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Secrets of Lost Empires I—Inca
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Program Overview
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Ancient structures may generate awe and provide information about
the people who built them, but they leave many questions unanswered:
How were they constructed? What technologies were available to the
builders? What tools did they use?
In this four-part mini series, NOVA brings together experts from
diverse fields to reconstruct how these monuments might have been
built. For each structure, individual teams are challenged to create
a scale model using the materials and scientific knowledge thought
to be available at the time of original construction (although at
times they resort to modern methods). By applying their knowledge of
each culture, their expertise in building techniques, and a process
of trial and error, the teams attempt to reconstruct these ancient
technological wonders.
Inca
 Even without such technological advances as wheels, arches, draft
animals, iron tools, or a system of writing, the
Inca—utilizing a tradition of shared labor—achieved a
number of engineering feats. The NOVA team explores both stonework
and bridge building, experimenting with dragging and fitting huge
stones, and working with the people of an Andean village to create a
suspension bridge made only of grass ropes.
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