you you [Music] [Applause] okay class I'm giving each group of you a different era of history to research and the question is what impact did your era have on the modern world so Sarah your group has the ancient Greeks Ravi you put the Romans and Danny's group gets ah yes a bit of a challenge for you you gets the Middle Ages some even call it the Dark Ages see how you get on [Music] [Music] is that the librarian I guess so how would the dark ages gonna have anything to do with us excuse me sort of all you what do you want we need to find out what impact the Dark Ages had on the modern world never was a period of history so poorly named don't touch it's priceless and I suppose someone's been filling your head with the usual nonsense a a thousand wasted years a black hole in history am i right yes all soft you see it's always the same you assume it was all not a disease death and destruction with marauding mobs of barbarians ripping down the good of former civilizations burning and plundering as they went nothing of any worth invented either hey sorry to bother you come on it's probably not worth it everyone knows what the Greeks and Romans invented everything anyway oh did they know and you're sure about that are you you know I might just have something for you you seem to be up to the task I suppose I could follow me I've got just the book for you [Music] [Music] [Music] where are we going don't know ask Amy excuse me where are we going from darkness into light my young friend from Ocean onto land there are things you should know oh yes indeed now I know I left it around here somewhere ah here it is now take a look if you dare [Music] what's going on welcome to the Dark Ages or as it should be known the golden ages who are you I am al-jazari engineer and ingenious inventor I thought you said this was the Dark Ages it doesn't look very dark that's because it's all a matter of perspective my soon to be illuminated friend of course they've passed the world that weren't dark at all but in a civilization that stretched from Spain to China the golden rays of discovery and invention chomp over everything what civilization the Muslim civilization my young friend through scholars and scientists of various faiths some of the most important discoveries known to man were made at this time discoveries that drew on knowledge of the Ancients but have more connections with your modern world than you could possibly ever imagine like what well all sorts of things I'm gonna get a picture of this I knew it was a good idea who are you allow me to introduce the bin al hey Tom a great scientist whose ideas led to the invention of the camera you invented the camera I laid the foundations for modern cameras by explaining how our eyes work I found a way of projecting an image onto another surface to a small hole in a darkroom later called camera obscura think of all the things that evolved from this discovery cameras cinema all share the same principle [Music] look out below who's that that's my good friend a bus Ben furnace who gazed up to the heavens passionate in his belief that man could fly indeed he dared to dream about flying a thousand years before the Wright brothers do you know you all take your jet-setting holidays for granted so it only seems fair to remember a pass we've been for nurse standby I'm all ready for takeoff [Music] oh you did forget one thing though a tale useful for land did someone call my old friend why don't you introduce yourself to my young guests I am able Qasim al-zahraa we many call me the father of surgery did you actually do surgery back then force we didn't in fact many of the surgical tools that I invented are still used in your modern hospitals excuse me the patient needs my attention scalpel in that case our use cut cut Katka from the gut of animals a perfect for stitching up internal wounds your surgeons are still using it today sorry moustache [Music] well she that's Miriam Astra Lobby one of the many brilliant women have her time she made sophisticated astrolabes Astro what astrolabes they show the sky in the stars and a small flat plate you can hold in your hand think of them as ancient calculating war timekeeping devices today have you watch the compass satellite navigation helping people and explorers travel the world science that is brilliant best and all these things were developed during the golden ages that's just the tip of the iceberg there were thousands of other inventions covering all areas of life and in the years that followed the influence spread across the whole of medieval Europe so you see wasn't so dark after all what about you me what did you invent well I don't want to be big-headed but I made some groundbreaking advances in engineering I suppose more a most significant discovery converted rotary motion into linear motion using a crank and connecting rod it's essentially dn't pumps and engines in fact I have no idea how the industrial revolution could have happened hundreds of years later without such a device not that I ever get the credit I deserve my crowning glory was my amazing time telling machine my legendary elephant clock [Music] it's a clock yes dozens of components collected from different cultures around the world Indian Greek Arabian Egyptian Chinese Wow how United Nations Club that is pretty cool does it actually tell the time Wow yes of course it wasn't for me thousands of people it would be late for everything speaking of time we better get you back and remember spread the word this is a golden age and I've only shown you a tiny part of this wondrous time there are countless other scientists and inventions directly connected to your modern world you're just gonna have to find out for yourselves no wait [Music] well did you yeah that wasn't quite so boring come on we're gonna be late [Music] so what have we learned the Romans the Greeks the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution all have great relevance to us today where's telescreens disservice ah our intrepid Dark Ages group you probably had a much harder time finding any connections with the modern world actually miss that's not strictly true [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] you