Fake History Hunter Profile picture
Sep 16, 2021 13 tweets 8 min read Read on X
Today I'm reviewing another @MagellanTVDocs documentary; 'Ancient Inventions of City Life'.
Watch it for free for 7 days here:
magellantv.com/series/ancient…
Get a one month free membership here:
try.magellantv.com/fakehistoryhun…
#magellantv #freedocumentary Image
It is presented by the late Terry Jones, who of course was part of Monty Python but later became a wonderful writer and documentary maker.
I love Terry, not just because of the way he presents but also because he reminds me a lot of my dad. Image
This episode is about the history of cities, how people adapted to living in them and what we can learn from our ancestors.

A few highlights;

I love hearing about how we have skyscrapers today and then having them compared to the centuries old towers of Italy and Yemen. ImageImage
Terry also speaks of the Roman apartment blocks, we recently chatted about them here on Twitter.
There's mention of one of these towers having 8th floors!

Here's that old thread;
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Most documentaries and movies only show us the villas and pretty side of Roman life, Terry shows us one of the apartment blocks and reminds us that most people lived like that!

Wait what, an ox fell from the 4th floor?! Image
Terry tells us the story of Nero fiddling as Rome burned is totally untrue, yay Terry, fighting fake history! Image
Look at that, a fire engine, designed by Hero of Alexandria 2000 years ago!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_of_A…

Archimedes screw, the reason most of my country is no longer sea! ImageImage
Concrete is quite old, the Pantheon's dome (2nd century AD) is still one of the largest in the world!
It is a myth that the recipe for concrete was lost after the Roman era btw, sorry Terry, got to correct you there. ImageImage
The technology of making specific types of concrete was lost, but regular old concrete/cement remained in use during the middle ages.

The Taxi-meter, also 2000 years old! ImageImage
Terry reminds us that although Gutenberg was responsible for a revolution in printing, he did not invent the technique of printing with moveable type, we have the Chinese to thank for that.

Another ancient invention; fast food, the snack-bar... and the hamburger! Image
Street lighting... yep also around since ancient times!
Ephesus, Antioch & Rome had their own street lighting.
And here, a portable gas light! ImageImage
It's a lovely documentary to watch, quite funny and educational.
Full of little facts you can use to impress your friends with.
And as Terry concludes; "we're no cleverer than our ancestors". ImageImageImage
So enjoy it, Magellantv has made it available for free for me to share with you, go check it out, enjoy;
Let me know what you think, you can see it here for free: magellantv.com/series/ancient…

And if you want to sign up for MagellanTV, check out my offer;
try.magellantv.com/fakehistoryhun…

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More from @fakehistoryhunt

Sep 4
Let's review another painting together, another one by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, this time the 'Boerenbruiloft' (farmer's or peasant's wedding) from c. 1567.
Another glimpse of what life was like for common people in the 17th century!
Time to check out some details. Image
The bride, she looks suspiciously content.
Is she drunk, tired, super content or does she have a secret?
Above her the double paper crown as well as a sort of crown on her head, making her the queen of the event.
It may symbolise her virginity or wealth.
Its in many paintings. Image
Maybe she's just happy because she lives in the low countries, a place where women got education, divorce, equal inheritance and freedoms & rights that were uncommon elsewhere then!
More about that here;
fakehistoryhunter.net/2025/08/04/boo…Image
Read 23 tweets
Sep 1
Oh boys and girls, auntie Jo has found another real estate gem... and it only costs 4 million Euros...
This may be one of the most gorgeous houses I´ve ever seen.
A Dutch 1917 villa:
funda.nl/detail/koop/wa…Image
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Still many of the gorgeous original details, showing us that the house was once full of colour.
We'll have to strip a LOT of boring white paint, I reckon this building originally just had a lot of nice dark polished wood. Image
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Read 7 tweets
Aug 30
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Jul 31
Found another gem on the Dutch real estate website.
A lovely little church in the 'Amsterdamse School' style, built in 1926 and clearly inhabited by a fellow time traveller, just wait till you see inside.
funda.nl/detail/koop/mu…Image
Decorated with respect to the design and character of the building but filled with lots of interesting and weird old stuff.
Yep.
Time traveller. Image
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Read 8 tweets
Jul 24
The BBC has released their trailer for their new show 'King & Conqueror'.
Let's take a look.
Get your Medieval myths bingo card ready...
What... what on earth are those clothes?
Is this game of Thrones? Image
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Interesting castle.
Is that Playmobil? Image
Read 14 tweets
Jul 15
I don't know much about art but I know what I like.

"Germanic warrior with helmet", ca 1902.
By Osmar Schindler Image
Oh btw, for a laugh I asked ai.

Gemini got it WRONG: Image
Chatgpt got it WRONG: Image
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