---
author: Eric Wagoner
date: '2000-02-02T10:55:26'
draft: false
title: PBS's NOVA began a new
---

PBS's NOVA began a new series yesterday. [_Secrets of Lost Empires_](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/textindex.html) shows historians trying to reproduce ancient engineering marvels using the same ancient methods. The first episode detailed [the medieval trebuchet](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/), a catapult/slingshot that was the first weapon to threaten stone castle walls. The websites are up to the usual high PBS standards and provide plenty of background material and links to other sites of interest. In the [SCA](http://www.sca.org), a medieval recreationist/research society I belong to, there is some interest in recreating siege engines of all types. The annual [Estrella War](http://www.estrellawar.org) (to be held in two weeks in Southern Arizona) hosts a [siege engine contest](http://www.estrellawar.org/posteventinfo/99resultssiege.html). The entries have gotten more impressive and authentic in recent years, but I haven't yet found any photos. I miss Estrella.