The Crazy Engineering of Venice
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0:00 - 0:03The year is 452
-
0:03 - 0:06The Roman Empire
is on the brink of collapse -
0:06 - 0:09and the Huns have just launched
their attack on Northern Italy. -
0:09 - 0:12Several cities are completely destroyed
-
0:12 - 0:15forcing the locals to go on the run.
-
0:15 - 0:17They head for a lagoon just off the coast
-
0:17 - 0:19and take refuge on several small islands,
-
0:19 - 0:22a decision that would
no doubt save their lives. -
0:23 - 0:27Against all odds, this small civilization
eventually went on to build -
0:27 - 0:29one of the most impressive
feats of engineering -
0:29 - 0:31the world has ever seen.
-
0:31 - 0:32Venice.
-
0:32 - 0:36Despite having no roads,
no land and no fresh water, -
0:36 - 0:40the Venetians managed
to turn a muddy swamp -
0:40 - 0:43into the most powerful
and wealthiest city of its time. -
0:43 - 0:46This unique layout of canals and bridges
-
0:46 - 0:49woven through hundreds of islands
-
0:49 - 0:51made Venice incredibly accessible
-
0:51 - 0:54and it became
the epicenter of all business. -
0:54 - 0:56We modeled the entire thing
-
0:56 - 0:58to show you what's going on
beneath the surface -
0:58 - 1:02and how its clever design
and medieval engineering -
1:02 - 1:04allowed it to take over the world.
-
1:04 - 1:07When the first refugees arrived
-
1:07 - 1:09to start their new lives on the islands
-
1:09 - 1:12they had the worst possible surface
to build on. -
1:12 - 1:16The small, marshy Islands were made
of an incredibly soft clay -
1:16 - 1:18which would barely hold
the weight of a human -
1:18 - 1:20let alone an entire city.
-
1:20 - 1:23To create stable foundations for buildings
-
1:23 - 1:27the Venetians collected large timber piles
from the forests of Croatia -
1:27 - 1:30and started hammering them
into the ground. -
1:30 - 1:32They drove them them about 5m deep
-
1:32 - 1:34until they reached
a much harder layer of clay. -
1:34 - 1:37Not only did this stabilize the piles,
-
1:37 - 1:39but by packing them really close together
-
1:39 - 1:42it compressed the surrounding clay
-
1:42 - 1:46pushing out the water
and making it much stronger. -
1:46 - 1:48Once the piles were firmly in the ground
-
1:48 - 1:51the tops were cut off
and wooden planks were laid on top -
1:51 - 1:53to spread the load.
-
1:53 - 1:55Special blocks of Istrian stone
-
1:55 - 1:58were then placed to raise
the foundations above the water. -
1:58 - 2:01This design was a stroke of genius
-
2:01 - 2:03as the wooden piles
were sealed away from the air -
2:03 - 2:06making it impossible for them to rot.
-
2:06 - 2:09To this day almost all
of the original piles -
2:09 - 2:10are in great condition
-
2:10 - 2:13and are still holding up the city.
-
2:13 - 2:16Once the foundation
had been properly laid down -
2:16 - 2:18the buildings themselves were built.
-
2:18 - 2:21Venetians started off
using wood for their houses -
2:21 - 2:23but after numerous fires,
-
2:23 - 2:24they switched to brick.
-
2:24 - 2:27To keep the buildings
as lightweight as possible -
2:27 - 2:30they had to be
no more than 3 stories high. -
2:30 - 2:32Lime mortar had to be used
instead of cement -
2:32 - 2:34because it was flexible
-
2:34 - 2:36and would allow
the entire building to flex -
2:36 - 2:39as the ground beneath slowly moved.
-
2:39 - 2:41The inner walls were built
in a criss-cross pattern -
2:41 - 2:44that would also flex like a trellis.
-
2:44 - 2:48The facade walls which had large windows
and elegant stone designs -
2:48 - 2:50made them much heavier
-
2:50 - 2:52and so, in order
to stop them from falling over -
2:52 - 2:55they were pinned into the floor
using iron rods -
2:55 - 2:57keeping the entire building together.
-
2:57 - 3:00This method of building
worked well for the Venetians -
3:00 - 3:04and soon several islands around the lagoon
were established in this way. -
3:04 - 3:07Instead of expanding
outwards like most cities, -
3:07 - 3:09these islands expanded into each other.
-
3:09 - 3:13At first, boats were the only way
to cross between the islands -
3:13 - 3:16but eventually the islands
grew closer together -
3:16 - 3:18and many could be crossed
-
3:18 - 3:21by simply wading
through the shallow water on a horse. -
3:21 - 3:23The next step in Venice's evolution
-
3:23 - 3:26would of course be connecting the islands.
-
3:26 - 3:28Surprisingly there were no bridges
-
3:28 - 3:31for the first 500 years
of Venice's existence. -
3:31 - 3:33But as the population increased
-
3:33 - 3:35and business started to ramp up
-
3:35 - 3:38there needed to be
an easier way to reach Rialto, -
3:38 - 3:41the financial center of Venice.
-
3:41 - 3:43And so, the Doge of Venice
set up a prize -
3:43 - 3:46for the engineer that could design
the best bridge. -
3:47 - 3:50He announced this by putting up
displate posters all around the city. -
3:51 - 3:52Just kidding.
-
3:52 - 3:55Displate - today's sponsor
makes awesome metal posters -
3:55 - 3:59that can be easily mounted
using their custom magnet mounting system. -
3:59 - 4:02They have over 2 million pieces
of artwork available -
4:02 - 4:05whether it's a beautiful Venice painting
-
4:05 - 4:07or an official poster from collaborators
-
4:07 - 4:11like NASA, Star Wars,
Call of Duty or Netflix. -
4:11 - 4:14My personal favorites
are this Venice poster -
4:14 - 4:16and this awesome James Webb design.
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4:16 - 4:18With their magnet mounting system
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4:18 - 4:21you can mount a Displate
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4:21 - 4:24without power tools
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4:27 - 4:31which bring the artwork to life
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4:41 - 4:45and your metal poster should be
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4:47 - 4:50and visit displate.com/primalspace
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4:50 - 4:52or use code PRIMALSPACE.
-
4:53 - 4:55In order to turn Venice
from a collection of islands -
4:55 - 4:58into a bustling city,
bridges had to be built. -
4:58 - 5:01The first attempt
was a simple pontoon bridge -
5:01 - 5:04that joined the two largest sections
of Venice together -
5:04 - 5:08and crucially provided
quick access to the Rialto area. -
5:08 - 5:11The bridge was later upgraded
to a wooden bridge -
5:11 - 5:13which eventually burned down
and collapsed -
5:13 - 5:17before it was finally replaced
by a much stronger stone bridge. -
5:18 - 5:22To build it, over 12,000 timber piles
were driven into the banks of the canal -
5:22 - 5:26and 10,000 tons of stone
were built on top -
5:26 - 5:28to form the bridge.
-
5:28 - 5:30To this day the bridge still stands
-
5:30 - 5:33and it serves as the main artery
in the center of Venice. -
5:33 - 5:37After this, stone bridges
started to pop up everywhere -
5:37 - 5:39turning Venice into a compact city
-
5:39 - 5:42made up entirely of canals
instead of roads. -
5:42 - 5:45This gave Venice a unique advantage
-
5:45 - 5:47since the canals allowed goods
and traffic -
5:47 - 5:50to flow quickly
through every part of the city. -
5:50 - 5:53The messy overlap of pedestrians
and horse-drawn traffic -
5:53 - 5:55didn't exist in Venice
-
5:55 - 5:58since the walkways and canals
were completely separated. -
5:58 - 6:01Yet people could transition
between the two effortlessly, -
6:01 - 6:03without slowing down.
-
6:03 - 6:06By now the city had become
-
6:06 - 6:08the most powerful
and richest city in Europe. -
6:08 - 6:11Everything being bought and sold
went through Venice -
6:11 - 6:14and the Venetians were making
enormous amounts of money. -
6:15 - 6:18But as business increased,
so did the population -
6:18 - 6:21and the demand for fresh water
was out of control. -
6:22 - 6:26Despite being surrounded by water,
Venice couldn't use any of it -
6:26 - 6:29since it was extremely
salty and undrinkable. -
6:29 - 6:32Without natural springs or rivers
to collect fresh water -
6:33 - 6:36Venice relied upon boats
to deliver water from the mainland -
6:36 - 6:39but with 170,000 people,
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6:40 - 6:42the demand became too much
-
6:42 - 6:45and the Venetian engineers
had to get creative. -
6:45 - 6:48From the beginning, Venetian islands
were built around squares -
6:48 - 6:52which were initially just empty fields
for animals to graze upon. -
6:52 - 6:55The idea was to use these squares
to collect rainwater. -
6:55 - 6:59They started by digging out
large areas under the entire square -
7:00 - 7:02and lining the walls
with a thick layer of clay -
7:02 - 7:04to make it waterproof.
-
7:04 - 7:06The space was then filled in
with sand and stones -
7:06 - 7:09and the surface was redone with tiles
-
7:09 - 7:12that would lead the water
towards each corner of the square. -
7:12 - 7:15From here, rainwater
would flow into the basin -
7:15 - 7:18and gradually filter
through the sand and stones -
7:18 - 7:21until it reached the main well
at the center of the square. -
7:21 - 7:24To maximize the surface area
for water collection, -
7:24 - 7:27the roofs of the nearby buildings
were fitted with gutters -
7:27 - 7:31that would direct the water
onto the square and into the drains. -
7:31 - 7:33Venice then became an enormous funnel
-
7:33 - 7:37which filled more than 600 wells
around the city. -
7:37 - 7:40The Venetians had once again
engineered a masterpiece -
7:40 - 7:42to save its city.
-
7:42 - 7:44But there was still one huge problem.
-
7:44 - 7:46Waste.
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7:46 - 7:49Until this point, people threw
all of their waste out of the window, -
7:49 - 7:51some of it landing in the canal.
-
7:51 - 7:55But for those who didn't live
within throwing distance of a canal, -
7:55 - 7:59urine, feces and rotten food
all ended up in the streets. -
7:59 - 8:01And so, in the 16th century,
-
8:01 - 8:04the Venetians started building
a network of underground tunnels -
8:05 - 8:07that would collect the waste
from every building -
8:07 - 8:09and flush it into the canal.
-
8:09 - 8:12When the tide of the lagoon was down
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8:12 - 8:14solid waste would collect at the bottom
-
8:14 - 8:17and the liquids would naturally
flow into the canals. -
8:17 - 8:20Then, when the tide rose,
it would flood the tunnels -
8:20 - 8:22and pull the solid waste into the canal.
-
8:22 - 8:26The motion of the tide
coming in and out twice a day -
8:26 - 8:29would exchange the dirty water
for fresh water from the sea -
8:29 - 8:32flushing Venice from all of its waste.
-
8:32 - 8:35The extremely salty water
worked as a strong disinfectant -
8:35 - 8:38and thanks to this system,
the streets became clean. -
8:39 - 8:43Amazingly, almost all of the incredible
engineering that made Venice -
8:43 - 8:45is still around today.
-
8:45 - 8:49The bridges, the canals, the buildings
are all ancient relics -
8:49 - 8:51sitting on a forest
-
8:51 - 8:55that has held up the entire city
for over a thousand years. -
8:55 - 8:58And now, time
for the Primal Space giveaway. -
8:58 - 9:02The winner of the previous giveaway
is Leon. -
9:02 - 9:02Congrats!
-
9:03 - 9:07In the next video we'll be giving away
this Primal Space designed Venice poster. -
9:07 - 9:10All you need to do
is sign up at the link below, -
9:10 - 9:13like the video, and leave a comment
-
9:13 - 9:15saying what you think about Venice.
-
9:15 - 9:17Thank you very much for watching
-
9:17 - 9:19and I'll see you in the next video.
- Title:
- The Crazy Engineering of Venice
- Description:
-
AD: Go to https://displate.com/primalspace and check out designs with the new Textra finish.
Have you ever wondered how Venice, a city built on water, became one of the most powerful and wealthy cities in history?
In this video, we uncover the extraordinary story of Venice, from its humble beginnings as a refuge for Roman citizens fleeing the Huns, to its rise as a medieval engineering marvel. Discover how the Venetians transformed a muddy lagoon into a thriving metropolis with no roads, no land, and no fresh water. We'll explore the ingenious techniques they used to build stable foundations, construct iconic canals and bridges, and develop a unique system for fresh water and waste management.
Join me as we model Venice's complex infrastructure and reveal the secrets behind its lasting success. Be sure to stick around until the end of this video to learn more about our next giveaway.
Enter the giveaway at the link below:
https://primalnebula.com/giveaway/Short on time? Feel free to skip ahead in this video using the chapter links below.
00:00 The History of Venice
01:04 Building Stable Foundations
02:12 Establishing the Islands of Venice
04:52 Constructing Venetian Bridges
06:15 Venice's Water Supply Solution
07:45 Waste Management Innovation in VeniceThanks for watching this Primal Space video. If you enjoyed it, let me know in the comments below, and don't forget to subscribe so you can see more videos like this!
Support Primal Space by becoming a Patron!
https://www.patreon.com/primalspaceTwitter:
https://twitter.com/thePrimalSpaceReferences:
https://primalnebula.com/how-was-venice-builtWritten and edited by Ewan Cunningham (https://www.instagram.com/ewan_cee/)
3D Modeler: Orkun ZenginMusic used in this video:
As History Unfolds - Christoffer Moe
To Loom Is To Love - The Mini Vandals
San Pedro - Sugoi
Inspiring Cinematic Asia - Lexin Music
Eternal Garden - Dan Henig
Sprightly Pursuit - Cooper Cannell
Melting Glass - Eden Avery
Stuck In The Air - The Tower of Light#venice #venicecanal #engineeringmarvels
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 09:28
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Margarida Ferreira edited English subtitles for The Crazy Engineering of Venice |