Not being a history, engineering, or architecture buff, I didn’t see what I could take away or find of interest in the pilot episode of “Engineering an Empire.” Spinning off from the special “Engineering an Empire” in Rome, the series will now chronicle historical accounts of architectural landmarks from all civilizations and discuss monuments, buildings, fortresses, and dams.
The first episode, a two hour special, involves the ancient Egyptians and their revolutionary constructs that set the precedent for many other future architects who continue to marvel at the designs they set forth. You may not know this, but Ancient Egyptians designed and created the first tallest building, possess the oldest dam in existence, the first stone mega-structures, and used stone bricks before Americans ever thought of it. Within the series premiere marks some rather fascinating facts about the rulers of Egyptian empires and their innovative thinking in creating tombs and landmarks in their own honor, one of which involves a female pharaoh who dressed as a man to keep from being looked down upon, and is suspected of being killed by the rightful heir to the throne.
Hosted by Peter Weller, who seems to take a genuine interest in the chronicles, we venture through the building process, and discover how the structures were planned and built, and the possible methods they used before machines and technology came into play. Weller also manages to venture into some of the tombs and shows how ahead of their time the empire was in creating tombs with tunnels that acted as mazes to ward off tomb robbers, and how, to support the weight of the structure’s walls, the rooms were basically inverted pyramids.
This series will prove to be a rewarding tool for teachers, and the curious channel surfer. I took a lot away from this series premiere and I’m not even interested in this topic. Imagine what history buffs with an interest in architecture will feel.
Now playing on the History Channel. Check your Local Listings.