Secrets Of The Ancients: Viking Voyage
World, 9pm
With today's progressive technological advancement, we tend to take almost everything for granted. But just how did ancient seamen navigate without modern-day satellite systems? How were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon kept lush and green in a near-desert climate? Did Caesar really manage to build a massive bridge in just 10 days? This intriguing BBC series explores the feats and endeavours of ancient civilisations and pits modern-day minds against the wisdom of the past. From the eighth to the 12th centuries, the Vikings were the masters of the northern seas, sending their slender ships into the uncharted waters of the north Atlantic. They discovered the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and even found their way to North America. But how did they make such voyages in the days before even the simple magnetic compass? The navigational techniques used by the Vikings remain shrouded in mystery.
Tonight's episode follows mariner Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and a Norwegian crew on a journey across the North Sea in a replica Viking ship. Not only do they navigate without modern charts and compasses but they also put to the test the Viking practice of portaging, by attempting to haul a nine-tonne cargo ship across a narrow strip of land in Shetland from the North Sea to the Atlantic. Will they succeed as did their Viking ancestors?
Fair Game
Pearl, 9.35pm