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00:00En lo que es conocido como la Guardia de Egipto,
00:04un excavación revela evidencia que parece que se despegue con la historia.
00:08Había una serie de shaftes debajo de la superficie.
00:12Era un cemeterio escondido con cuerpos.
00:15Pero quiénes eran estos hombres?
00:17Y dónde vinieron todos ellos?
00:19En Francia, el descanso de descanso una estructura baflada por centurias.
00:25Después de más de descanso de descanso,
00:26era posible obtener una visión de toda la estructura.
00:30Se formó la forma de un enorme bowtie.
00:33En los bancos de la legendaria Indus River,
00:35rodeados por descanso,
00:37arqueología se descanso un gran escondido.
00:40Dozens de humanos, muchos en grupos,
00:43casi como si hubieran burbado en graves graves.
00:45Others estaban desarticulados,
00:47con muchos de sus huesos simplemente missing.
00:50Las ciudades perdidas.
00:52Treas perdidas.
00:53Las estructuras misteriosas.
00:57Cuando la nueva tecnología descubre
00:59las historias maravillosas
01:00escondidas en los descanso del mundo,
01:02los secretos en la sangre
01:05finalmente serán revelados.
01:07West of Egypt's Nile River Valley,
01:22just 55 miles south of Cairo,
01:24the Fayum Basin
01:25sits in a natural depression spread
01:28over 12,000 square miles of desert.
01:30The region has long, hot, arid summers
01:34and short, dry winters.
01:36While the bottom layer of the basin
01:37is fed by canals connected to the Nile,
01:40the upper layer of Fayum
01:41is a desert-like terrain
01:43with escarpments separated
01:45by plateaus and plains.
01:47In ancient times,
01:49Fayum was a desert oasis,
01:51referred to as the Garden of Egypt.
01:54This is from a time
01:55when a branch of the Nile River
01:57silted up and fresh water
01:58was diverted to the basin,
02:00attracting vegetation, wildlife
02:02and a human population.
02:05As Fayum grew,
02:07it became home to several large
02:09and thriving villages
02:10like Crocodilopolis,
02:12Karanis and Cahun.
02:13The region was most prosperous and stable
02:15from 2040 BCE to 1782 BCE
02:19and that's generally called
02:21Egypt's Golden Age.
02:23The Roman Empire swept into Egypt
02:25around 30 BCE
02:26and eventually brought Christianity with it
02:28in the next century.
02:29So it was a cultural
02:30and religious invasion
02:31as much as a military one.
02:33However, the people of Fayum
02:35and elsewhere in Roman Egypt
02:36continued many of their own traditions
02:38such as embalming
02:39and burying their dead
02:40despite the Roman preference
02:41for cremation.
02:43A group of archaeologists
02:44is excavating a dig site
02:46on the eastern edge of Fayum
02:47when they come across a surprise
02:50six to eight feet below the surface.
02:52There was a series of shafts
02:54below the surface
02:55but underneath that
02:57was a second layer of sand
02:58where the mummified remains
03:00of at least 40 individuals
03:01were packed tightly together.
03:04It was a hidden cemetery
03:05crowded with bodies.
03:08Initial carbon dating of the mummies
03:10put them somewhere
03:11in the first to the seventh century CE.
03:14That's the Roman to late Roman
03:16and Byzantine era.
03:18And while it isn't entirely unusual
03:19to come across ancient burial sites
03:21in the Egyptian desert
03:22these mummies were unique
03:24for several reasons.
03:27They exhibited no evidence
03:29of the embalming
03:29that was the common practice.
03:31Egyptians believed
03:32the mummified body
03:33was the home of the soul
03:34and if the body was destroyed
03:36then the soul or spirit
03:37might be lost.
03:39It was important
03:39to preserve the body
03:40with special resins and oils
03:41so it could enter the afterlife
03:43in the same physical form.
03:45Even more striking
03:46despite the lack
03:47of embalming fluid
03:48the Fayyum mummies
03:50were extremely well preserved.
03:52The dry conditions
03:53of the Egyptian desert
03:54had slowed
03:55the decomposition process.
03:57But who were these individuals?
03:59And why were they
04:00all packed tightly together
04:02in a way that defies
04:03what we think we know
04:04about Egyptian funeral rites?
04:08Embalming was just one
04:09of the highly ritualized
04:11burial practices
04:12of ancient Egypt.
04:13Everything about
04:14the Egyptian funeral
04:15was about preparing
04:16for the afterlife
04:17including the tomb
04:19which was a haven
04:20for the soul.
04:22Egyptian tombs
04:22typically reflected
04:23the status or wealth
04:25of the individual
04:25which is why kings
04:26and pharaohs
04:27were given the full
04:28pyramid treatment.
04:30Inside the tomb
04:31hieroglyphics
04:32and paintings
04:33depicted scenes
04:33from daily life
04:35religious rituals
04:36and the afterlife journey.
04:39Egyptians also believed
04:40that the deceased
04:41would need certain items
04:43in the next world.
04:44These grave goods
04:45included food
04:46and clothing
04:47ceramics
04:48furniture
04:49and fancy things
04:51to wear.
04:51Everything from
04:52simple bracelets
04:53and amulets
04:53to luxurious jewelry.
04:56Unlike the grand
04:57and well-appointed
04:58tombs of pharaohs
04:59almost none of these mummies
05:01were buried
05:01with any kind
05:02of grave goods.
05:03And what little there was
05:04was made up
05:05of everyday items
05:06such as reed mats
05:07broken bits of ceramic
05:08wooden and terracotta
05:09figures
05:10and date seeds
05:11and pits.
05:12Technically
05:13you couldn't even
05:14call these burial sites
05:15tombs.
05:16There were very few
05:16coffins
05:17and aside from
05:18some textile wrappings
05:19and some shrouds
05:20it looked like
05:21not a lot of care
05:21had been given
05:22to each body's
05:23preparation
05:24but that's not
05:25a dead end.
05:26It just means
05:26this is different
05:27from what we're used
05:28to finding
05:28and maybe that's
05:29what makes it great.
05:30Maybe the fact
05:31that these mummies
05:31were placed in graves
05:32this way suggests
05:33they were ordinary
05:34citizens
05:34or maybe they were
05:35people with even
05:36lower status than that.
05:39As the archaeologists
05:40expand their excavation
05:41they come across
05:42something truly astounding.
05:45The cemetery
05:45turned out to be
05:46much, much larger
05:48than originally believed.
05:49It was a staggering
05:50300 acres.
05:52That's just under
05:53half a square mile.
05:55Even more shocking
05:56the high concentration
05:57of bodies
05:58was consistent
05:59throughout.
06:00To find a single
06:02burial site
06:02containing what was
06:03suddenly estimated
06:04to be hundreds
06:05of thousands
06:06of mummified remains
06:07is incredible.
06:09But who were
06:09these people
06:10and where do
06:11they all come from?
06:13It wouldn't be
06:14the first time
06:15a massive burial
06:16was discovered
06:17in the Egyptian desert.
06:18200 miles south
06:20of Cairo
06:20archaeologists
06:21excavating an area
06:22near the ancient
06:23city of Amarna
06:24discovered a cemetery
06:26estimated to contain
06:27over 6,000 individuals.
06:30During Egypt's
06:3118th dynasty
06:32Amarna was declared
06:33the new capital
06:33of Egypt
06:34by an eccentric
06:34pharaoh named
06:35Akhenaten.
06:36He pushed to have
06:37a city completed
06:38in just five years
06:39an extreme pace
06:41that was only
06:41achievable on the
06:42backs of enslaved
06:43laborers.
06:44In other words
06:44consistent with the
06:45profile of the
06:46Amarna individuals.
06:48As with the Fayum site
06:49the bodies at Amarna
06:50were stacked closely
06:51together with
06:52little ceremony.
06:53There were very few
06:54grave goods
06:55and most of them
06:56were simply wrapped
06:56or bagged
06:58in a rough
06:58mat-like material.
07:00The origin of the
07:02bodies at Amarna
07:03was almost certainly
07:03the city itself
07:04and while the
07:06cemetery at Fayum
07:07is relatively isolated
07:08there were two
07:10pyramids nearby
07:11the Midoum
07:12and the Selah.
07:14I mean the Selah
07:14was less than a mile
07:15from there
07:16so maybe the Fayum
07:17burial site
07:18was the final
07:19resting place
07:20for workers
07:20who built the pyramids.
07:23There is still
07:24an element of mystery
07:25surrounding the
07:26creation of Egypt's
07:27pyramids
07:27but even a
07:28conservative estimate
07:29puts the workforce
07:30in the tens of
07:31thousands.
07:33It's believed
07:33the back-breaking
07:34work was performed
07:35mostly by worked
07:36gangs and
07:37agricultural laborers
07:38and not by
07:39enslaved workers
07:39as is often portrayed.
07:41To get the job done
07:42massive blocks
07:43of limestone
07:43were quarried
07:44and ferried
07:45close to the site
07:45on barges
07:46along the Nile River.
07:48From there
07:48it was a matter
07:49of transporting
07:49the blocks
07:50up and onto
07:51the pyramid base
07:51using ramps
07:52ropes
07:53and pulleys.
07:55Not much is known
07:56about the daily life
07:57of the pyramid builders
07:58but there are records
07:59of some workers' graves
08:01found near existing pyramids.
08:02Analysis of their bones
08:04and teeth
08:05suggests that
08:06they were well fed
08:07and may have
08:07even received
08:08medical care
08:09for injuries.
08:10While the idea
08:12of the Fayum Cemetery
08:13being filled
08:13with the remains
08:14of local pyramid builders
08:16is an intriguing one
08:17the math doesn't work out.
08:19The Selah and Medun pyramids
08:21were built in Egypt's
08:22fourth dynasty
08:23which was just over
08:242,000 years
08:25before the Roman
08:26and Byzantine era.
08:28Such a huge number
08:29of bodies
08:30had to come from somewhere.
08:31The nearest big city
08:33is Cairo
08:33or Memphis
08:34as it was called
08:35back then
08:35but that's more
08:36than 40 miles away.
08:38So is it possible
08:39another ancient town
08:41or city
08:41existed 2,000 years ago
08:43closer to where
08:44the cemetery is now?
08:45A deep dive
08:57into the Fayum
08:58historical records
08:59reveals a potential clue.
09:01As it turns out
09:02there were a few villages
09:03between the eastern edge
09:04of the Fayum Basin
09:05and the Nile River.
09:07As soon as the Egyptians
09:08figured out
09:08it was possible
09:09to divert the Nile's
09:10freshwater to the west
09:11with a series of canals
09:12populations began
09:14to thrive in the desert.
09:17The villages
09:18of Tanis and Selah
09:19were established
09:19close to the main road
09:20that connected the Nile
09:21and the Fayum Basin
09:23which became
09:23an important trade route.
09:25So not only
09:26did merchants
09:26and tradespeople
09:27travel from all
09:28over these villages
09:29but they stayed there
09:30and raised families.
09:32What evolved over time
09:34was a population
09:35of ethnically diverse
09:36individuals
09:37all living
09:38in the same location
09:39evidently in harmony.
09:40So if the Fayum mummies
09:42as a group
09:43were discovered
09:43to have a diverse
09:44genetic makeup
09:45that would strongly suggest
09:47that they were from
09:48one of the local villages.
09:50Samples of teeth,
09:51bone and hair
09:52are collected
09:53from the mummies
09:53for analysis.
09:5537 burials
09:56were selected
09:56from across
09:57the entire cemetery
09:58to best represent
10:00a cross section
10:00of the population.
10:02The first observation
10:03and the most striking
10:04was connected
10:05to hair color.
10:07Of the 37 samples
10:095 had dark brown
10:11or black hair
10:1212 had light
10:13or medium brown hair
10:1516 were blonde
10:17and 4 had red hair.
10:20That's pretty strong evidence
10:22that we've got
10:22substantial ethnic diversity
10:24but here's the kicker.
10:26The bodies
10:26with the same colored hair
10:28get buried together.
10:30So in other words
10:31mummies with blonde hair
10:32were discovered
10:33clustered in the same place
10:34and so on.
10:35There are several
10:38possible explanations
10:38for this.
10:40It might be that
10:40members of the same
10:41ethnic group
10:41were buried together
10:42as an organizing principle
10:43of the cemetery.
10:45It's also possible
10:46they were all members
10:47of the same family.
10:49But continued work
10:49on the site
10:50leads to further revelations.
10:52Many of the graves
10:53were essentially pits
10:54and they were both
10:55narrow and deep.
10:57As a cross section
10:58they resembled
10:59an elevator shaft
11:00with mummies
11:01stacked on top
11:01of one another.
11:02Strangely
11:03the heads
11:04of the older mummies
11:05those on the lower half
11:07were facing west
11:08and the more recently
11:09deceased mummy's hands
11:10were facing east.
11:12Given the timeline
11:12it may be
11:14that the 180 degree shift
11:15was due to the spread
11:17of Christianity
11:17through Egypt.
11:19According to
11:19Christian scripture
11:20Jesus was to return
11:22from the east
11:23so the bodies
11:24might have been
11:24reoriented
11:25to prepare
11:26for his arrival.
11:28This was backed up
11:29by symbols of the cross
11:30found woven
11:31into many
11:32of the mummy's
11:32tunics
11:33and shrouds.
11:35While the true origin
11:37of the thousands
11:38of mummies
11:38remains a mystery
11:39each discovery
11:40no matter how small
11:42is a potential clue
11:43for unlocking the secret.
11:45The Fayum Cemetery
11:46represents a compelling
11:48snapshot
11:48of ancient Egypt
11:50and a rare glimpse
11:51into the lives
11:52and deaths
11:52of those who lived there.
12:01The peaceful
12:05and picturesque
12:06commune of Marlien
12:07lies near the heart
12:08of France's
12:09Côte d'Or district
12:10just 12 miles
12:11east of Dijon.
12:14Marlien is a mostly
12:15rural township
12:16made up of rolling hills
12:18and patchwork fields.
12:19While there is
12:20agricultural activity
12:21including the famous
12:22Côte d'Or vineyards
12:24the farming is limited
12:25by the arid conditions.
12:27Marlien gets a lot
12:29of sunshine
12:301900 hours per year
12:32and the land
12:33can get extremely dry
12:34in the spring
12:34and summer months
12:35which turns the soil
12:37into loose sand.
12:39As with most
12:40of Western Europe
12:41France later fell
12:42to the expanding
12:43Roman Empire
12:43in the 2nd century B.C.
12:45Known as Gaul
12:47at the time
12:47France was under
12:48Roman occupation
12:49until the 5th century AD.
12:52Dijon was originally
12:53a Roman settlement
12:54called Divio
12:55as it was located
12:56on the main road
12:57dividing the route
12:58to Paris
12:59and the route
12:59to Lyon.
13:01Archaeologists
13:02are surveying
13:03the construction site
13:04of a future gravel pit
13:05when they uncover
13:06something unusual.
13:08Just below the surface
13:10there was what appeared
13:11to be a mysterious shape
13:13and after brushing aside
13:15a section
13:16of the surrounding sand
13:17an unusual structure
13:20emerged
13:20made from raised
13:22and densely packed earth
13:24measuring at least
13:2550 feet across.
13:27After more of the sand
13:29was cleared away
13:29it was possible
13:30to get a visual
13:31on the entire structure.
13:33From above
13:34it forms the shape
13:35of a massive bow tie.
13:38The middle section
13:40is a circle
13:40of raised earth
13:41measuring 36 feet
13:43in diameter.
13:44On either side
13:45of the circle
13:45two curved lines
13:47form a horseshoe shape
13:48about 25 feet across.
13:51One of the horseshoes
13:52is a complete enclosure
13:53but the other
13:54is broken up
13:55by a series of gaps
13:56or dashes.
13:57A survey of the surrounding areas
14:01conducted the search
14:02for possible clues
14:03connected to the bow tie formation.
14:06An area of roughly
14:0815 acres
14:09was cordoned off
14:10and within this
14:11three different sample
14:13excavation sites
14:14were laid out.
14:15The first site
14:16was located
14:17about 1300 feet
14:19from the initial discovery.
14:21A grave site
14:22was discovered
14:22just below the surface.
14:24The grave site
14:26or necropolis
14:27contained six
14:29ceramic cremation urns
14:30that were dated
14:31to the first Iron Age.
14:33The period
14:33from roughly
14:34800 BCE
14:35to 100 CE.
14:37Each of the urns
14:38was covered by a lid
14:39and inside
14:40there was evidence
14:41of cremated bone remains
14:43within the ash.
14:45Some of the bone deposits
14:46were accompanied
14:47by rings and bracelets
14:48made from copper alloy
14:50and iron.
14:51The addition
14:52of these ceremonial items
14:53was consistent
14:54with other
14:55Iron Age burial sites
14:56discovered in France.
14:58But does that mean
14:59the mysterious
14:59horseshoe structure
15:00is an Iron Age creation?
15:04Also in the
15:05Cote d'Or district
15:06a burial mound
15:07near the village of V
15:08was discovered
15:09to contain
15:09human remains
15:10along with a wealth
15:12of funeral adornments.
15:14The burial took place
15:15around 500 BCE
15:17and although
15:18most of the organic matter
15:19had decomposed
15:20the sex of the deceased
15:22was believed to be female
15:23based on the jewelry
15:25found at the site
15:26as well as the lack
15:27of weapons.
15:28The body had been placed
15:29in a square chamber
15:31measuring almost
15:32100 square feet.
15:34Along with it
15:34there was a small treasure
15:35that included
15:36a 24 carat gold necklace,
15:38a bronze anklet
15:39and several imported artifacts
15:41from Greece
15:42and Italy.
15:44Based on this
15:44it was assumed
15:45the deceased
15:46was a woman
15:46of high social status.
15:48The grave site
15:49is a perfect symbol
15:51of the Iron Age
15:52as a period
15:52of great change
15:53especially the development
15:55of social hierarchies
15:56and a class system.
15:58Many of the aristocracy
15:59rose to the top
16:00thanks to the growing
16:01importance
16:02of the iron trade.
16:04But while the burial
16:06trinkets discovered
16:07in the first
16:08excavation site
16:09at Marley Inns
16:10were dated
16:11to the Iron Age
16:12there's still nothing
16:13from the bow tie structure
16:15that bears any
16:16of the Iron Age
16:18design hallmarks.
16:19The researchers
16:20focused their efforts
16:21on the second
16:22excavation site
16:23with surprising results.
16:26The second site
16:27was only 1,300 feet
16:28from the first one
16:29and it was also revealed
16:31to be a necropolis.
16:33When the surface
16:33of the second site's
16:34layer of sand
16:35was cleared
16:35five large
16:37circular enclosures
16:38were discovered
16:39in taste in the earth.
16:41One of them was open
16:42and four of them
16:43were covered with lids
16:44but all of them
16:46contained human remains.
16:47The open one
16:48which was also
16:49the largest one
16:50at 75 feet across
16:51contained a funeral pyre
16:53inside.
16:55Several ceramic shards
16:57were recovered
16:58from inside
16:59the containers
17:00as well as
17:01five copper alloy pins
17:02and a necklace
17:03made of amber beads
17:04which were found
17:05just outside
17:06the open container.
17:08Carbon dating analysis
17:09puts all the
17:10collected evidence
17:11somewhere between
17:121,500
17:13and 1,300 BCE
17:15which corresponds
17:16to the Bronze Age.
17:18Clearly there's
17:19something about
17:19this small patch of land
17:21that holds
17:21incredible significance
17:22for it to be
17:23a dedicated burial ground.
17:25Not just once
17:26but by two different
17:27civilizations
17:28who lived
17:29a thousand years apart.
17:30It's definitely possible
17:32that this bow tie structure
17:34could also be connected
17:35to a burial rite
17:36of some kind.
17:38But whose?
17:39And from what era?
17:40As the team works
17:50on their third
17:51and final excavation site
17:53of Marleyan,
17:54the area immediately
17:55surrounding the bow tie,
17:57more surprises
17:58are unearthed.
17:59Several artifacts
18:01were collected
18:02from below the surface
18:04including several
18:06cut flint artifacts,
18:07a copper alloy dagger
18:09and a pair of armbands
18:11that were likely
18:12worn by an archer.
18:14One of the armbands
18:15was discovered
18:16to have residues
18:18of iron oxide
18:19corresponding to
18:20a substance
18:21called pyrite,
18:22an ingredient
18:23for igniting fire.
18:25So in one
18:26relatively contained space
18:28there were several weapons
18:30which may or may not
18:32have been used
18:33as weapons
18:33since they might
18:35simply have been
18:36ceremonial
18:37plus the tools
18:39of fire making
18:40possibly for a funeral pyre.
18:43Adding it up,
18:44all signs point
18:45to the remains
18:46of an ancient grave site
18:48or necropolis.
18:49But the real surprise
18:51was that the cut flint artifacts
18:53were identified
18:54as having been created
18:55in the Neolithic period
18:57which began
18:589,000 years ago.
19:00Is it possible
19:01that the origins
19:02of the bowtie structure
19:04go back as far
19:05as the 8th
19:06or 7th millennium BCE?
19:09Several regions
19:10of France
19:10are home
19:11to Neolithic monuments
19:12such as the stone
19:13megaliths
19:14of Brittany
19:14and Auvergne.
19:16Whether they formed
19:17a circle,
19:18a large chamber
19:19or were simply placed
19:20upright along the landscape,
19:22the purpose
19:22and construction
19:23of these enormous
19:24stone structures
19:25is still a topic
19:27of great debate.
19:28The most famous,
19:29of course,
19:30is the Stonehenge Monument
19:32on England's
19:32Salisbury Plain.
19:35Stonehenge
19:35and circular
19:36Neolithic structures
19:37like it
19:38are believed
19:38to be inspired
19:39by shapes in nature
19:40such as the sun
19:41and the moon.
19:42The passing
19:43of the seasons
19:44and the almost
19:44godlike appearance
19:46of the sun
19:46may have been central
19:48to the religious beliefs
19:49of the Neolithic people.
19:51Although the true purpose
19:53of Stonehenge
19:54is still open
19:55to interpretation,
19:56there's no doubt
19:57about the precision
19:59of its layout
20:00and design
20:00which is impressive
20:02even by today's standards.
20:05Stonehenge functions
20:06as an ancient calendar
20:08tracking the position
20:09of the sun
20:10and the stars
20:11throughout the year.
20:13Looking at the overall design
20:15of the bowtie structure,
20:17it's possible
20:18that the central circle
20:19and curving horseshoe pattern
20:21had a similar significance
20:23for the prehistoric people
20:24who created it.
20:25But at this point,
20:27we just don't know.
20:30Exploration and analysis
20:31of the bowtie site
20:32is ongoing
20:33as researchers continue
20:34to uncover new clues.
20:36But one thing
20:37is for certain.
20:38As a burial ground
20:39for at least two
20:40and possibly three
20:41different groups
20:42living hundreds
20:43to thousands
20:44of years apart,
20:45the monument
20:45in Marleyan
20:46is a remarkable testament
20:48to what was once
20:49ancient hallowed ground.
21:00The Endis River
21:01is one of the longest
21:02in the world,
21:03flowing over 2,000 miles
21:05through Tibet,
21:06India,
21:07Kashmir,
21:08and Pakistan.
21:09This powerful current
21:11begins in the tallest peaks
21:12of the Himalayan mountains
21:14before plunging
21:15into one of the driest
21:16valleys on Earth.
21:18The Endis River Valley
21:20is one of the most
21:21inhospitable places
21:22in the world.
21:23The temperatures alone
21:24make it incredibly difficult
21:26for any living thing
21:27to survive here,
21:28ranging from near freezing
21:29in the winter
21:30to over 110 degrees Fahrenheit
21:33in summer.
21:35It's not surprising
21:36that the desert itself
21:37is virtually uninhabited.
21:38Only very small
21:39human settlements
21:40can survive here
21:41under the extreme
21:41desert conditions.
21:43But this wasn't
21:44always the case.
21:46In the arid plains
21:48stretching out
21:49from the Endis riverbanks,
21:51archaeologists
21:51are excavating
21:52a cluster of strange mounds
21:54rising from the desert floor
21:56when they make
21:57a surprising discovery.
22:00They uncover dozens
22:01of unusual wax seals,
22:03each one remarkably
22:05well-crafted
22:06and adorned
22:06with intricate carvings
22:08of animals.
22:09Cows, buffalo, tigers,
22:11some of them
22:12even depict
22:13mythical creatures,
22:14including what looks
22:15an awful lot
22:16like a unicorn.
22:17To an untrained eye,
22:19they might seem
22:20purely ornamental,
22:22but they aren't
22:23just pictures.
22:24They're part
22:25of an ancient language.
22:28They sort of look
22:29like Sumerian,
22:30a pictorial language
22:31that used images
22:32to represent words
22:34or phrases,
22:34which dates back
22:35to just over 5,000 years
22:37to the people
22:38of ancient Mesopotamia.
22:40But they lived
22:41hundreds of miles
22:42from the Endis River
22:42in modern-day Iraq.
22:44So what are these seals
22:45doing here?
22:46Archaeologists working
22:55at the site
22:56from the Endis Riverbanks
22:57continue to dig
22:59and soon
22:59make a disturbing discovery.
23:02They begin turning up
23:03dozens of human skeletons.
23:06Many of these bodies
23:07were found in groups,
23:08almost as though
23:09they'd been buried
23:09in mass graves.
23:11Others were eerily
23:12disarticulated,
23:13with many of their bones
23:13simply missing.
23:15In total,
23:17they find the remains
23:17of more than 30 skeletons.
23:19And unlike organized burials,
23:21where all the bodies
23:22are laid down
23:23in these deliberate poses
23:24and look like they're sleeping
23:25or something,
23:26most of these bodies
23:27are twisted
23:28into these contorted positions.
23:30At first glance,
23:32it might seem as though
23:33these people died violently,
23:35but that might not
23:36be the whole story.
23:38Over the years,
23:39shifting desert sands
23:40may have disturbed
23:42the remains,
23:42causing the skeletons
23:44to move
23:45and settle
23:45in unnatural positions.
23:48Considering the sheer
23:49number of bodies,
23:51this site could very well
23:52be a long-forgotten cemetery.
23:54If so,
23:54it's possible
23:55that an ancient civilization
23:56once stood nearby.
23:59But who were these people?
24:00And when did they live here?
24:02As the excavation continues,
24:04the team unearths
24:05a series of items
24:06that offer tantalizing clues.
24:08They discovered
24:10a metal statue
24:10of a woman
24:11dubbed the Dancing Girl.
24:13She's small,
24:14standing roughly
24:14four inches tall
24:15and made with
24:16breathtaking detail.
24:17Her arms and legs
24:18are exaggeratedly long
24:19and a total of 28 bangles
24:21have been individually
24:22sculpted onto her body.
24:24Other copper objects
24:26recovered from the site
24:27are more practical.
24:28Things like axes,
24:29knives,
24:30arrowheads,
24:31and vessels,
24:32like bowls,
24:33made out of hammered metal.
24:34Analysis shows
24:36that many of these artifacts
24:38were made
24:39by combining tin
24:40and copper
24:41to create bronze.
24:43Some even contain
24:44traces of arsenic,
24:46which is known
24:47to harden bronze
24:48and make it
24:49even more durable.
24:51Taken together,
24:52the seals,
24:53the human remains,
24:54and these bronze objects,
24:56it's possible
24:57we're looking at
24:58a settlement
24:59from the Bronze Age,
25:00which would date
25:01the site
25:02to between roughly
25:033,300 and 1,200 B.C.E.
25:07As the excavations
25:08at this site,
25:09now known
25:10as Mohenjo-Daro,
25:11expand dramatically,
25:13the team makes
25:13an astounding breakthrough.
25:16They unearthed
25:16the ruins
25:17of an entire city,
25:19lost for thousands
25:20of years.
25:21The scale is remarkable,
25:23spanning over
25:23250 acres of land.
25:26Not only is it enormous,
25:28it's also meticulously
25:29engineered,
25:31with the buildings
25:31laid out in a grid system,
25:33just like we see
25:34in modern cities.
25:36The city is divided
25:37into two halves,
25:39with the western side
25:40comprising larger buildings,
25:41and the eastern side
25:42believed to have housed
25:43many of the city's residents.
25:44Based on the size
25:45of these ancient foundations,
25:47we can estimate
25:47that up to 40,000 people
25:49lived here,
25:51which would make it
25:51one of the largest cities
25:52in the world
25:53at that time.
25:53400 miles northeast
25:56of Mohenjo-Daro,
25:58archaeologists
25:58had uncovered
25:59the remains
26:00of a second ancient city,
26:02known today
26:02as Harappa.
26:04Despite the distance
26:05between the two settlements,
26:06they share
26:07several striking features.
26:10Harappa's design
26:11and construction
26:11mirror those
26:13of Mohenjo-Daro.
26:14Both cities
26:15follow a grid-like layout.
26:17They have buildings
26:17made from bricks,
26:18They have advanced infrastructure
26:20like an elaborate
26:21sewer system,
26:22and they have washing platforms
26:24in virtually every home.
26:27The artifacts discovered here
26:29also bear a clear resemblance
26:32to those found
26:33at Mohenjo-Daro.
26:35Among them is a statue
26:36known as
26:37the Other Dancing Girl,
26:40depicting a woman
26:40in a pose remarkably similar
26:43to what was found
26:44at Mohenjo-Daro.
26:46Bronze tools and weapons
26:48were also recovered,
26:50crafted using
26:50the same technique
26:52seen in Mohenjo-Daro,
26:53suggesting a strong
26:55cultural connection
26:56between the two sites.
26:59Excavations also revealed
27:01more wax seals
27:02made of soapstone.
27:03They show similar etchings
27:05and animal figures
27:06as the ones
27:07from Mohenjo-Daro,
27:09meaning that these two cities
27:10communicated
27:11using the same language.
27:14The civilization discovered
27:15at Harappa
27:16was a previously
27:16unknown one.
27:18And while we don't know
27:19what these people
27:19called themselves,
27:20they were dubbed
27:20the Indus Valley Civilization.
27:24Based on the similarities
27:25between Harappa
27:26and Mohenjo-Daro,
27:27it's safe to say
27:28that the two cities
27:29were connected
27:29and that Mohenjo-Daro
27:30was also a part
27:31of the Indus Valley Civilization.
27:34While Harappa
27:34and Mohenjo-Daro
27:35may be the largest cities
27:37left behind
27:38by the Indus Valley Civilization,
27:40they are far
27:41from the only ones.
27:42Over the last century,
27:43more than 1,500 settlements
27:44have been discovered,
27:45scattered all across
27:46modern-day Afghanistan,
27:48Pakistan,
27:49and India.
27:50That is larger
27:51than ancient Egypt
27:52and ancient Mesopotamia
27:54combined.
27:56At its height,
27:58it's thought
27:58the Indus Valley Civilization
28:00had a population
28:01of more than
28:025 million people.
28:04But over the span
28:05of just two centuries,
28:08a culture that thrived
28:09for hundreds of years
28:11basically disappeared.
28:14So how could a civilization
28:16that spanned
28:18such a vast region,
28:20contained such advanced cities
28:23and was inhabited
28:24by millions of people,
28:27just disappear?
28:35During the Late Bronze Age,
28:40the shores
28:41of the Mediterranean
28:42were terrorized
28:43by a ruthless confederacy
28:44of fighters
28:45known today
28:46as the Sea People.
28:51We don't know much
28:52about who the Sea People were,
28:54but we do know
28:55they did not back down
28:56from a fight.
28:57And almost everything
28:58we do know
28:59comes from ancient
29:00Egyptian writings
29:01where early historians
29:02recorded several
29:03violent clashes.
29:05The Egyptians
29:06told of a people
29:07who came from the sea
29:08in their warships
29:09and none could
29:10stand against them.
29:12These fearsome fighters
29:13repeatedly attacked
29:14ancient Egypt
29:15with devastating consequences.
29:17One inscription
29:18from the reign
29:19of Pharaoh Merneptah
29:19recounts an epic battle
29:21where Egyptian archers,
29:22charioteers,
29:23and infantrymen
29:24reportedly killed
29:25over 6,000 sea people.
29:27The Sea People
29:28may have been trying
29:29to establish settlements
29:30on land.
29:31One hypothesis
29:32is if they went up
29:33the Indus River
29:34to the banks
29:34of Mohenjo-Daro
29:35and then wipe
29:37that city out.
29:38And once that city
29:39was conquered,
29:39the rest of the Indus Valley
29:41civilization
29:41may have fallen
29:42like dominoes.
29:44The collapse
29:46of the civilization
29:47coincides
29:48with the rise
29:49of another powerful
29:51nomadic people
29:52known as
29:53the Aryans,
29:55an Indo-Iranian people
29:57who began to expand
29:58into the Indus Valley
29:59and the Genghis land
30:01around 1800 BCE,
30:04right when the Indus Valley
30:07civilization
30:08started to disappear.
30:11One theory suggests
30:12that the Aryans
30:13arrived so fast
30:14and in such great numbers
30:16that they overwhelmed
30:17many of the Indus Valley
30:18settlements,
30:19including the larger cities.
30:22But despite multiple threats
30:24from invading forces,
30:25the theory that a violent war
30:27caused the downfall
30:28of the Indus Valley civilization
30:29is missing a major piece
30:30of the puzzle.
30:31Neither Mohenjo-Daro
30:32nor Harappa
30:33show any evidence
30:34of military fortifications,
30:36nor are there any depictions
30:37of war or conquest
30:38in their artwork.
30:41Determined to find the reason
30:42for the civilization's collapse,
30:44a team of intrepid researchers
30:46ventures into the Himalayan mountains
30:48to the Dharamjali cave.
30:51Rock formations,
30:52like caves,
30:53are incredible sources
30:55of information.
30:56Over the course
30:57of thousands of years,
30:59water flowing into the caves
31:01carries debris
31:02from the ground above.
31:04This debris,
31:05or sediment,
31:06then becomes compressed
31:08into rock.
31:10By looking at
31:11these sedimentary rock structures,
31:13we can reverse engineer
31:15entire environments
31:17that no longer exist.
31:19In this case,
31:20the study focused
31:21on a single stalagmite,
31:23roughly 10 inches long,
31:24located at the back
31:25of the cave.
31:27They were able
31:28to reconstruct
31:29Western India's
31:30rainfall patterns,
31:31stretching back
31:32thousands of years,
31:33using trace elements,
31:34along with oxygen,
31:36carbon,
31:36and calcium isotopes
31:38trapped inside
31:39the stalagmite.
31:40The analysis revealed
31:42that around 2200 BCE,
31:43the intensity of summer monsoons
31:45in the Indus River Valley
31:46began to decrease.
31:47As the monsoon pattern shifted,
31:49droughts grew longer
31:50and longer.
31:52These droughts
31:52lasted anywhere between
31:5325 and 90 years
31:56and continued
31:56for nearly two centuries.
31:58The changing climate
31:59made large cities
32:00like Mohenjo-Daro
32:01and Harappa
32:02completely unsustainable.
32:04Residents basically
32:05had to choose
32:06between migrating
32:07or starving,
32:08and that's not a very hard
32:09choice to pick between.
32:10As the cities dried up,
32:12populations were forced
32:12to move to the foothills
32:13of the mountains,
32:14and so they had to set up
32:15smaller but more
32:16sustainable communities
32:17that could rely
32:18on fewer crops.
32:19While we can't say
32:22with total certainty
32:23that climate change
32:24brought down
32:25the Indus Valley civilization,
32:27it certainly seems
32:28the most plausible
32:29explanation to date.
32:32Today,
32:32the collapse
32:33of the Indus Valley people
32:34acts as a haunting reminder
32:36that even the most
32:37powerful civilizations
32:38in the world
32:39are not immune
32:40to Mother Nature's whims,
32:42and the effects
32:42of a changing environment
32:44can have devastating consequences.
32:46In South Wales,
32:58just west of Cardiff,
32:59the yellow and grey cliffs
33:01of the Vale of Glamorgan
33:02run more than 30 miles
33:04along the coast
33:05of the Bristol Channel.
33:07The Vale,
33:07as it's known,
33:08is part of the
33:09Glamorgan Heritage Coast,
33:11renowned for its stunning
33:12coastline and sandy beaches.
33:14One of the most popular beaches
33:15is the most popular
33:16nestled into a curve
33:17called Dunraven Bay.
33:19The cooler ocean temperatures
33:21ensure that only
33:22the brave and hardy
33:23will attempt
33:24to swim in the bay,
33:25but the surrounding cliffs
33:26offer a spectacular view
33:28for hikers.
33:29The living history
33:30of the Vale
33:31goes back as far
33:32as the Stone Age,
33:33when the area was used
33:35as a fortified trading post.
33:37During the Roman Empire,
33:38its strategic location
33:40led the Roman army
33:41to build a second fortress,
33:42and this was transformed
33:43over the years
33:44and used as a convalescent
33:46hospital during both world wars.
33:48Thanks to the bay's geology,
33:50a lot of that history
33:51just keeps offering itself up.
33:53The stratified,
33:54eroding cliffs
33:55and constantly shifting sands
33:57continually kick up
33:58hidden treasures
33:59from the past,
34:00and every item
34:01that gets recovered
34:02offers this glimpse
34:03into the lives
34:04of the people
34:05who lived here before,
34:06and in some cases,
34:07thousands of years before.
34:09A local resident
34:11is walking along the beach
34:12when he makes
34:13a startling discovery.
34:15The man was strolling
34:16with his seven-year-old son
34:17and dog
34:18when they spotted
34:18three bones in the sand,
34:20a small circular one
34:21and two larger bones.
34:23At first,
34:24they assumed the bones
34:24were from an animal,
34:25but they took them home
34:26to have a closer look,
34:28and after further examination,
34:29the family realized
34:30they might be human.
34:32Or there's a third possibility, too.
34:36Maybe it's not an animal bone
34:38or a human bone,
34:39but a fossil.
34:40After all,
34:40dinosaurs did live here
34:42millions of years ago.
34:43There have been
34:44many discoveries
34:45along the Welsh coast
34:46that led to direct proof
34:48of dinosaur activity.
34:50The red siltstone rock
34:51at Lavernock Point,
34:52between Cardiff
34:53and the town of Barrie,
34:54was known to contain
34:55many prehistoric fossils.
34:57On one occasion,
34:58a young girl spotted
34:59five giant footprints
35:00on the rock surface,
35:01each spaced about
35:0230 inches apart.
35:04The National Museum of Wales
35:06confirmed the footprints
35:07belonged to a herbivore
35:09from the late Triassic period
35:10called the Camelodia.
35:12It was known for its long body
35:14and small head,
35:15and it likely stood
35:16only 10 feet tall
35:17and 16 feet long.
35:20And close to Cardiff,
35:21two brothers discovered
35:23the skull, teeth, claws,
35:25and foot bones
35:26of a small dinosaur
35:27embedded right in a cliff face.
35:29They turned out
35:30to have discovered
35:31the remains
35:32of a Draco raptor,
35:33or dragon fever,
35:35a small meat-eating species
35:37that likely lived
35:38on a nearby island
35:39200 million years ago,
35:41but whose remains
35:42washed onto the shoreline.
35:45Given the concentration
35:46of dinosaurs
35:47in this region,
35:48it's entirely possible
35:49that the Dunraven bones
35:50could be dinosaurs,
35:51but judging by their size
35:53and judging by the shape,
35:55they look an awful lot more
35:56like their human leg bones.
35:59So now the question is,
36:00whose?
36:01And from how long ago?
36:11Throughout its history,
36:12the Bristol Channel
36:14has served as a trade route
36:15for merchant ships.
36:16The area was particularly busy
36:18in the 16th and 17th centuries
36:20as vessels from all over
36:22would pass in and out
36:23of the channel's estuary.
36:25But the Bristol Channel
36:27was also known
36:28for having an extremely
36:29high and low tide range,
36:31up to 45 feet.
36:33Combined with the rough
36:34Atlantic waters,
36:35this made for dangerous
36:36sailing conditions
36:37and resulted in many shipwrecks
36:39and many deaths at sea.
36:41The prevailing winds and currents
36:44would push the debris
36:46from the wrecks
36:46right up to the Welsh shoreline,
36:48including the bodies
36:50of dead sailors.
36:51So in the days that followed,
36:53the local community
36:53would give those sailors
36:55a proper burial,
36:56either in existing cemeteries
36:57or occasionally
36:59in newly created ones
37:01dedicated specifically
37:02to the victims
37:03of the shipwrecks.
37:05One of the more recent discoveries
37:07took place at Monknash,
37:09less than five miles
37:10from Dunraven Bay.
37:12Monknash has this beautiful beach
37:14with this dramatic cliff
37:15for a backdrop.
37:17This one day
37:17when there were really high tides
37:19and especially strong winter winds,
37:21a big chunk of that cliffside
37:23got eroded
37:24and that left
37:25these human skeletal remains
37:27sticking out.
37:29I mean, you could see them
37:30from the beach.
37:31The cliff made it
37:32extra challenging
37:33to reach the bodies
37:33and attempt any kind
37:34of excavation.
37:36And to make matters worse,
37:37the loose, sandy earth
37:38gave way easily.
37:39The excavation took
37:41eight days to complete
37:42and by the time
37:42it was finished,
37:43the remains of six
37:44different individuals
37:45were identified.
37:49Bioarcheological analysis
37:50placed the remains
37:51as dating from the late 16th
37:53or early 17th century.
37:55Historical records show
37:57that the earliest burial license
37:58in the parish of Monknash
38:00was granted in 1609,
38:02which means
38:03these six individuals
38:04could easily have been buried
38:06together after a single event,
38:08such as a shipwreck.
38:09If the Dunraven bones
38:11belonged to one of the many
38:12shipwrecked sailors
38:13from over the centuries,
38:15then their actual identity
38:16and country of origin
38:17would be difficult,
38:18if not impossible,
38:19to trace.
38:20But it's also possible
38:21that the bones
38:22have a more local connection.
38:24Behind the cliffs
38:25of Dunraven Bay
38:26lies the original site
38:28of Dunraven Castle,
38:29a fortress with ghostly sightings
38:31and origins going back millennia.
38:35Dunraven Castle
38:35was built from 1802 to 1806
38:38for a Glamorgan member
38:39of Parliament
38:40named Thomas Wyndham.
38:42Wyndham and his descendants
38:43frequently hosted dignitaries
38:45and diplomats
38:46in the castle's great halls,
38:48and they used to throw
38:49these big annual balls
38:50for the Conservative Party.
38:52But long before that,
38:54the castle grounds
38:55were the site
38:55of an Iron Age fortress.
38:57Some of the defensive ditches
38:59and banks remained for centuries,
39:00but most were destroyed
39:02by coastal erosion.
39:03Over the years,
39:04that same erosion
39:05led to the discovery
39:06of ancient human burials.
39:09Before it was ultimately
39:10demolished in 1962,
39:13Dunraven Castle
39:13was used as a Red Cross hospital
39:15in both world wars.
39:18It's unlikely that the patients
39:19who died in the hospital
39:20were buried on site,
39:22but hospital staff
39:23and visitors
39:24all reported seeing
39:25the ghost of a woman
39:26dressed in blue
39:27at the castle.
39:28But while the story
39:30of the blue ghost
39:31certainly adds an element
39:32of spooky otherworldliness,
39:34there's another
39:35all-too-real story
39:36from the late Middle Ages
39:37that might solve the riddle,
39:39and it's a story
39:39of bloodshed.
39:41In 1400 AD,
39:43there was a Welsh-led rebellion
39:44against the King of England,
39:45Henry IV.
39:47The Welsh Revolt
39:48was the last major phase
39:50of Welsh independence
39:51before the annexation
39:52of Wales into England
39:53in 1542.
39:55It began
39:56when Awain Glendour,
39:58a descendant
39:58of several Welsh
39:59royal dynasties,
40:01declared himself
40:02the Prince of Wales.
40:04After many successful
40:06castle sieges
40:07and battlefield victories,
40:08Glendour was crowned prince
40:10in the presence
40:11of Scottish,
40:12French,
40:12Spanish,
40:13and Breton envoys.
40:15He summoned
40:15a national parliament,
40:17reintroduced traditional
40:18Welsh laws,
40:19and established
40:19a Welsh church
40:20and two universities.
40:21But the British retaliated
40:24with another series
40:25of battles,
40:26including the Battle
40:27of Stalling Down,
40:28which took place
40:29on the Vale of Glamorgan.
40:31However,
40:32it didn't end well
40:33for the Brits.
40:34After an 18-hour fight,
40:36the Glendour-led Welsh army,
40:38along with the allied
40:39French army,
40:40decimated the English,
40:42who retreated
40:42through Cardiff.
40:44Given the reputed
40:45death toll
40:46of this battle,
40:47is it possible
40:48that the Dunraven bones
40:49belong to one
40:50of the fallen soldiers?
40:52Evidence found
40:53in a local village
40:54supports that theory.
40:55Just three miles
40:56from the battle site,
40:57a church in the town
40:58of Glendblethien
40:59was found to have
41:00an oak plank
41:01on the floor,
41:02which covered
41:02a hidden passageway.
41:03So when that plank
41:04was lifted,
41:06it revealed
41:06this stone stairway
41:08leading to a crypt.
41:10It wasn't very big.
41:11It was just 17 feet
41:12by 15 feet,
41:13but it held the bodies
41:15of more than 300 men,
41:18none of which
41:19had coffins.
41:20Stalling down
41:22was the only battle
41:23known to have taken
41:24place in the vicinity,
41:26so it was believed
41:26the bodies were
41:27all casualties of war.
41:29Once discovered,
41:30they were given
41:31a proper burial
41:31in the church graveyard,
41:33which was only six miles
41:34from Dunraven.
41:35With the amount
41:35of erosion to the coast
41:36over the past 200 years,
41:38it's definitely possible
41:39that some of those remains
41:40ended up at the beach.
41:42The investigation
41:43into the origins
41:44of the bones
41:45of Dunraven
41:46is ongoing
41:47and will no doubt
41:48add layers
41:49to Glamorgan's
41:50rich history.
41:51Who knows
41:52what hidden secrets
41:53remain buried
41:54in the shifting sands
41:55of the coast of Wales.
41:57Tufts would have led
42:00snor doch
42:00to the島
42:01into the south
42:01of the north
42:02of the south
42:03of The Roma.
42:04This is a verkются
42:05there.
42:06Any info
42:06that was the
42:07an incredible
42:08one of
42:09as follows?
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