Steve Burrows

Join structural engineer Steve Burrows and his team of laser-scanning experts as they set out to explore the epic building legacy of Jerusalem. Their focus is on two of the most impressive engineering creations of the ancients: the Temple Mount, a holy icon larger than 20 football fields, and the man-made mountain of Herodium, an opulent palace built on top of millions of tons of hand carved rock. Both structures were created by King Herod the Great - known as one of history's most reviled characters, but also known for his visionary engineering. From the iconic Wailing Wall to deep into the dangerous West Bank, Steve and his team travel across Jerusalem and beyond on the trail of King Herod's remarkable building ambitions. Using cutting-edge laser technology to analyze constructions made at the time of Christ, they discover new revelations about the skills of Herod's ancient builders, and answer long held mysteries about his magnificent structures.

Structural engineer Steve Burrows scans the sacred Inca city of Machu Picchu using 3D laser technology. His three main questions: How did the Inca build a city atop a mountain? How were the terraces constructed? And how did they supply water to the city?

This is your chance to reach out and touch the past! Just as a forensic anthropologist analyses bones, and a historian deciphers ancient texts, we now have the technology to "read" the buildings, ruins and landscapes where history was made. The series, presented by Dallas Campbell, teams Steve Burrows (pictured), the brains behind the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing, with a team of pioneering laser scanning experts from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Technologies to unlock the secrets of the world’s greatest engineering and cultural achievements. Locations include the Colosseum, Petra, Machu Picchu, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Pyramids and Jerusalem.