What Lies Beneath: Roman Empire (series)

[caesar novus]

Is it worth having a discussion area for the Discovery Science TV docu-series "What Lies Beneath: Roman Empire"? I think it is getting rarer to have such a series, and maybe some don't have it available. Also it seems to have a weak presence online, and hard to tell what episode will come when (doesn't appear in the same timeslot next week).

 

Anyway it seems to be an extension of a recent documentary on Egyptian archeology guided from computer processed satellite photos. Now the same researcher is panning around the whole Roman empire and knocking archeo-collegues off their chairs by what a few photo hen scratching appear to suggest about ancient villages etc. I'm not sure any great answers are made, but at least good questions... and some cool site visits or computer recreations that look scrumptious in HD.

 

First episode focused on Ostia. Visited the hexagon port now inland, and eventually tramped around the surrounding wastelands. The photos suggested various canals (remind you of Mars?) such as a shortcut to Rome along the winding Tiber. I would guess the function isn't as they said to relieve congestion so much as to allow animals to haul the barges from paths alongside against the current, then riding the river current on the way down (riding higher over sandbars, etc).

 

She found a possible extra warehouse area (yawn) and an oval interpreted as an amphitheater on the far outskirts of Ostia. Some hen scratching was suggested as the famous lighthouse, which they scaled using the base size to estimate about 35 stories in height. I guess the harbor was expanded by Trajan, so they took a sidetrip about his attacks on Rumania. The harbor received grain from inland Tunisia, so they used photo hen scratchings to ID an unknown inland fort to protect this. Those site visits were very brief... I almost preferred the unusual peeks of Rome proper thrown in.

 

Some OxBridge accents had to chime in for the obligatory rants against Rome as a fascist bully... the architecture of large boatsheds and big Trajan statue supposedly being aimed at psychological terror of visiting diplomats. What diplomats did they need to impress, and do we even know the height or flavor of that disappeared architecture? 

 

Isn't most of Roman architecture alternatively understandable as an expression of societal pride and morale building? Anyway not like modern dictatorship architecture; here are quotes from Dom Joly's "Dark Tourist" book on visiting Pyongyang: "It was the usual, ugly, brutalist architecture so loved by totalitarian regimes." ... "I wondered if anyone had attempted a picturesque dictatorship."

 

I note that public architecture/facilities/parks in the US often have prominent plaques giving credit to the mayor or governor. This seems strange when you realize that they aren't desperate for re-election... it's almost impossible to kick out incumbents, and it isn't always big egos. Rather, I think it is more more trying to gather of support of the majority who benefit a little bit from these improvements VS. the whiner self centered activists and the powerful not-in-my-backyard obstructionists that the mayor or whoever had to fight to get anything done. A canal thru the backyard of my villa... death to Trajan!  I think today's plaques imply: It almost killed me to get this obviously beneficial thing done; I had to call in all my favors and still may get stabbed in the back, so give this project some props and support me to do more of this.

 

And they went on to depict Rome as a chronic military and administrative bully, although this was done with such a skeleton crew (150k soldiers they said) that statically they would be absolutely lost among the millions of Roman citizens.

Edited August 14, 2013 by caesar novus

[gilius]

Do you have episode info on this? I found the first episode. There is a UK version as well named Rome's Lost Empire, but as for episode 2+ in either incarnation...?

[GhostOfClayton]

The UK version was a one off. If you have a look back through the 'Coming Up Next' topic, you won't have to go back too far to find a review. Sorry, can't insert a link using this iPhone app.

[caesar novus]

Our version excludes the energetic Dan snow, except for a minute in Romania, where he was strangely dominant over the women who is OUR onscreen focus (non)personality... Hosted by a dull disembodied voice instead. They promised specific other site visits in coming episodes, but I don't see it scheduled yet. Maybe the advertisers are boycotting our bland version after seeing results. My recording cut off the end credits that might explain the origin of our series, which has content but no sizzle.

Edited August 16, 2013 by caesar novus