1
00:00:01,044 --> 00:00:02,544
[Corey] What made this machine
one of the most
2
00:00:02,578 --> 00:00:05,047
dangerous weapons in the world?
3
00:00:05,081 --> 00:00:08,817
The Germans were convinced
that they had created
4
00:00:08,851 --> 00:00:11,620
the holy grail of cryptography.
5
00:00:11,654 --> 00:00:13,321
[Corey] How could there be
a carving
6
00:00:13,356 --> 00:00:14,823
of a modern helicopter
7
00:00:14,857 --> 00:00:17,793
on an ancient
Egyptian inscription?
8
00:00:17,827 --> 00:00:20,595
[Rebecca] These shapes,
they're instantly recognizable
9
00:00:20,630 --> 00:00:21,797
but they are ancient,
10
00:00:21,831 --> 00:00:23,765
they are thousands of years old.
11
00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:26,668
[Corey] And can this
800-year-old device
12
00:00:26,702 --> 00:00:30,739
covered in strange sayings
really predict the future?
13
00:00:30,773 --> 00:00:33,675
[Kevin] "In me are strange
and hidden things",
14
00:00:33,709 --> 00:00:37,179
I am the revealer of secrets."
15
00:00:39,515 --> 00:00:41,616
[Corey]
These are the most remarkable
16
00:00:41,651 --> 00:00:44,086
and mysterious objects on Earth,
17
00:00:45,588 --> 00:00:46,655
hidden away in museums,
18
00:00:46,689 --> 00:00:50,058
laboratories and storage rooms.
19
00:00:51,427 --> 00:00:53,662
Now, new research and technology
20
00:00:53,696 --> 00:00:56,364
can get under their skin
like never before.
21
00:00:58,434 --> 00:01:01,269
We can rebuild them,
22
00:01:01,304 --> 00:01:05,373
pull them apart, and zoom in
23
00:01:05,408 --> 00:01:08,243
to reveal the unbelievable,
24
00:01:09,579 --> 00:01:11,480
the ancient,
25
00:01:11,514 --> 00:01:13,248
and the truly bizarre.
26
00:01:14,884 --> 00:01:19,054
These are the world's
Strangest Things.
27
00:01:28,664 --> 00:01:31,333
This unassuming
80-year-old device
28
00:01:31,367 --> 00:01:32,501
looks like a typewriter
29
00:01:32,535 --> 00:01:34,469
fitted into a plain wooden box.
30
00:01:35,872 --> 00:01:40,642
But it is one of the greatest
secret weapons in history.
31
00:01:40,676 --> 00:01:42,410
[Sascha] What we are looking at
32
00:01:42,444 --> 00:01:44,546
is one of the most successful
33
00:01:44,580 --> 00:01:48,383
and most powerful
codemaking machines.
34
00:01:49,819 --> 00:01:53,488
[Corey] Now using cutting edge
digital technology,
35
00:01:53,523 --> 00:01:56,191
we can bring it to life.
36
00:01:57,426 --> 00:02:00,562
[dramatic music playing]
37
00:02:00,596 --> 00:02:03,532
[Corey] And reveal
its mystifying inner workings
38
00:02:03,566 --> 00:02:06,434
like never before.
39
00:02:06,469 --> 00:02:09,804
This is the Enigma machine.
40
00:02:09,839 --> 00:02:14,376
Measuring just six inches tall
by eleven inches wide.
41
00:02:14,410 --> 00:02:17,512
Inside is a complex network
of wires
42
00:02:17,547 --> 00:02:20,215
connecting switches and rotors.
43
00:02:20,249 --> 00:02:23,285
Each rotor and plug
can be set in a vast number
44
00:02:23,319 --> 00:02:25,587
of different combinations.
45
00:02:25,621 --> 00:02:28,290
It's a revolutionary technology
46
00:02:28,324 --> 00:02:29,691
built on thousands of years
47
00:02:29,725 --> 00:02:32,627
of codemaking and codebreaking.
48
00:02:32,662 --> 00:02:36,631
An encryption machine
considered uncrackable.
49
00:02:36,666 --> 00:02:38,567
[Andrew] There are
over 150 million,
50
00:02:38,601 --> 00:02:40,802
million, million combinations.
51
00:02:40,836 --> 00:02:42,737
What that means is that
if you could check one
52
00:02:42,772 --> 00:02:44,839
every second,
it would take over 300 times
53
00:02:44,874 --> 00:02:48,076
the age of the universe
to crack the code.
54
00:02:48,644 --> 00:02:50,545
[Corey] How does it work?
55
00:02:50,580 --> 00:02:52,681
What is its fatal flaw?
56
00:02:52,715 --> 00:02:56,318
What is the Enigma machine?
57
00:02:58,854 --> 00:03:02,257
At first glance,
it may not look like much.
58
00:03:03,559 --> 00:03:05,360
[Sascha] But looks
can be deceiving.
59
00:03:05,394 --> 00:03:10,398
This humble little device
was the Nazi secret weapon.
60
00:03:11,667 --> 00:03:13,568
[Corey] It's the end result
of an arms race
61
00:03:13,603 --> 00:03:16,938
that has been going on
for thousands of years.
62
00:03:16,973 --> 00:03:20,375
[Philip] The Enigma machine
uses a cipher
63
00:03:20,409 --> 00:03:23,478
and ciphers are
a very ancient device
64
00:03:23,512 --> 00:03:25,714
for encoding
and hiding information
65
00:03:25,748 --> 00:03:27,449
that you don't want
someone else to read.
66
00:03:28,818 --> 00:03:30,719
[Corey] Two and a half
thousands years ago,
67
00:03:30,753 --> 00:03:33,321
ciphers are already common.
68
00:03:35,558 --> 00:03:38,460
The scytale is a device
believed to have been used
69
00:03:38,494 --> 00:03:42,864
by the Spartans
as early as 400 BCE.
70
00:03:42,898 --> 00:03:44,833
[Tamar] They would wrap
a piece of fabric
71
00:03:44,867 --> 00:03:47,569
around the rod and then
write their message
72
00:03:47,603 --> 00:03:50,872
across the fabric so that
when the fabric was unrolled,
73
00:03:50,906 --> 00:03:54,476
it would just look like
a series of letters.
74
00:03:54,510 --> 00:03:57,045
[Corey] But it's got
a fatal flaw.
75
00:03:57,780 --> 00:03:59,781
If you had a rod
of the same size,
76
00:03:59,815 --> 00:04:02,117
you could then
wrap the fabric around
77
00:04:02,151 --> 00:04:05,287
and you'd be able to read
the coded message.
78
00:04:06,555 --> 00:04:08,323
[Corey] Keeping messages secret
79
00:04:08,357 --> 00:04:10,792
becomes a never ending battle.
80
00:04:10,826 --> 00:04:13,762
[Sascha] You really get
the kind of arms race
81
00:04:13,796 --> 00:04:16,765
where one side or both sides
really are trying to develop
82
00:04:16,799 --> 00:04:19,467
increasingly
sophisticated codes,
83
00:04:19,502 --> 00:04:22,771
while their rivals
are trying to develop
84
00:04:22,805 --> 00:04:24,673
increasingly sophisticated
and effective forms
85
00:04:24,707 --> 00:04:27,342
of breaking those codes.
86
00:04:29,478 --> 00:04:31,112
[Corey]
Five hundred years later,
87
00:04:31,147 --> 00:04:34,883
Julius Caesar is using
a substitution cipher.
88
00:04:35,885 --> 00:04:37,986
[Philip] All the letters
throughout the message
89
00:04:38,020 --> 00:04:41,423
are just shifted by the same
amount through the alphabet.
90
00:04:41,457 --> 00:04:43,325
Let's say they'd go
five letters on,
91
00:04:43,359 --> 00:04:45,460
so all the A's become E's
92
00:04:45,494 --> 00:04:47,929
or B's become the F's,
and so forth.
93
00:04:48,764 --> 00:04:51,566
[Corey] But it also
has a weakness.
94
00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,402
The letter substitution rule
is fixed.
95
00:04:56,672 --> 00:04:59,607
Once Caesar's enemies
figure out the rule,
96
00:04:59,642 --> 00:05:01,309
they can break every message.
97
00:05:02,712 --> 00:05:05,380
For 2000 years, the battle rages
98
00:05:05,414 --> 00:05:08,316
between codemakers
and codebreakers,
99
00:05:10,219 --> 00:05:12,187
until the 1920s,
100
00:05:12,221 --> 00:05:16,157
when this strange
and complex device appears.
101
00:05:16,192 --> 00:05:18,426
[Sascha] The Germans
were convinced
102
00:05:18,461 --> 00:05:20,628
that they had created
103
00:05:20,663 --> 00:05:23,331
the holy grail of cryptography,
104
00:05:23,366 --> 00:05:25,900
an unbreakable code.
105
00:05:27,002 --> 00:05:31,606
[Corey] The key to its success
is its simple operation.
106
00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:32,874
[Andrew] You type a letter
on the keyboard,
107
00:05:32,908 --> 00:05:34,743
and then above it
there's a panel of lights
108
00:05:34,777 --> 00:05:36,778
also with every letter
of the alphabet on them.
109
00:05:36,812 --> 00:05:38,613
And when you press a letter
on the keyboard,
110
00:05:38,647 --> 00:05:41,383
a different letter lights up
on that panel of lights.
111
00:05:42,852 --> 00:05:45,687
[Corey] Inside Enigma,
each letter on the keyboard
112
00:05:45,721 --> 00:05:48,323
is connected electronically
to the lightboard
113
00:05:48,357 --> 00:05:50,291
via three rotors.
114
00:05:52,828 --> 00:05:55,530
Within the rotors
are a jumble of tiny wires
115
00:05:55,564 --> 00:05:59,033
that transpose one letter
into another.
116
00:06:01,036 --> 00:06:03,304
This circuit passes
through every rotor
117
00:06:03,339 --> 00:06:05,407
on the way to the lightboard.
118
00:06:08,377 --> 00:06:09,778
What makes Enigma unique
119
00:06:09,812 --> 00:06:12,380
is that every time a letter
is pressed,
120
00:06:12,415 --> 00:06:15,350
the first rotor advances
by one space.
121
00:06:16,485 --> 00:06:17,986
When it has been
all the way around,
122
00:06:18,020 --> 00:06:23,158
the next rotor advances by one
and the process begins again.
123
00:06:25,895 --> 00:06:27,462
[Andrew] As those rotors
keep on moving,
124
00:06:27,496 --> 00:06:29,831
it changes, randomizes the code.
125
00:06:29,865 --> 00:06:31,866
If I pressed A, I might get a Q.
126
00:06:31,901 --> 00:06:33,902
If I pressed A again,
I might get an S.
127
00:06:33,936 --> 00:06:35,603
Press A again, I might get a T.
128
00:06:35,638 --> 00:06:38,473
And that pattern
of apparently random letters
129
00:06:38,507 --> 00:06:41,242
makes it very,
very hard to decode.
130
00:06:42,878 --> 00:06:44,779
[Corey] An electrical
plugboard on the front
131
00:06:44,814 --> 00:06:48,283
adds more ways
to scramble the connections.
132
00:06:49,552 --> 00:06:51,653
Yet despite this complexity,
133
00:06:51,687 --> 00:06:54,456
decoding messages
is child's play.
134
00:06:55,658 --> 00:06:58,226
All you need
is another Enigma machine
135
00:06:58,260 --> 00:07:00,628
set up the same way.
136
00:07:00,663 --> 00:07:02,764
[Andrew] All you have to do
is type it
137
00:07:02,798 --> 00:07:04,766
into your Enigma machine
configured appropriately
138
00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,302
and then the plaintext
should appear
139
00:07:07,336 --> 00:07:08,570
flashing on those lights.
140
00:07:08,604 --> 00:07:10,839
You can decode it
one letter at a time.
141
00:07:10,873 --> 00:07:12,340
And you can tell
your superior officer
142
00:07:12,374 --> 00:07:13,842
the coded message
that's been sent.
143
00:07:13,876 --> 00:07:16,311
[Corey] It's the greatest
encryption device
144
00:07:16,345 --> 00:07:18,746
the world has ever seen.
145
00:07:18,781 --> 00:07:21,783
The Germans are convinced
it's uncrackable.
146
00:07:21,817 --> 00:07:25,353
Why have they gone
to so much trouble?
147
00:07:29,758 --> 00:07:32,327
Using weak codes had pretty much
148
00:07:32,361 --> 00:07:35,363
cost the Germans
the First World War.
149
00:07:38,467 --> 00:07:42,504
In January 1917,
German Secretary of State,
150
00:07:42,538 --> 00:07:45,507
Arthur Zimmerman,
sends an encrypted telegram
151
00:07:45,541 --> 00:07:48,543
to the German Embassy in Mexico.
152
00:07:48,577 --> 00:07:50,411
[Sascha] The content
of the telegram
153
00:07:50,446 --> 00:07:54,349
was basically an offer to Mexico
154
00:07:54,383 --> 00:07:55,917
to get on the right side
of the war
155
00:07:55,951 --> 00:07:57,585
while they had the chance
and as a reward,
156
00:07:57,620 --> 00:08:00,421
after the inevitable
German victory,
157
00:08:00,456 --> 00:08:02,757
Mexico would be given New Mexico
158
00:08:02,791 --> 00:08:05,260
and other territorial parts
of the United States.
159
00:08:06,595 --> 00:08:08,530
[Corey] But British codebreakers
160
00:08:08,564 --> 00:08:11,466
intercept the message.
161
00:08:11,534 --> 00:08:12,667
Unknown to the Germans,
162
00:08:12,701 --> 00:08:15,270
they have already broken
the old code
163
00:08:15,304 --> 00:08:17,272
used in the telegram.
164
00:08:18,741 --> 00:08:21,242
They pass the message
to the Americans.
165
00:08:23,546 --> 00:08:25,780
Outraged, the US joins the fight
166
00:08:25,814 --> 00:08:29,183
and the war turns
against Germany.
167
00:08:29,218 --> 00:08:30,451
[explosion]
168
00:08:32,855 --> 00:08:34,722
[Sascha] It's a huge
intelligence failure
169
00:08:34,757 --> 00:08:38,359
and a diplomatic disaster
for the Germans.
170
00:08:38,394 --> 00:08:40,962
So as the war ends,
171
00:08:40,996 --> 00:08:42,764
the Germans felt
highly motivated
172
00:08:42,798 --> 00:08:45,133
to develop a new coding system
173
00:08:45,167 --> 00:08:47,368
and that's where
the Enigma machine comes in.
174
00:08:49,738 --> 00:08:52,307
[Corey] The first people
to spot the arrival of Enigma
175
00:08:52,341 --> 00:08:54,342
are Polish intelligence.
176
00:08:55,544 --> 00:08:57,612
They've been keeping
a close eye on Germany
177
00:08:57,646 --> 00:09:00,048
with very good reason.
178
00:09:01,450 --> 00:09:02,750
[Sascha]
The Treaty of Versailles
179
00:09:02,785 --> 00:09:06,754
that had recreated
the nation of Poland,
180
00:09:06,789 --> 00:09:09,557
part of that was built
on former territory
181
00:09:09,592 --> 00:09:11,459
of the German Empire.
182
00:09:11,493 --> 00:09:12,827
So they were literally sitting
183
00:09:12,861 --> 00:09:16,598
on what many Germans
considered German land.
184
00:09:16,632 --> 00:09:19,701
[Corey] But eight years
after the end of the war,
185
00:09:19,735 --> 00:09:23,471
Polish eavesdropping
runs into trouble.
186
00:09:23,505 --> 00:09:25,840
[Sascha] All of a sudden,
in 1926,
187
00:09:25,874 --> 00:09:27,642
it's like a wall comes down.
188
00:09:27,676 --> 00:09:30,478
They simply can't decipher
the codes
189
00:09:30,512 --> 00:09:32,280
that the Germans
are using anymore.
190
00:09:36,352 --> 00:09:38,286
[Corey] Enigma has arrived.
191
00:09:39,421 --> 00:09:41,522
For two years,
the Polish are deaf
192
00:09:41,557 --> 00:09:44,225
to everything
the German military is saying.
193
00:09:46,662 --> 00:09:50,365
In 1928, they finally
catch a break.
194
00:09:51,367 --> 00:09:53,568
The Warsaw customs office
195
00:09:53,602 --> 00:09:57,605
receives a package labeled
radio parts.
196
00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:00,708
They get an urgent phone call
from the Germans saying,
197
00:10:00,743 --> 00:10:02,710
"Oh, this was sent to you
by accident,
198
00:10:02,745 --> 00:10:03,878
we need it back immediately."
199
00:10:03,912 --> 00:10:07,015
It was really the urgency
of the calls
200
00:10:07,049 --> 00:10:09,417
that alerted them to the fact
that they had something
201
00:10:09,451 --> 00:10:12,687
much more important
than merely radio parts.
202
00:10:12,721 --> 00:10:16,824
[Corey] The package contains
a civilian version of Enigma.
203
00:10:17,893 --> 00:10:20,662
[Sascha] This finally
gives them the opportunity
204
00:10:20,696 --> 00:10:23,431
to look at the interior workings
205
00:10:23,465 --> 00:10:24,666
of this codemaking device
206
00:10:24,700 --> 00:10:27,402
that has been confounding
their best efforts
207
00:10:27,436 --> 00:10:29,637
at decryption for so long.
208
00:10:29,672 --> 00:10:33,474
[Corey] The question is,
can they break the code?
209
00:10:39,682 --> 00:10:41,683
[Corey] The Enigma machine,
210
00:10:41,717 --> 00:10:44,719
Germany believes
it's unbreakable.
211
00:10:44,753 --> 00:10:48,489
That doesn't stop Polish
intelligence from trying.
212
00:10:48,524 --> 00:10:52,393
In 1932, using a captured
civilian Enigma
213
00:10:52,428 --> 00:10:53,728
and other scavenged data,
214
00:10:53,762 --> 00:10:56,497
mathematician Marian Rejewski
figures out
215
00:10:56,532 --> 00:11:00,068
how the military versions
are wired.
216
00:11:03,539 --> 00:11:05,540
The Poles can once again
listen in
217
00:11:05,574 --> 00:11:07,442
on everything the Germans say.
218
00:11:09,678 --> 00:11:12,280
But they are chasing
a moving target.
219
00:11:12,314 --> 00:11:14,615
Enigma is evolving.
220
00:11:14,650 --> 00:11:16,384
[Sascha] The Germans continue
221
00:11:16,418 --> 00:11:18,152
to adapt their Enigma machines.
222
00:11:18,187 --> 00:11:20,555
They add new rotors,
they wire it differently.
223
00:11:20,589 --> 00:11:23,424
They basically make the code
more and more complex,
224
00:11:23,459 --> 00:11:25,827
more and more difficult
to break.
225
00:11:26,962 --> 00:11:30,531
[Corey] In response, Rejewski
devises his own machine
226
00:11:30,566 --> 00:11:32,834
to fight Enigma.
227
00:11:32,868 --> 00:11:36,370
He calls it
the cryptological bomb
228
00:11:36,405 --> 00:11:39,574
or bomba in Polish.
229
00:11:39,608 --> 00:11:41,542
[Sascha]
It's assembled from bits
230
00:11:41,577 --> 00:11:44,378
of the Enigma machine
as they understand it.
231
00:11:44,413 --> 00:11:48,649
And it's a device
that is able to over time
232
00:11:48,684 --> 00:11:51,486
run through the different
possible permutations
233
00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,622
that the Enigma machine
is spitting out.
234
00:11:54,656 --> 00:11:56,524
[Corey] But in September 1939,
235
00:11:56,558 --> 00:11:59,427
Rejewski's attack on Enigma
is cut short.
236
00:12:00,696 --> 00:12:03,564
Hitler invades Poland.
237
00:12:03,599 --> 00:12:05,233
[explosion]
238
00:12:07,169 --> 00:12:08,736
[Sascha] The Polish
codebreakers do manage
239
00:12:08,771 --> 00:12:11,739
to escape the invasion
and they turn over
240
00:12:11,774 --> 00:12:13,541
a lot of the notes
they had collected
241
00:12:13,575 --> 00:12:15,777
as well as much
of their equipment
242
00:12:15,811 --> 00:12:19,614
to Bletchley Park,
which is now gonna become
243
00:12:19,648 --> 00:12:22,150
the center of the British
codebreaking efforts.
244
00:12:23,719 --> 00:12:26,521
[Corey] The Germans continue
to evolve Enigma.
245
00:12:26,555 --> 00:12:29,557
It grows increasingly complex.
246
00:12:29,591 --> 00:12:31,626
British efforts failed
to break it fast enough
247
00:12:31,660 --> 00:12:33,427
to be useful.
248
00:12:36,131 --> 00:12:39,967
Meanwhile, German U-boats
are decimating allied ships
249
00:12:40,002 --> 00:12:42,537
carrying vital supplies
from America.
250
00:12:42,571 --> 00:12:45,373
[explosion]
251
00:12:48,043 --> 00:12:49,877
The Germans really have
the advantage.
252
00:12:49,912 --> 00:12:54,448
They have the perfect weapon
for stopping those convoys
253
00:12:54,483 --> 00:12:57,652
and for choking off
this vital supply line.
254
00:12:57,686 --> 00:12:59,754
The Unterseeboot, the U-boat,
255
00:12:59,788 --> 00:13:05,092
an invisible, implacable,
deadly enemy.
256
00:13:06,562 --> 00:13:08,563
[Corey] They have to break
the Enigma messages
257
00:13:08,597 --> 00:13:09,864
sent to the U-boats
258
00:13:09,898 --> 00:13:12,466
before the Atlantic
supply line is cut off
259
00:13:12,501 --> 00:13:15,369
and the war is lost.
260
00:13:15,404 --> 00:13:18,072
One man thinks he knows how.
261
00:13:19,508 --> 00:13:22,610
[dramatic music playing]
262
00:13:22,644 --> 00:13:25,513
[Sascha] Alan Turing
is really one of the great
263
00:13:25,547 --> 00:13:29,350
mathematical geniuses
of the age.
264
00:13:29,384 --> 00:13:31,452
He is a Cambridge graduate.
265
00:13:31,486 --> 00:13:34,488
Absolutely brilliant guy,
very eccentric,
266
00:13:34,523 --> 00:13:37,491
and it is into his hands
267
00:13:37,526 --> 00:13:39,727
that this all important mission
268
00:13:39,761 --> 00:13:43,097
of cracking
the Enigma code falls.
269
00:13:45,067 --> 00:13:47,668
[Corey] Turing supersizes
as the Polish ideas
270
00:13:47,703 --> 00:13:50,104
and builds a mega bomba.
271
00:13:51,707 --> 00:13:53,574
[Andrew] This was an absolutely
272
00:13:53,609 --> 00:13:54,642
incredible computing machine,
273
00:13:54,676 --> 00:13:58,012
rotating drums, miles of wire,
274
00:13:58,046 --> 00:13:59,881
and able to crunch
through far more combinations
275
00:13:59,915 --> 00:14:02,416
of Enigma codes
than any individual human
276
00:14:02,451 --> 00:14:04,518
could possibly manage.
277
00:14:04,553 --> 00:14:06,721
[Corey] Turing knows
that even his huge bombs
278
00:14:06,755 --> 00:14:09,857
can't crack Enigma fast enough.
279
00:14:09,892 --> 00:14:11,659
His genius is to combine them
280
00:14:11,693 --> 00:14:14,528
with the crucial flaw
he spotted.
281
00:14:14,563 --> 00:14:17,398
Not in the machine
but in the operators.
282
00:14:18,834 --> 00:14:20,568
[Andrew] The human flaw was that
283
00:14:20,602 --> 00:14:22,436
humans sent
predictable messages.
284
00:14:22,471 --> 00:14:24,505
For example, one of the most
common types of message
285
00:14:24,539 --> 00:14:25,840
was a weather report.
286
00:14:25,874 --> 00:14:27,408
And that means
if you get a message
287
00:14:27,442 --> 00:14:28,776
you think might be
a weather report,
288
00:14:28,810 --> 00:14:30,845
you've got a word that
you can look for inside it,
289
00:14:30,879 --> 00:14:33,414
at a very minimum "wetter",
the German word for weather.
290
00:14:33,448 --> 00:14:35,449
[Corey] These known
or probable words
291
00:14:35,484 --> 00:14:37,718
are called cribs.
292
00:14:37,753 --> 00:14:41,389
Turing combines them
with a second flaw,
293
00:14:41,423 --> 00:14:43,391
and this one
is in the supposedly
294
00:14:43,425 --> 00:14:46,994
unbreakable
Enigma machine itself.
295
00:14:47,029 --> 00:14:50,264
A letter can never be
encrypted to itself.
296
00:14:50,298 --> 00:14:51,499
So I press the letter A,
297
00:14:51,533 --> 00:14:52,833
it goes through this
whole tangle of wires
298
00:14:52,868 --> 00:14:55,369
because the A has to be
connected to something,
299
00:14:55,404 --> 00:14:56,637
it can never actually come back
300
00:14:56,672 --> 00:14:59,507
and become a letter A
in the ciphertext.
301
00:14:59,541 --> 00:15:02,543
[Corey] Turing can now
narrow the search for solutions,
302
00:15:02,577 --> 00:15:05,546
using the cribs as a guide.
303
00:15:05,580 --> 00:15:07,348
[Andrew] So you're looking
for the word wetter,
304
00:15:07,382 --> 00:15:08,749
you can slide through your text.
305
00:15:08,784 --> 00:15:10,618
And if you find
any of the letters
306
00:15:10,652 --> 00:15:12,486
in the right place,
you know that isn't your word
307
00:15:12,521 --> 00:15:13,955
and so you can keep on looking.
308
00:15:13,989 --> 00:15:15,957
And once you found this tiny
little chink in the armor,
309
00:15:15,991 --> 00:15:18,592
you can use this to decode
the rest of the message.
310
00:15:18,627 --> 00:15:20,661
[intense music playing]
311
00:15:20,696 --> 00:15:22,430
[Corey] Now that Turing's bombs
312
00:15:22,464 --> 00:15:25,366
don't have to test
every possible solution,
313
00:15:26,768 --> 00:15:31,072
they quickly churn through
the remaining possibilities.
314
00:15:32,441 --> 00:15:35,209
Enigma is broken.
315
00:15:41,550 --> 00:15:43,784
Some experts claim
that cracking Enigma
316
00:15:43,819 --> 00:15:46,988
shortens the war
by up to two years.
317
00:15:47,556 --> 00:15:50,257
[intense music playing]
318
00:15:55,364 --> 00:15:56,630
[Corey] Germany fails to produce
319
00:15:56,665 --> 00:15:59,033
an unbreakable code.
320
00:15:59,801 --> 00:16:03,037
But Enigma starts something big.
321
00:16:04,940 --> 00:16:07,708
[Sascha] In many ways,
the Enigma contest,
322
00:16:07,743 --> 00:16:09,543
the contest
between the codemakers
323
00:16:09,578 --> 00:16:10,845
and the codebreakers
324
00:16:10,879 --> 00:16:13,447
is the beginning
of the information age.
325
00:16:13,482 --> 00:16:15,549
It's the first time
that intelligence
326
00:16:15,584 --> 00:16:20,388
and access to intelligence
have become the absolute focus
327
00:16:20,422 --> 00:16:23,090
of a major military effort.
328
00:16:24,826 --> 00:16:26,527
[Corey] Even 80 years later,
329
00:16:26,561 --> 00:16:29,363
the lessons of Enigma
still apply.
330
00:16:31,767 --> 00:16:34,368
The German military
added more rotors
331
00:16:34,403 --> 00:16:37,571
to multiply the complexity
in Enigma.
332
00:16:37,606 --> 00:16:40,875
Technology today
still does the same thing.
333
00:16:41,843 --> 00:16:44,345
[Andrew] The modern analog
of that is the 128
334
00:16:44,379 --> 00:16:46,514
or 256 bit encryption.
335
00:16:46,548 --> 00:16:47,715
Every time you add an extra bit,
336
00:16:47,749 --> 00:16:49,717
you add twice as many patterns
337
00:16:49,751 --> 00:16:52,386
that have to be
searched through.
338
00:16:52,421 --> 00:16:54,488
[Corey] But as Turing
shows with Enigma,
339
00:16:54,523 --> 00:16:58,192
there's still one flaw
no one can avoid...
340
00:16:58,226 --> 00:16:59,627
humans.
341
00:16:59,661 --> 00:17:01,862
[Andrew] All it takes
is one person in your company
342
00:17:01,897 --> 00:17:03,564
to click on a dodgy link
or open a dodgy attachment
343
00:17:03,598 --> 00:17:05,800
and enter their password
and suddenly
344
00:17:05,834 --> 00:17:06,967
hackers can now have access
to your network.
345
00:17:07,002 --> 00:17:09,937
It's the human beings
who are an inescapable part
346
00:17:09,971 --> 00:17:13,474
of the equation that mean
the codes get cracked.
347
00:17:13,508 --> 00:17:15,609
[Corey] So the incredible
Enigma machine
348
00:17:15,644 --> 00:17:18,479
and the battle to break it
is still teaching us
349
00:17:18,513 --> 00:17:21,582
vital lessons
in the modern world.
350
00:17:21,616 --> 00:17:25,453
Even if the computers
have gotten a tiny bit faster.
351
00:17:28,590 --> 00:17:31,559
[intense music playing]
352
00:17:31,593 --> 00:17:35,362
[Corey] This is the ancient
Egyptian city of Abydos,
353
00:17:35,397 --> 00:17:38,299
almost 300 miles south of Cairo.
354
00:17:39,801 --> 00:17:42,903
Here in the ruins
of a 3,000-year-old temple
355
00:17:42,938 --> 00:17:47,341
to the god Osiris
stands a stone door lintel,
356
00:17:48,677 --> 00:17:52,413
carved into its surface
is an impossible image.
357
00:17:54,316 --> 00:17:56,584
A helicopter.
358
00:17:56,618 --> 00:17:58,752
What's going on?
359
00:17:58,787 --> 00:18:01,622
Now using the latest
imaging technology,
360
00:18:01,656 --> 00:18:04,458
we're reconstructing
this bizarre artifact
361
00:18:04,493 --> 00:18:06,460
in minute detail.
362
00:18:08,697 --> 00:18:12,199
[intense music playing]
363
00:18:14,603 --> 00:18:17,171
[Corey] The lintel
is around six feet long
364
00:18:17,205 --> 00:18:19,039
and two feet high.
365
00:18:21,476 --> 00:18:23,611
Its sandstone surface is carved
366
00:18:23,645 --> 00:18:24,778
with cryptic hieroglyphs,
367
00:18:24,813 --> 00:18:29,049
celebrating the reign
of the mighty Pharaoh Seti I.
368
00:18:30,452 --> 00:18:32,186
But amongst them is what clearly
369
00:18:32,220 --> 00:18:34,622
looks like a modern
attack helicopter,
370
00:18:34,656 --> 00:18:39,426
with rotor blades,
a slick body, and a tail boom.
371
00:18:39,461 --> 00:18:43,164
And even stranger,
it's not unique.
372
00:18:45,433 --> 00:18:47,568
Sixty miles away
in the Temple of Hathor
373
00:18:47,602 --> 00:18:51,305
at Dendera is a carving
that looks strikingly similar
374
00:18:51,339 --> 00:18:53,741
to an electric light bulb.
375
00:18:53,775 --> 00:18:56,744
It has a glass globe,
a filament,
376
00:18:56,778 --> 00:18:59,380
and even a set
of electrical cables.
377
00:19:01,750 --> 00:19:04,952
There are no shortage
of extraordinary theories
378
00:19:04,986 --> 00:19:07,254
which believe that these
really represent
379
00:19:07,289 --> 00:19:09,089
advanced technology.
380
00:19:10,559 --> 00:19:13,527
Ancient Egypt is, uh, often
a magnet for fringe ideas
381
00:19:13,562 --> 00:19:16,597
and people who, uh, attribute
the origin
382
00:19:16,631 --> 00:19:19,533
of these ancient objects
to someone else.
383
00:19:19,568 --> 00:19:22,369
[Corey] Aliens and time travel
feature prominently
384
00:19:22,404 --> 00:19:24,371
in such wild theories.
385
00:19:25,740 --> 00:19:28,609
But despite appearances,
experts are certain
386
00:19:28,643 --> 00:19:32,680
these do not represent
modern technologies.
387
00:19:32,714 --> 00:19:36,283
[Rebecca] These shapes look
instantly recognizable to us
388
00:19:36,318 --> 00:19:37,551
as modern viewers.
389
00:19:37,586 --> 00:19:39,486
But in fact, they are ancient,
390
00:19:39,521 --> 00:19:42,089
they are thousands
of years older.
391
00:19:42,123 --> 00:19:46,060
So the question really
becomes what could they be?
392
00:19:46,094 --> 00:19:49,563
[Corey] What do these
bizarre carvings mean?
393
00:19:49,598 --> 00:19:50,731
Who made them?
394
00:19:50,765 --> 00:19:52,633
Why is there a modern aircraft
395
00:19:52,667 --> 00:19:56,203
on a 3,000-year-old temple wall?
396
00:20:02,644 --> 00:20:03,677
[Corey] An image
carved in the wall
397
00:20:03,712 --> 00:20:05,546
of an ancient Egyptian temple
398
00:20:05,580 --> 00:20:09,083
appears to show
a modern helicopter.
399
00:20:10,919 --> 00:20:13,254
This temple
was the mortuary temple
400
00:20:13,288 --> 00:20:15,389
of the pharaoh Seti I.
401
00:20:15,423 --> 00:20:17,424
Seti I may not be
a household name
402
00:20:17,459 --> 00:20:19,660
in the same way
that Tutankhamun is,
403
00:20:19,694 --> 00:20:22,863
nevertheless he achieved
a huge amount.
404
00:20:22,897 --> 00:20:25,599
He really stabilized
the country after a period
405
00:20:25,634 --> 00:20:29,036
of fragmentation and difficulty.
406
00:20:30,605 --> 00:20:33,674
He achieved a number
of military victories
407
00:20:33,708 --> 00:20:36,343
which he then carved
on his amazing temples
408
00:20:36,378 --> 00:20:38,612
up and down Egypt.
409
00:20:38,647 --> 00:20:41,382
[Corey] Despite the apparent
evidence in the carving,
410
00:20:41,416 --> 00:20:43,550
experts are confident
that helicopters
411
00:20:43,585 --> 00:20:46,086
are not one of his tools of war.
412
00:20:47,622 --> 00:20:49,556
The problem for them is that
413
00:20:49,591 --> 00:20:52,893
you can't simply conjure up
a helicopter out of thin air.
414
00:20:52,927 --> 00:20:56,563
[Tim] A helicopter requires
a number of innovations
415
00:20:56,598 --> 00:20:58,532
in order to literally
get off the ground,
416
00:20:58,566 --> 00:21:01,835
understanding the aerodynamics
for building the rotor.
417
00:21:01,870 --> 00:21:04,438
You need to have
an energy source
418
00:21:04,472 --> 00:21:06,740
that can provide enough power.
419
00:21:06,775 --> 00:21:09,376
You also need
some notion of control.
420
00:21:10,645 --> 00:21:13,547
[Corey] And evidence of
other essential technologies
421
00:21:13,581 --> 00:21:16,684
from precision metal
engineering to lubricants,
422
00:21:16,718 --> 00:21:20,354
gears and engines are notable
in Egyptian archeology
423
00:21:20,388 --> 00:21:22,389
only by their absence.
424
00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:26,727
A light bulb is no easier.
425
00:21:26,761 --> 00:21:29,396
You need to generate
electricity,
426
00:21:29,431 --> 00:21:31,865
you need cables.
427
00:21:31,900 --> 00:21:36,837
And to make the bulb,
you require a key skill,
428
00:21:36,871 --> 00:21:39,873
glass blowing,
which is a problem.
429
00:21:39,908 --> 00:21:43,410
[Anna] The ancient Egyptians
didn't do glass blowing,
430
00:21:43,445 --> 00:21:45,412
that was a technology
that was invented
431
00:21:45,447 --> 00:21:47,681
by the Romans.
432
00:21:47,716 --> 00:21:50,284
[Corey] But if this
isn't a light bulb
433
00:21:50,318 --> 00:21:52,286
and this isn't a helicopter,
434
00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,388
then what on Earth are they?
435
00:21:54,422 --> 00:21:56,557
[upbeat music playing]
436
00:21:56,624 --> 00:21:57,825
[Corey]
Solving the mystery means
437
00:21:57,859 --> 00:22:00,260
diving into
the dog-eat-dog world
438
00:22:00,295 --> 00:22:01,995
of the ancient pharaohs.
439
00:22:02,831 --> 00:22:05,666
The so called
helicopter inscription
440
00:22:05,700 --> 00:22:09,703
appears at the temple
of Osiris in Abydos.
441
00:22:09,738 --> 00:22:11,338
This temple
was the mortuary temple
442
00:22:11,373 --> 00:22:13,874
of the pharaoh called Seti I,
443
00:22:13,908 --> 00:22:16,510
that's where everything
about this pharaoh
444
00:22:16,544 --> 00:22:19,446
was meant to be immortalized,
written for the ages
445
00:22:19,481 --> 00:22:22,182
in the most
perfect way possible.
446
00:22:23,385 --> 00:22:24,651
[Corey] The carvings
in the temple
447
00:22:24,686 --> 00:22:27,287
tell a story of Seti as a mighty
448
00:22:27,322 --> 00:22:29,323
all conquering king.
449
00:22:32,394 --> 00:22:34,194
The helicopter carving
starts life
450
00:22:34,229 --> 00:22:37,164
as one of these
gushing inscriptions.
451
00:22:39,701 --> 00:22:42,703
[Rebecca] It reads,
he who renews the births,
452
00:22:42,737 --> 00:22:46,573
strong with the sword
who subjugates the nine bows,
453
00:22:46,608 --> 00:22:49,443
and the nine bows
was a sort of shorthand
454
00:22:49,477 --> 00:22:51,812
to refer to Egypt's enemies.
455
00:22:51,846 --> 00:22:53,580
[Corey]
The inscription celebrates
456
00:22:53,615 --> 00:22:57,551
Seti's great achievements
for eternity.
457
00:22:57,585 --> 00:23:00,454
At least it does until he dies.
458
00:23:00,488 --> 00:23:03,457
And then his son Ramesses II
comes along.
459
00:23:05,727 --> 00:23:08,896
Ramesses II is known
as Ramesses the Great.
460
00:23:08,930 --> 00:23:13,434
He's a huge deal when it comes
to new kingdom pharaohs.
461
00:23:14,869 --> 00:23:16,537
And certainly
at this point in time,
462
00:23:16,571 --> 00:23:18,439
he is second to none.
463
00:23:20,642 --> 00:23:23,277
[Corey] But along with
Ramesses' undoubted ability
464
00:23:23,311 --> 00:23:26,013
comes a sizeable ego.
465
00:23:27,515 --> 00:23:29,483
He decides
that all the dedications
466
00:23:29,517 --> 00:23:32,453
to his father's greatness
will look much better
467
00:23:32,487 --> 00:23:34,922
with his name on them instead.
468
00:23:36,124 --> 00:23:38,926
[Rebecca] So what Ramesses II
does is that he comes in,
469
00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:41,829
he fills in the name
of his father Seti I
470
00:23:41,863 --> 00:23:46,667
with plaster and then
carves in his own name.
471
00:23:46,701 --> 00:23:48,902
[Corey] On the helicopter
lintel, it no longer proclaims
472
00:23:48,937 --> 00:23:53,140
Seti as the great leader
that crushes Egypt's enemies
473
00:23:54,375 --> 00:23:56,243
but Ramesses.
474
00:23:59,814 --> 00:24:01,715
But the 3,000 years since then
475
00:24:01,749 --> 00:24:05,586
has taken its toll
on Ramesses' updates.
476
00:24:05,620 --> 00:24:06,820
Some plaster has fallen out
477
00:24:06,855 --> 00:24:10,390
of one of the pieces of writing.
478
00:24:10,425 --> 00:24:12,593
[Corey] What we see today
is a combination
479
00:24:12,627 --> 00:24:15,462
of one hieroglyph
carved on top of another.
480
00:24:17,866 --> 00:24:20,868
[Rebecca] So together,
they look like a helicopter,
481
00:24:20,902 --> 00:24:23,470
when apart, actually
they look quite distinct.
482
00:24:24,873 --> 00:24:26,540
[Corey]
So this astonishing carving
483
00:24:26,574 --> 00:24:29,543
has a very human origin.
484
00:24:29,577 --> 00:24:31,912
[Rebecca] These symbols
are not in fact evidence
485
00:24:31,946 --> 00:24:35,649
of advanced technologies
years before we realized
486
00:24:35,683 --> 00:24:39,520
or alien cultures coming down
and building the pyramids.
487
00:24:39,554 --> 00:24:41,488
If anything these symbols
488
00:24:41,523 --> 00:24:44,458
are evidence of the ego
of pharaoh.
489
00:24:45,627 --> 00:24:47,828
[Corey]
That's one mystery solved.
490
00:24:47,862 --> 00:24:51,732
But the carving at Dendera
is in its original state
491
00:24:51,766 --> 00:24:55,636
with no alterations
after it is first carved.
492
00:24:55,670 --> 00:25:00,073
So if it's not a light bulb,
what exactly is it?
493
00:25:04,312 --> 00:25:05,913
[suspenseful music playing]
494
00:25:05,947 --> 00:25:09,483
[Corey] Despite appearances,
Egyptologists are confident
495
00:25:09,517 --> 00:25:12,352
this incredible carving
in the Temple of Hathor
496
00:25:12,387 --> 00:25:14,488
is not an electric light.
497
00:25:15,823 --> 00:25:18,392
Because they've seen it before.
498
00:25:19,594 --> 00:25:20,928
[Rebecca]
Ancient Egyptian people
499
00:25:20,962 --> 00:25:23,630
of the upper classes certainly
would have been able
500
00:25:23,665 --> 00:25:26,533
to look at these images
and understand instantly
501
00:25:26,568 --> 00:25:27,701
what they were about.
502
00:25:27,735 --> 00:25:30,704
This is actually
a very traditional
503
00:25:30,738 --> 00:25:34,975
and, um, central motif
to ancient Egyptian religion.
504
00:25:36,711 --> 00:25:39,179
The filament is actually a snake
505
00:25:39,213 --> 00:25:42,449
which we think represents
the god Atum.
506
00:25:42,483 --> 00:25:44,718
The socket is actually
a lotus flower
507
00:25:44,752 --> 00:25:47,788
which stands for rebirth.
508
00:25:47,822 --> 00:25:50,691
The glass bulb itself
seems to be representative
509
00:25:50,725 --> 00:25:54,561
of the air bubble
that is the sky.
510
00:25:54,596 --> 00:25:55,996
And finally at the bottom,
511
00:25:56,030 --> 00:25:58,632
there is actually something
that looks like a cable
512
00:25:58,666 --> 00:26:00,500
but it's actually a barque
513
00:26:00,535 --> 00:26:01,835
and this is representative
of the barque
514
00:26:01,869 --> 00:26:04,438
that would have carried
the sun across the sky.
515
00:26:05,673 --> 00:26:08,041
So you put all
of these elements together,
516
00:26:08,076 --> 00:26:10,377
surprise, surprise,
the set of carvings
517
00:26:10,411 --> 00:26:12,679
is not actually a light bulb
518
00:26:12,714 --> 00:26:14,681
but it actually tells us
a huge amount
519
00:26:14,716 --> 00:26:17,384
about ancient Egyptian theology.
520
00:26:18,653 --> 00:26:21,722
[Corey] So why is it
that we can convince ourselves
521
00:26:21,756 --> 00:26:23,657
we see things in these carvings
522
00:26:23,691 --> 00:26:26,493
that just aren't there?
523
00:26:26,527 --> 00:26:30,330
It's not even limited
to monumental Egyptian works.
524
00:26:30,365 --> 00:26:33,166
We see strange things
everywhere.
525
00:26:34,435 --> 00:26:37,237
We see Jesus
in a slice of toast,
526
00:26:38,272 --> 00:26:40,173
faces on rocks,
527
00:26:42,343 --> 00:26:44,745
ducks in clouds.
528
00:26:44,779 --> 00:26:48,281
Even faces on the surface
of Mars.
529
00:26:49,717 --> 00:26:53,420
We just keep seeing stuff
that isn't there.
530
00:26:54,522 --> 00:26:57,424
What's going on?
531
00:26:57,458 --> 00:26:59,426
[intense music playing]
532
00:26:59,460 --> 00:27:01,628
[Corey] To find out,
scientists have used
533
00:27:01,663 --> 00:27:04,531
Magnetoencephalography
to directly measure
534
00:27:04,599 --> 00:27:07,367
electrical activity
in our brains.
535
00:27:08,903 --> 00:27:10,671
They've discovered that we often
536
00:27:10,705 --> 00:27:13,473
identify these images
before we're even conscious
537
00:27:13,508 --> 00:27:15,842
of what we're looking at.
538
00:27:15,877 --> 00:27:20,447
So we recognize the face
before the slice of toast
539
00:27:21,883 --> 00:27:26,153
or the helicopter
before the ancient carving.
540
00:27:27,789 --> 00:27:29,923
The technical term
for this ability
541
00:27:29,957 --> 00:27:32,559
to conjure up images
that aren't there
542
00:27:32,593 --> 00:27:34,428
is pareidolia.
543
00:27:35,663 --> 00:27:39,499
[Tim] Pareidolia is a way
our brain operates
544
00:27:39,534 --> 00:27:42,436
to efficiently come up
with patterns
545
00:27:42,470 --> 00:27:44,237
and recognize patterns.
546
00:27:44,272 --> 00:27:45,906
But at the same time,
547
00:27:45,940 --> 00:27:47,741
it can end up creating flaws,
and we'll see patterns
548
00:27:47,775 --> 00:27:50,544
where they don't
necessarily exist.
549
00:27:50,578 --> 00:27:52,312
[Corey] But this strange effect
550
00:27:52,346 --> 00:27:54,347
actually keeps us alive.
551
00:27:56,784 --> 00:27:59,686
[Dr. Boll] Part of this
is about sheer survival.
552
00:27:59,721 --> 00:28:03,523
Because if we see
some ambiguous shape
553
00:28:03,558 --> 00:28:05,525
or shadow amongst the leaves
554
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,261
and we think
that's the head of a tiger,
555
00:28:08,296 --> 00:28:09,596
then we run.
556
00:28:09,630 --> 00:28:11,598
If we're wrong
in that interpretation,
557
00:28:11,632 --> 00:28:13,400
we haven't really lost anything.
558
00:28:13,434 --> 00:28:15,102
But if we didn't make it
559
00:28:15,136 --> 00:28:18,038
and it really was a tiger
then we're done for.
560
00:28:19,674 --> 00:28:21,842
[Corey] Pareidolia
relies on spotting things
561
00:28:21,876 --> 00:28:26,279
that are familiar to us,
which explains a lot.
562
00:28:27,648 --> 00:28:30,784
Nobody bats an eyelid
over the carvings at Dendera
563
00:28:30,818 --> 00:28:32,385
until after the invention
564
00:28:32,420 --> 00:28:35,589
of the electrical light in 1878.
565
00:28:35,623 --> 00:28:39,259
Only then do visitors
spot the similarities.
566
00:28:40,828 --> 00:28:44,464
Which also explains why
no one notices the helicopter
567
00:28:44,499 --> 00:28:47,000
until the 1980s.
568
00:28:48,069 --> 00:28:51,538
Someday we may see something
even more extraordinary
569
00:28:51,572 --> 00:28:53,740
in these hieroglyphs.
570
00:28:53,775 --> 00:28:56,476
We just haven't invented it yet.
571
00:29:02,550 --> 00:29:06,386
Locked away in a glass cabinet
in the British Museum
572
00:29:06,420 --> 00:29:08,688
is a mysterious metal mechanism
573
00:29:08,723 --> 00:29:11,858
covered in strange sayings.
574
00:29:11,893 --> 00:29:14,528
[Kevin] "I am the revealer
of secrets,
575
00:29:14,562 --> 00:29:16,730
in me are marvels of wisdom
576
00:29:16,764 --> 00:29:19,699
and strange and hidden things."
577
00:29:19,767 --> 00:29:22,536
[Corey] This is a machine
from the past
578
00:29:22,570 --> 00:29:25,539
created to tell the future.
579
00:29:25,573 --> 00:29:28,475
Now using cutting edge
technology...
580
00:29:32,780 --> 00:29:34,681
we can examine
this mysterious device
581
00:29:34,715 --> 00:29:37,250
with forensic precision...
582
00:29:39,287 --> 00:29:41,388
the Geomancy machine.
583
00:29:43,558 --> 00:29:45,492
In all of human civilization,
584
00:29:45,526 --> 00:29:49,129
there is nothing even vaguely
similar to this.
585
00:29:49,163 --> 00:29:50,664
There isn't
a single reference to it
586
00:29:50,698 --> 00:29:53,633
in any book or manuscript.
587
00:29:53,668 --> 00:29:56,303
It's roughly twice the size
of an iPad
588
00:29:56,337 --> 00:29:58,505
and strikingly beautiful.
589
00:29:58,539 --> 00:30:00,340
[Mark] It has this
intricate metalwork
590
00:30:00,374 --> 00:30:02,642
with inlays of gold and silver.
591
00:30:02,677 --> 00:30:06,613
[Kevin] This complex item
features a range of sliders
592
00:30:06,647 --> 00:30:10,483
and dials and Arabic writing.
593
00:30:10,518 --> 00:30:12,252
[Corey]
This extraordinary object
594
00:30:12,286 --> 00:30:14,588
is nearly 800 years old.
595
00:30:14,622 --> 00:30:18,992
It holds the key
to mysteries lost to the ages.
596
00:30:20,661 --> 00:30:23,597
What secrets is it hiding?
597
00:30:23,631 --> 00:30:26,266
How does it work?
598
00:30:26,300 --> 00:30:29,069
What exactly is it?
599
00:30:34,308 --> 00:30:35,675
[dramatic music playing]
600
00:30:35,710 --> 00:30:37,577
[Corey] This strange
medieval device
601
00:30:37,612 --> 00:30:40,080
is 800 years old.
602
00:30:41,215 --> 00:30:42,883
But what is it?
603
00:30:42,917 --> 00:30:45,652
Written on its front
is an Arabic inscription
604
00:30:45,686 --> 00:30:49,756
describing it,
but it reads like a riddle.
605
00:30:49,790 --> 00:30:52,425
[Kevin] "The possessor
of eloquence"
606
00:30:52,460 --> 00:30:53,827
and the silent speaker
607
00:30:53,861 --> 00:30:58,698
and through my speech
arise desires and fears.
608
00:30:58,733 --> 00:31:02,469
The judicious one
hides their secret thoughts,
609
00:31:02,503 --> 00:31:04,938
"but I reveal them."
610
00:31:04,972 --> 00:31:07,340
[Corey] What does it all mean?
611
00:31:09,377 --> 00:31:11,511
The inscriptions may be obscure,
612
00:31:11,545 --> 00:31:13,613
but there are other markings
on the face of the machine
613
00:31:13,648 --> 00:31:16,349
that do offer clues.
614
00:31:18,386 --> 00:31:19,552
[Kevin] On the sliders
and dials,
615
00:31:19,587 --> 00:31:21,821
we find matrices of dots,
616
00:31:21,856 --> 00:31:26,693
which correspond
to similar matrices of dots,
617
00:31:26,727 --> 00:31:30,063
which we see in books
about divination.
618
00:31:31,699 --> 00:31:34,467
[Corey] These patterns of dots
appear in texts
619
00:31:34,502 --> 00:31:36,469
from Spain, Africa, and England
620
00:31:36,504 --> 00:31:38,805
as far back as the 12th century.
621
00:31:38,839 --> 00:31:41,274
All of them are about
an ancient practice
622
00:31:41,309 --> 00:31:43,243
called geomancy.
623
00:31:45,646 --> 00:31:47,714
[Kevin] The practice of geomancy
624
00:31:47,748 --> 00:31:50,517
is the prediction of fate
or the future
625
00:31:50,551 --> 00:31:53,764
from the study
of the casting of objects
626
00:31:53,788 --> 00:31:57,290
onto the ground
and looking at how they fall.
627
00:31:58,726 --> 00:32:01,328
[Corey] So this
is a geomancy device
628
00:32:01,362 --> 00:32:03,663
for telling the future.
629
00:32:03,698 --> 00:32:07,100
But how on Earth
does it all work?
630
00:32:08,769 --> 00:32:10,603
[Kevin] If we look
at the origins
631
00:32:10,638 --> 00:32:12,305
of the term geomancy,
632
00:32:12,340 --> 00:32:13,807
it comes from the Greek.
633
00:32:13,841 --> 00:32:18,044
Gaia for Earth,
Manteia for prophecy.
634
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:23,016
[Corey] Geomancy
is a form of divination,
635
00:32:23,050 --> 00:32:25,452
that's fortune telling
or prophecy derived
636
00:32:25,486 --> 00:32:28,621
from natural phenomena
or objects.
637
00:32:28,656 --> 00:32:30,423
[Kevin] There is pyromancy,
638
00:32:30,458 --> 00:32:32,559
the study of the patterns
of flames
639
00:32:32,593 --> 00:32:35,595
to foretell the future,
or hydromancy,
640
00:32:35,629 --> 00:32:38,531
looking at patterns
on still bodies of water,
641
00:32:38,566 --> 00:32:42,335
or even crystalmancy,
the looking into crystal balls
642
00:32:42,370 --> 00:32:45,305
to tell the future.
643
00:32:45,339 --> 00:32:48,074
[dramatic music playing]
644
00:32:48,109 --> 00:32:52,712
[Corey] Geomancy uses sand
or soil for the same purpose.
645
00:32:52,747 --> 00:32:56,116
[Mark] Geomancy was practiced
throughout the Islamic world.
646
00:32:56,150 --> 00:32:58,551
They had a name for it,
which was ilm al-raml,
647
00:32:58,586 --> 00:33:00,587
basically literally
the science of sand
648
00:33:00,621 --> 00:33:04,090
or the knowledge of sand
to tell the future.
649
00:33:05,493 --> 00:33:06,793
[Kevin] With the expansion
of Islam,
650
00:33:06,827 --> 00:33:10,764
this form of geomancy reaches
into the European world.
651
00:33:10,798 --> 00:33:14,234
Richard II had a text
on geomancy.
652
00:33:15,736 --> 00:33:17,537
[Corey] And he isn't alone.
653
00:33:17,571 --> 00:33:18,838
Several European monarchs
654
00:33:18,873 --> 00:33:22,575
have books on geomancy
in their libraries.
655
00:33:22,610 --> 00:33:23,910
[Mark] European politics
in the medieval period
656
00:33:23,944 --> 00:33:25,645
was quite volatile,
so they certainly wanted
657
00:33:25,679 --> 00:33:26,913
to read the future and determine
658
00:33:26,947 --> 00:33:29,983
what their fate might be
including their kingdom.
659
00:33:31,652 --> 00:33:33,520
[Corey] It probably makes sense
660
00:33:33,554 --> 00:33:36,623
to the rulers of the land
to incorporate the land itself
661
00:33:36,657 --> 00:33:39,392
in predicting the future.
662
00:33:39,427 --> 00:33:40,794
But the basic method of geomancy
663
00:33:40,828 --> 00:33:43,096
can be practiced by anyone,
664
00:33:43,697 --> 00:33:47,233
from a prince to a pauper.
665
00:33:50,538 --> 00:33:51,871
[Andrew] You start by casting,
666
00:33:51,906 --> 00:33:54,841
you draw a seemingly
random collection of dots
667
00:33:54,875 --> 00:33:56,910
whilst holding an idea
in your mind
668
00:33:56,944 --> 00:33:58,711
the question
that you want to ask.
669
00:33:58,746 --> 00:34:01,548
You eventually come up
with all these dots.
670
00:34:01,582 --> 00:34:02,882
[Corey] After each cast,
671
00:34:02,917 --> 00:34:06,553
you add up the total number
of dots produced.
672
00:34:06,587 --> 00:34:08,288
[Andrew] And if it comes out
as an odd number,
673
00:34:08,322 --> 00:34:09,823
you just draw one dot,
674
00:34:09,857 --> 00:34:11,591
and if it's an even number,
you draw two dots.
675
00:34:11,625 --> 00:34:13,760
[Corey] It takes four casts
to produce
676
00:34:13,794 --> 00:34:17,897
one geomantic column,
called a mother.
677
00:34:17,932 --> 00:34:22,135
Each row contains either one
or two dots.
678
00:34:22,169 --> 00:34:26,039
Then you repeat this
entire process three times.
679
00:34:26,073 --> 00:34:28,741
You end up
with four mother patterns.
680
00:34:28,776 --> 00:34:30,643
[Andrew] It's a lot like
binary mathematics,
681
00:34:30,678 --> 00:34:32,879
but instead of one and zero,
you're using odd and even,
682
00:34:32,913 --> 00:34:35,548
and you just carry on
through those calculations
683
00:34:35,583 --> 00:34:37,350
using those two different states
684
00:34:37,384 --> 00:34:39,886
to generate a whole load
of new states.
685
00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,288
[Corey] Next,
you take the pattern of dots
686
00:34:42,323 --> 00:34:43,623
from the top row of mothers
687
00:34:43,657 --> 00:34:46,860
and from this,
you generate a daughter.
688
00:34:46,894 --> 00:34:50,463
Each row of mother dots
produces another daughter
689
00:34:50,498 --> 00:34:52,432
for a total of four patterns.
690
00:34:53,801 --> 00:34:56,536
Then from each pair
of mothers and daughters,
691
00:34:56,570 --> 00:34:58,738
you create nieces.
692
00:34:58,772 --> 00:35:00,607
[Andrew]
You move across those rows
693
00:35:00,641 --> 00:35:03,243
and if you got an even number,
you put a two-dot symbol.
694
00:35:03,277 --> 00:35:06,679
If you got an odd number,
you just put a single dot.
695
00:35:06,714 --> 00:35:08,815
[Corey] You end up
with 16 characters.
696
00:35:08,849 --> 00:35:12,152
This is called
a geomantic tableau.
697
00:35:14,388 --> 00:35:16,389
It's the job of the geomancer
698
00:35:16,423 --> 00:35:19,492
to read the future
by interpreting it.
699
00:35:19,527 --> 00:35:21,594
Generating the tableau
is simple math
700
00:35:21,629 --> 00:35:25,431
that looks much more complex
than it actually is,
701
00:35:25,466 --> 00:35:27,834
perhaps intentionally.
702
00:35:27,868 --> 00:35:30,537
[Andrew] Sixteen times sixteen
times sixteen times sixteen,
703
00:35:30,571 --> 00:35:31,905
means you've got
sixty-five thousand
704
00:35:31,939 --> 00:35:34,941
five hundred and thirty-six
combinations in total.
705
00:35:35,943 --> 00:35:38,711
[Corey] It seems like
an enormously complex task
706
00:35:38,746 --> 00:35:41,548
for a device
built almost 700 years
707
00:35:41,582 --> 00:35:43,883
before the first computer.
708
00:35:43,918 --> 00:35:47,253
So how does
the Geomancy machine work?
709
00:35:51,258 --> 00:35:52,736
[dramatic music playing]
710
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,563
[Corey] This bizarre object
is the Geomancy machine.
711
00:35:56,597 --> 00:35:58,831
How does it work?
712
00:35:58,866 --> 00:36:03,336
The answer lies behind its
highly decorated back cover.
713
00:36:05,639 --> 00:36:07,473
Now, all the individual knobs
714
00:36:07,508 --> 00:36:10,009
and sliders of the mechanism
are visible.
715
00:36:10,844 --> 00:36:14,013
And one thing
is immediately clear,
716
00:36:14,048 --> 00:36:16,382
none of them are connected
to each other.
717
00:36:18,552 --> 00:36:20,687
Turning one setting
has no effect
718
00:36:20,721 --> 00:36:22,889
on any of the others.
719
00:36:22,923 --> 00:36:25,825
[Kevin] The Geomancy machine
is in some senses,
720
00:36:25,859 --> 00:36:27,493
not a machine at all.
721
00:36:27,528 --> 00:36:30,029
What it is is a set
of disconnected dials
722
00:36:30,064 --> 00:36:32,699
and levers which are there
to act as a kind of
723
00:36:32,733 --> 00:36:36,002
object of reference
or aide memoire.
724
00:36:38,339 --> 00:36:39,472
[Corey] The Geomancy machine
725
00:36:39,506 --> 00:36:41,708
doesn't calculate your fortune.
726
00:36:41,742 --> 00:36:43,476
It's just a fancy upgrade
727
00:36:43,510 --> 00:36:45,311
to scratching marks
in the ground
728
00:36:45,346 --> 00:36:47,714
based on your casts.
729
00:36:47,748 --> 00:36:50,750
Not that it matters
because it's how you interpret
730
00:36:50,784 --> 00:36:52,952
the tableau that really counts.
731
00:36:52,987 --> 00:36:55,655
[Andrew] It's not as though they
have a really standard interpretation,
732
00:36:55,689 --> 00:36:57,690
you go away,
and there are literally books
733
00:36:57,725 --> 00:37:00,326
and books of information
about how to interpret
734
00:37:00,361 --> 00:37:02,829
every possible outcome.
735
00:37:02,863 --> 00:37:03,963
[Corey] It's the geomancer's job
736
00:37:03,998 --> 00:37:07,400
to produce a prediction
from the calculated symbols.
737
00:37:10,938 --> 00:37:12,538
[Andrew] The problem
with this process is although
738
00:37:12,573 --> 00:37:14,741
it seems very mathematical
and rigorous,
739
00:37:14,775 --> 00:37:16,542
it's actually just
a very elaborate way
740
00:37:16,577 --> 00:37:20,546
of generating one
of 65,536 random numbers
741
00:37:20,581 --> 00:37:23,816
and then assigning some
kind of deeper meaning to it.
742
00:37:23,851 --> 00:37:25,652
[Mark] The whole
combination allows you
743
00:37:25,686 --> 00:37:27,920
to have a wide range
of interpretations.
744
00:37:27,955 --> 00:37:30,623
The actual interpretation
effectively seems made up.
745
00:37:30,658 --> 00:37:32,992
It seems that
it could be anything.
746
00:37:34,528 --> 00:37:37,363
[Corey] So, the machine
is just geomancy
747
00:37:37,398 --> 00:37:39,299
without getting
your hands dirty.
748
00:37:40,668 --> 00:37:44,304
It says as much
in its own inscriptions.
749
00:37:44,338 --> 00:37:46,673
[Kevin] "I have spread out
the surface of my face
750
00:37:46,707 --> 00:37:49,509
out of humility,
and have prepared it
751
00:37:49,543 --> 00:37:52,478
as a substitute for earth."
752
00:37:52,513 --> 00:37:55,381
[Corey] Making this
the ultimate deluxe accessory
753
00:37:55,416 --> 00:37:57,684
for an A-list geomancer,
754
00:37:57,718 --> 00:38:01,287
the only one of its kind
in the world.
755
00:38:02,623 --> 00:38:04,524
So where does such a unique
756
00:38:04,558 --> 00:38:07,193
and extraordinary device
come from
757
00:38:07,227 --> 00:38:09,529
and who made it?
758
00:38:09,563 --> 00:38:11,397
[Mark] The creator
of the Geomancy machine
759
00:38:11,432 --> 00:38:13,766
is actually inscribed.
His name is given,
760
00:38:13,801 --> 00:38:15,835
Muhammad Khutlukh al-Mawsili.
761
00:38:15,869 --> 00:38:18,404
So, this is a person
actually telling us
762
00:38:18,439 --> 00:38:20,940
where he comes from.
763
00:38:20,974 --> 00:38:23,676
[Corey] That name
translates as Muhammad
764
00:38:23,711 --> 00:38:25,812
son of Khutlukh from al-Mawsili
765
00:38:25,846 --> 00:38:29,916
or to use its modern name,
Mosul in what is now Iraq.
766
00:38:29,950 --> 00:38:31,851
[Kevin] In the 13th century,
Mosul was one
767
00:38:31,885 --> 00:38:35,355
of the great Islamic cities
of the world.
768
00:38:35,389 --> 00:38:37,390
It was a great commercial center
769
00:38:37,424 --> 00:38:39,559
connected to the Silk Road,
770
00:38:39,593 --> 00:38:41,761
rich in its commercial resources
771
00:38:41,795 --> 00:38:43,996
and also an intellectual center.
772
00:38:44,031 --> 00:38:46,766
[Mark] So, it's a place that
we would expect craftsmen
773
00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:49,836
like Muhammad ibn Khutlukh
to have been located.
774
00:38:50,838 --> 00:38:53,873
[Corey] One of medieval
Mosul's signature trades
775
00:38:53,907 --> 00:38:56,943
is the skillful crafting
of one metal into another,
776
00:38:56,977 --> 00:39:01,447
exactly the techniques visible
on the Geomancy machine.
777
00:39:03,917 --> 00:39:05,985
[Mark] It's a very highly
developed piece
778
00:39:06,019 --> 00:39:07,587
with multiple metals
mixed together
779
00:39:07,621 --> 00:39:08,688
and worked in high detail.
780
00:39:08,722 --> 00:39:10,590
So, clearly whoever made it
781
00:39:10,624 --> 00:39:13,626
had a lot of expertise
and Mosul was a perfect place
782
00:39:13,660 --> 00:39:15,461
where such a device
could have been made.
783
00:39:16,897 --> 00:39:20,433
[Corey] But what inspires them
to produce a Geomancy machine
784
00:39:20,467 --> 00:39:23,236
instead of more
decorative vases?
785
00:39:24,505 --> 00:39:26,005
The device is really
trying to be showy.
786
00:39:26,039 --> 00:39:29,409
It's trying to elevate
geomancy practice
787
00:39:29,443 --> 00:39:30,610
to effectively take it
from a, kind of,
788
00:39:30,644 --> 00:39:33,346
back alley practice
to a, kind of,
789
00:39:33,380 --> 00:39:36,149
scientific professional
practice.
790
00:39:38,752 --> 00:39:40,286
[Corey] And that
makes perfect sense
791
00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:41,721
because 1,200 years ago,
792
00:39:41,755 --> 00:39:44,557
science is flourishing
in the Arabic world.
793
00:39:44,591 --> 00:39:46,626
[Kevin] The 8th
through the 13th centuries
794
00:39:46,660 --> 00:39:48,361
were the Islamic Golden Age,
795
00:39:50,864 --> 00:39:52,498
we see the invention
of the syringe,
796
00:39:52,533 --> 00:39:55,802
of forceps, of surgery
to remove cataracts,
797
00:39:55,836 --> 00:39:59,138
we see an enhancement
of knowledge in astronomy.
798
00:39:59,173 --> 00:40:02,442
We see mathematic advances
including things like
799
00:40:02,476 --> 00:40:05,511
the decimal point
and more complex fractions,
800
00:40:05,546 --> 00:40:08,614
as well as
algebraic innovations.
801
00:40:08,649 --> 00:40:10,917
Algebra in fact
is an Arabic word.
802
00:40:10,951 --> 00:40:12,718
The word algorithm
is another word
803
00:40:12,753 --> 00:40:15,721
that we use today
that is also an Arabic word.
804
00:40:15,756 --> 00:40:17,490
And all these developed
805
00:40:17,524 --> 00:40:19,292
during the time
of the Islamic Golden Age.
806
00:40:21,895 --> 00:40:24,464
[Kevin] This is the world
that gives birth
807
00:40:24,498 --> 00:40:26,466
to the Geomancy machine.
808
00:40:28,035 --> 00:40:30,236
[Corey] But given
the popularity of geomancy
809
00:40:30,270 --> 00:40:32,004
in the Arabic world,
810
00:40:32,039 --> 00:40:35,274
why has just one machine
ever been found?
811
00:40:37,611 --> 00:40:41,614
The clue may be in the date
of the machine's manufacture,
812
00:40:41,648 --> 00:40:45,485
engraved on it
is the Muslim years 639
813
00:40:45,519 --> 00:40:50,156
or 1241 to 1242
in the Christian calendar.
814
00:40:52,626 --> 00:40:55,828
Just 16 years later in 1258,
815
00:40:55,862 --> 00:40:59,765
the Golden Age of Islam
is snuffed out.
816
00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,568
[Mark] The real big blow
occurred with the invasion
817
00:41:02,603 --> 00:41:05,004
of the Mongols to the East.
818
00:41:06,573 --> 00:41:10,243
[Kevin] The Mongol Hordes
led by the grandson
819
00:41:10,277 --> 00:41:11,878
of the great Genghis Khan
820
00:41:11,912 --> 00:41:15,515
destroyed the accumulated
knowledge of Baghdad.
821
00:41:15,549 --> 00:41:19,552
Mosques are destroyed,
hospitals are destroyed.
822
00:41:19,586 --> 00:41:21,654
They cast so many books
into the river.
823
00:41:21,688 --> 00:41:24,257
It was said to run black
with ink.
824
00:41:25,192 --> 00:41:27,193
[Corey] So,
this device is produced
825
00:41:27,227 --> 00:41:28,461
during the last hurrah
826
00:41:28,495 --> 00:41:31,230
of the great Islamic Golden Age.
827
00:41:32,432 --> 00:41:35,401
Everything about it
is extraordinary,
828
00:41:35,435 --> 00:41:36,813
from its craftsmanship
829
00:41:36,837 --> 00:41:39,639
to its function and its history.
830
00:41:39,673 --> 00:41:42,608
It's a window
into the incredible creativity
831
00:41:42,643 --> 00:41:45,845
and energy of the medieval
Islamic world.
832
00:41:46,847 --> 00:41:49,882
It's just a shame
it completely fails to predict
833
00:41:49,917 --> 00:41:52,451
the coming of the Mongols
that ends it all.
834
00:41:52,486 --> 00:41:55,488
[dramatic music playing]