Child Sacrifice
The priests of Carthage sacrificed babies to Baal. Or at least… that’s the accepted history. Do the children’s bones tell a different story?
Tunisia
Episode Premiere: THURSDAY May 2nd at 9PM. Repeat broadcast: Friday 3rd at 7PM, Saturday 4th at 8PM
Established within a 19th Century palace, the museum features thousands of artifacts from excavations carried out throughout Tunisia, that date from the nation’s Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
In this episode we expose Hollywood myths about Roman Gladiators, then find out if historical reports of child sacrifice are myths as well. We fire Roman catapults to test their killing power, then meet a camel whisperer to discover how he convinces camels to take him where he wants to go. We climb a mountain to survey Roman era waterworks, then meet a Star Wars super-fan as he discovers the connection between his favouritesci-fi franchise and the culture of a desert land.
Secrets revealed in this episode
Star Wars
What’s the connection between an ancient desert culture and a blockbuster movie?
Survival in the Desert
How do you survive a journey through the Sahara desert?
Catapult Versus Carthage
Did Roman catapults knock down the walls of Carthage, or were they used for a different purpose?
The Real Gladiators
In the movies, gladiators fear the lions, fight to the finish, and if they lose… they pray for the Emperor’s thumbs up sign. But what were their lives and deaths really like?
Roman Bath
In a dry land, water is god. And the Romans who built the city of Tunis required a lot of water to quench their thirst and fill their public baths. Unfortunately, the closest major source was 60 kilometers away. How did the Romans get their water?
