are still
in use today.

The ships in our top ten show
us that the ancient world

was filled with technology,
and with each new

archaeological discovery,
we find it was more advanced

than we ever thought possible.

♪ ♪