Topic: Pliny

John Hamer details the legend of flexible glass, an unbreakable material allegedly presented to Roman Emperor Tiberius. According to historical accounts by Pliny the Elder, the inventor demonstrated the glass's durability, but Tiberius had the man executed and the workshop destroyed to protect the value of gold and silver. This story is presented as an early example of suppressed technology and planned obsolescence.

A brief comparison is made between the accounts of Pliny the Elder and the writings of Plato regarding the lost continent of Atlantis. The authors argue that because these figures were known for writing non-fiction, their accounts of "mythical" technologies or places should be taken seriously rather than dismissed as allegory.

Tess Clark explains her reliance on ancient historians and "cometographers" who recorded natural phenomena, particularly large comets that passed close to Earth. She argues that elite bloodlines have historically used their knowledge of cosmic weather and catastrophes to manipulate and control the masses. By framing natural disasters as divine punishment or events they could control, the ruling class established themselves as necessary protectors or gods.

Harry Hubbard discusses the Bargo Islands, mentioned by Pliny the Elder in 70 AD and later depicted by German mapmaker George Souter in 1736. Hubbard highlights a provocative detail on Souter's map regarding a "machine that controls the weather" located on one of the islands. He argues the specific details about sunlight hours in these maps suggest the cartographers had first-hand knowledge of the polar regions.