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00:00Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:30Do these ancient scrolls mark the locations of buried treasure?
00:34By the time they did the complete tally, it was something like 200 tons of gold and silver,
00:38something worth billions of dollars today.
00:44These are the most remarkable and mysterious objects on Earth,
00:50hidden away in museums, laboratories, and storage rooms.
00:54Now, new research and technology can get under their skin like never before.
01:01We can rebuild them, pull them apart, and zoom in
01:09to reveal the unbelievable, the ancient, and the truly bizarre.
01:17These are the world's strangest things.
01:33This strange bronze artifact is one of the great mysteries of the Roman Empire,
01:38because we have no idea what it is.
01:42We don't have any written accounts about these objects.
01:47When we don't have a clear place to put fantastic objects like these,
01:53we end up in a vast mire of speculation.
01:56As nothing is known about it, archaeologists simply call it a Roman dodecahedron,
02:01after its 12 sides.
02:04It might be considered nothing more than a curiosity,
02:07if there was only one.
02:10But incredibly, 116 of these dodecahedrons have been found.
02:14No two are exactly alike.
02:18They vary in size from 3.5 cm to almost 12 cm.
02:22A Roman dodecahedron takes that 12-sided shape
02:25and it adds little spheres to each of the sort of corners,
02:27and that means you can stand it up nice and easily.
02:29And also on the faces, there are holes,
02:31and these holes are circles,
02:32but they're different sizes on every one of those faces.
02:36When the bronze was polished,
02:39it would have a sheen, it would sparkle in the sunset,
02:42it would catch your eye.
02:44There are no numbers, no writing, no other marks
02:47to explain what it is for.
02:50Now a theory has emerged.
02:53We may have been getting the purpose of the dodecahedrons wrong for centuries.
02:58So what is it really for?
03:00Where does it come from?
03:02What is this strange object?
03:10One thing we know for certain,
03:12Romans were obsessed with gambling.
03:14It's a cuboid.
03:17It could be used for games.
03:19And the Romans loved their dice games.
03:22Everyone played them.
03:24And in the same way that we see people on the tube
03:27playing Candy Crush or a game on their telephone,
03:30when you excavate buildings in Rome,
03:33often major temples are riddled with game boards
03:36where people just sat and played dice.
03:39We have tons of archaeological evidence.
03:42In Pompeii, there's a famous wall painting
03:44that shows men fighting over a dice game.
03:47Caesar, before he crossed the Rubicon,
03:49is famous for saying,
03:50alea yocta es.
03:52The die is cast.
03:53I'm throwing in my face.
03:55Romans use dice in endless combinations of shape and size
03:59to suit a multitude of games.
04:00So is it a dice?
04:03Unfortunately, there are flaws to this theory.
04:05You pick these things up and you try to throw them.
04:08Well, because they don't have a flat face,
04:10they don't bounce correctly,
04:12they don't land right,
04:14and they don't have numbers on them.
04:16Magnifying it reveals that every hole is a different size,
04:19so the weight of each side is different,
04:22which makes it a loaded dice.
04:25So the primary function of a die
04:30isn't really adhered to by these objects.
04:34So that's a bit of a problem.
04:37Another suggestion is that it's a candle holder.
04:40I understand where the idea came from,
04:43which is that some traces of wax
04:45have been found on the inside of one of these.
04:48But this theory also has serious flaws.
04:52It would be a candle holder
04:53that didn't really work very well
04:55in protecting your hands from getting burned
04:57or holding a very large candle.
04:59If you've ever used a candlestick,
05:01there's a grip and a long rim around the top of it
05:04to stop the wax dripping onto your hand.
05:07It's even been suggested that it's a child's toy.
05:10The idea that you'd give your child a small metal toy
05:13to play with, my son would have had it in his mouth,
05:16in his ear.
05:17He'd have probably tried to get it up his nose.
05:20So not a dice, not a candle holder,
05:22and definitely not a toy.
05:26Is there a clue in the pattern
05:28of where these mysterious artifacts have been found?
05:35Every Roman dodecahedron discovered
05:37is in the north and northwest regions of the Empire,
05:41where the weather is colder
05:42and generally less pleasant.
05:46None are found in the sunnier southern regions,
05:49which has led to a new theory.
05:52So one of the pervading theories
05:55is that these were then used for knitting
05:59and perhaps to knit gloves.
06:01So to test this theory,
06:05someone has actually printed out a 3D scan
06:07of one of these
06:09and used it to knit a five-fingered glove.
06:12I really like the idea
06:19that these were for knitting gloves.
06:20It feels like the sort of thing
06:21that, you know, smart archaeologists
06:23were scratching their heads over,
06:24chatting to astronomers
06:25and mathematicians for decades.
06:27But you just show it to someone
06:27who knows how to knit
06:28and they go,
06:28well, it's obviously for making gloves.
06:31But not everyone is convinced.
06:33I'm not saying that it's not possible
06:37that it was used as a knitting device,
06:39but gloves are a kind of commodity item.
06:42There are pre-existing instruments for weaving.
06:45The idea that it was used generally
06:47to knit a pair of gloves,
06:50it doesn't fit with how expensive
06:53these objects were to make and produce.
06:57The problem is that nearly every dodecahedron
07:00is made of bronze.
07:02And bronze doesn't come cheap.
07:05It's made out of the same materials
07:07that money is made out of.
07:11The Roman technique
07:12for casting hollow bronze items
07:14is still used today.
07:16It's time-consuming and difficult.
07:20You start off with a clay cord.
07:22You coat this with wax.
07:25In the wax, you carve the intricate details,
07:27whatever shapes you want to make out of bronze.
07:29You then cover the whole thing again in clay
07:32and bake it.
07:34The wax melts out.
07:37So once you've done that,
07:38you've got a mould
07:39that has got the negative space
07:40of what you want to make out of bronze.
07:43Then you get your bronze,
07:44you melt it up to over 1,000 degrees
07:46so it's nice and runny.
07:48It's like red-hot metal now.
07:49And you pour it into the mould.
07:51It spits in it, sparks.
07:53And then you wait for that to cool down.
07:55This technique is far too expensive
07:58for everyday objects.
08:00It doesn't,
08:02from a financial economic point
08:04or from a trade point,
08:06make a lot of sense
08:07to take all the time and effort
08:09to make one of these
08:10incredibly intricate,
08:12beautiful objects
08:13for something that
08:15is really an everyday use item.
08:18These would have been
08:19incredibly expensive.
08:20The idea that something like this
08:22would be a commodity item
08:23like a candlestick
08:24or a child's toy.
08:26All the pieces
08:27don't quite fit together
08:28for that theory.
08:30Competing theories
08:31appear to have
08:32as many flaws as answers,
08:34which is probably why
08:35the Roman dodecahedron
08:36has baffled archaeologists
08:38for centuries.
08:42But now a new theory
08:44could finally explain
08:46the expense and effort
08:47that goes into making
08:48one of these bizarre objects.
08:51One thing that is incredible
08:52about Rome
08:53is wherever you go
08:55in Northern Europe
08:56and actually across most
08:58of the Roman Empire
08:59and you look at
09:00a Roman military camp
09:01and the way that it is laid out,
09:03it is very similar
09:05across the Roman Empire.
09:08They had an exact plan
09:09and to put out
09:10those exact plans,
09:12they needed to have
09:13a means of taking
09:16basic measurements.
09:17How do you plan a road?
09:18How do you set out
09:19your milestones?
09:20What marks the Roman Empire
09:23for me is that
09:25they measured distances
09:27and not only measured them,
09:28but marked them out.
09:30They had milestones
09:31along their routes
09:32to record those distances
09:34and they were accurate.
09:36The dodecahedrons
09:37might be one of the secrets
09:39to this accuracy.
09:40It's all to do
09:41with the different sizes
09:42of the opposing holes.
09:44If you look through it,
09:51because the holes
09:52are different sizes,
09:53there's a certain distance away
09:54at which the circles
09:56will appear to be
09:56the same size.
09:59And that's always going to be
10:00at the same fixed distance
10:01away from your eyes.
10:03All you need then
10:04is an object
10:05of a known size,
10:06preferably one
10:07that can be carried
10:08high up off the ground.
10:10So for example,
10:11you might get
10:11a Roman centurion
10:12carrying his standard.
10:14Then he could march off
10:14into the distance,
10:15place that standard down.
10:17And when that standard
10:18is exactly the same size
10:19as your two circles,
10:20you know that he
10:21is a certain distance away.
10:22This theory also explains
10:24why all the holes
10:25are different sizes.
10:27So just by rotating it,
10:29you could measure
10:29a variety of different distances.
10:32And if you're holding it,
10:33you need to be able
10:34to manipulate it.
10:35It explains the nodules.
10:36It explains
10:37the different size holes.
10:39It would even be a way
10:40of explaining
10:41the drawings
10:42outside of the holes
10:43that are used
10:44to kind of line them up.
10:47And it's also something
10:48that functionally fits
10:50with the needs
10:51of the Roman army.
10:53And the most essential
10:55need of all
10:55for the Roman army
10:56is winning wars.
10:59They had to know
11:00when people were in range,
11:02not only of things
11:03like arrows,
11:04but they also had catapults.
11:06And it's not just about
11:08having this technology.
11:09it's about knowing
11:10when exactly
11:11is the right time
11:12to employ it.
11:13So this sort of thing
11:14would have great functionality
11:15in setting out roads,
11:17in setting out base camps,
11:19but also in terms
11:20of actual fighting,
11:22in terms of knowing
11:23when the enemy
11:23was in range,
11:24knowing when
11:25to fire
11:26their catapults.
11:28So,
11:29is that case closed?
11:31Is it definitely
11:32a measuring device
11:33rather than a dice
11:34or a glove-making tool
11:36or a candle holder?
11:38It certainly
11:39sounds convincing.
11:41But the truth is,
11:42unless we find
11:43a written account
11:44or fresh
11:44archaeological evidence,
11:46we may never know
11:47for sure.
11:49But it's fun guessing.
11:50In 1952,
12:03hidden in a cave
12:03in Israel,
12:04archaeologists find
12:05some of the most
12:06controversial
12:07and baffling objects
12:08ever uncovered.
12:10Ancient strips
12:11of rolled-up metal.
12:14The Copper Scrolls.
12:14There's nothing
12:20like them in the world.
12:22They're around
12:2230 centimeters long
12:24and 5 centimeters wide,
12:26corroded and brittle.
12:28But stamped into them
12:29are traces of an ancient text
12:31that has sparked
12:32a billion-dollar treasure hunt
12:34and a passionate argument
12:36that is still raging today.
12:38Is it a treasure map?
12:39Isn't it a treasure map?
12:41Now, new research
12:42may finally hold answers
12:44to one of the greatest
12:45archaeological mysteries
12:46of the 20th century.
12:48Who made these
12:49one-of-a-kind scrolls?
12:51Where do they come from?
12:53Is there really
12:54hidden treasure in the desert?
12:56Or is it just the dream
12:57of an enthusiastic archaeologist?
13:01What are the Copper Scrolls?
13:121947.
13:14The Northwest Bank
13:15of the Dead Sea.
13:17A young goat herd
13:18was scrabbling around
13:19the rocky wilderness
13:20near the village of Qumran,
13:22about 15 miles east of Jerusalem.
13:24He entered a cave
13:25and discovered some jars
13:27that seemed to have
13:28broken pieces of parchment
13:30and papyrus in them.
13:33These 2,000-year-old documents
13:35are some of the most important
13:36archaeological finds
13:38of modern times.
13:39is the Dead Sea Scrolls.
13:43Their discovery is a game-changer
13:45for archaeologists.
13:46They include some of the oldest
13:48known fragments
13:49of the Hebrew Bible.
13:51When scholars found
13:52these well-preserved scrolls,
13:54they were really thrilled.
13:55They had now some of the earliest
13:57biblical sources
13:57as well as community sources
14:00that would have described
14:01the region,
14:02the kinds of practices
14:03that were going on
14:04during this time
14:04of really tumultuous Jewish history.
14:06For biblical archaeologists,
14:08this was the find
14:09of a lifetime,
14:10of a century,
14:11perhaps of a millennium.
14:13This gives us back
14:14a sense, effectively,
14:16of a period
14:16not far away
14:17from when the Bible
14:18or parts of the Bible
14:19were written.
14:20So this allowed scholars
14:21to really have a connection
14:22to a period
14:23when a lot of
14:24the religious works
14:25and religious communities
14:26that arose to create
14:27these works
14:28were developing.
14:31Just five years later,
14:32a team of archaeologists
14:33are examining a nearby cave
14:35when they discover
14:36the Copper Scrolls.
14:39And it's immediately
14:40obvious to them
14:41that these are something
14:42totally different.
14:44One of the most unusual
14:45things about the Copper Scroll
14:46is in its name
14:48that it's a scroll
14:48but something that isn't
14:49made from parchment
14:50that is made from copper,
14:52material that's
14:53far more valuable
14:55and also difficult
14:57to inscribe.
14:59So this is something
15:01that distinguishes it
15:02as probably an important document,
15:04possibly a sacred one.
15:08What could be so important
15:10that it justifies
15:11the effort
15:12of writing it on copper?
15:15A few words visible
15:16on the outer layer
15:17of the tightly rolled scrolls
15:19catch the experts' eyes.
15:22Those words include
15:23digging,
15:24cubits,
15:24a measure of size,
15:26and gold.
15:28Some archaeologists
15:29jump to the very
15:30obvious conclusion.
15:31We say not to judge
15:34a book by its cover
15:35but this is every
15:37archaeologist's dream.
15:39I've found
15:40a treasure map.
15:43The only way
15:44to be certain
15:44the Copper Scrolls
15:45are a treasure map
15:46is to unroll them.
15:48But that is
15:49very risky.
15:51The problem with copper
15:52is that if you leave it
15:54lying around
15:55for thousands of years,
15:56it oxidizes.
15:57and this oxidation
16:00makes it
16:00very brittle.
16:02The copper
16:03is extremely thin
16:04so if you were going
16:05to try and unroll it,
16:07what would happen
16:07is the brittle copper
16:09would basically
16:09just snap.
16:11But one expert
16:13doesn't give up.
16:14In 1955,
16:17John Allegro,
16:18a British archaeologist,
16:20convinces the authorities
16:22in Jerusalem
16:23to allow him
16:24to cut open
16:25the scroll
16:26so that it can be
16:27translated properly.
16:30The problem is
16:32no machine capable
16:33of such specialized
16:34and precise work
16:35exists.
16:37So Allegro asks
16:38Professor Wright Baker
16:39at Manchester University
16:41to invent one.
16:42On the 1st of October,
16:511955,
16:53using a machine
16:54bolted together
16:54from a modified circular saw
16:56and a dentist's
16:57suction brush,
16:59Wright Baker
16:59begins to cut open
17:00the two priceless
17:022,000-year-old scrolls.
17:05One slip
17:06could be catastrophic.
17:12Over the next
17:16three and a half months,
17:17Wright Baker's machine
17:18breaks the scrolls down
17:20into 23 seconds.
17:23For the first time
17:25in 2,000 years,
17:26their secrets
17:27are revealed.
17:30So,
17:31is it a treasure map?
17:32The references
17:39to hidden gold
17:40visible on the outside
17:41turn out to be
17:42the tip of the iceberg.
17:45When they begin
17:46to put the scroll together
17:47and translate
17:47the different parts,
17:48they realize
17:48it's not really
17:49just a treasure map.
17:51Rather,
17:51it sounds like
17:52a series of treasure maps.
17:53What was discovered
17:55is that, in fact,
17:56they were all
17:57originally part
17:58of one single
17:59contiguous scroll
18:00eight feet long.
18:03This scroll
18:04had 64
18:05individual entries
18:06for buried
18:07hordes
18:08of items
18:09ranging
18:10from coinage
18:12to valuable
18:13metal items
18:14to various
18:15ritual holy objects.
18:18The sheer amount
18:20of wealth
18:20that is represented
18:22in the document
18:23was unimaginable.
18:26By the time
18:27they did
18:27the complete tally,
18:28it was something
18:28like 200 tons
18:30of gold and silver,
18:31something worth
18:31billions of dollars
18:32today.
18:33So,
18:34a really mind-boggling
18:35amount
18:35of them buried
18:36in the desert.
18:38But something
18:39doesn't add up.
18:40That amount
18:41of wealth
18:41just seems
18:42too large.
18:44How can anyone
18:452,000 years ago
18:46gather together
18:47such an obscene
18:48amount of wealth
18:49or keep it secret?
18:51So,
18:52is there
18:53a billion-dollar
18:54fortune buried
18:54in the desert?
18:56Some archaeologists
18:57struggle
18:58with this idea.
19:01The problem
19:02is
19:03that the scholarship
19:05also connected
19:06this list
19:06to the Essene
19:08community
19:08who were
19:09a relatively
19:10austere,
19:11mystic sect
19:12at the edge
19:13of the Jewish world.
19:14in the desert.
19:15They're kind
19:18of poor people
19:19out in the desert
19:20dedicated to religious
19:21life.
19:22Yet,
19:22the amount
19:22of gold and silver
19:24works out to be
19:24billions of dollars
19:25worth of gold
19:26and silver.
19:27So,
19:27you're looking
19:28at these guys
19:29who look like
19:29basically
19:30pauper monks,
19:31but yet,
19:31they have the wealth
19:32of Elon Musk
19:32or something like that.
19:33so it's not
19:35something you would
19:35expect.
19:36The treasure story
19:38splits the academic
19:39world in two.
19:41John Allegro,
19:42the British archaeologist
19:43who sliced
19:44the scrolls open,
19:45is convinced
19:46the treasure is real.
19:47The opposing camp
19:51is led by one
19:51of the team
19:52that discovered
19:53the Copper Scrolls,
19:54biblical scholar
19:55and Catholic priest
19:56Yosef Millik.
19:59Yosef Millik
20:00begins to look
20:01at this
20:02and he does
20:02the calculations
20:03and numbers
20:03and he realizes
20:04these numbers
20:05are far too much.
20:06There's something
20:06wrong here.
20:08Millik doesn't
20:08just think
20:09that this was
20:09too much wealth
20:10for the Essenes.
20:11The numbers
20:12are so vast,
20:14he's convinced
20:14it's too much
20:15treasure for the
20:16whole of the
20:16Qumran region
20:172,000 years ago.
20:20John Allegro
20:21accepts that
20:22the initial estimates
20:23may be too high
20:24but he has
20:26an explanation
20:27for that.
20:28It's a miscalculation.
20:31The unit used
20:32in the text
20:32is talents
20:33which can vary
20:35over time
20:36and sometimes
20:36it has different
20:37meanings
20:37in different communities.
20:39So which weight
20:40of talent
20:41are we looking at?
20:42If we are looking
20:43at a relatively
20:44lighter weight
20:45then the value
20:46of these hoards
20:47could be
20:48significantly altered.
20:51So it's possible
20:52that the calculation
20:53used to determine
20:54the amount
20:55of modern day
20:56tons
20:57from a talent
20:58is incorrect.
21:00Potentially
21:00the translation
21:02of the unit
21:02or the conversion
21:03of the unit
21:03was quite different.
21:05The community
21:05may have used
21:05a very different
21:06standard effectively
21:07for a talent
21:08and so the amounts
21:09may have been far less.
21:11Allegro argues
21:12that valuing the treasure
21:13in the millions
21:14rather than billions
21:15makes it historically
21:16credible.
21:17But that still
21:19doesn't answer
21:19one crucial question.
21:21Where does all
21:22this wealth
21:23come from
21:24in the first place?
21:30Fifteen miles
21:31from Qumran
21:32is Jerusalem's
21:33Wailing Wall
21:34a sacred site
21:36of Jewish prayer
21:37and pilgrimage.
21:39It's the last
21:40remaining relic
21:41of a mighty structure
21:42known as the
21:43Herodian Second
21:44Jewish Temple.
21:46The Second Temple
21:47was the place
21:48of worship
21:48for Jews
21:49and what I mean
21:50the is that
21:51it was practically
21:52the only place
21:52of worship
21:53and it would have
21:53had all the treasures
21:54and gold
21:55of all really
21:56mainline
21:56Jewish believers.
21:58So it would have
21:59been a very wealthy
21:59place.
22:00Allegro believes
22:01this could explain
22:02the treasure.
22:03John Allegro's
22:04argument was based
22:05upon the notion
22:06that these
22:07were the treasures
22:09of the Second Temple
22:10stashed away
22:12for safekeeping
22:13during the time
22:14of the Jewish Civil War.
22:15This is where
22:16coin hoards come from.
22:17Things that are put away
22:18hopefully to be reclaimed
22:20in better days.
22:22Millick counters
22:23that the treasure
22:24never exists
22:24in the first place
22:25and believes Allegro
22:26is misinterpreting
22:27the scrolls.
22:31To resolve this
22:33they need a complete
22:34translation of the text.
22:37Officially
22:38this is Millick's job
22:39but to Allegro's frustration
22:41Millick delays
22:42publishing his translation
22:44with good reason.
22:47If he says
22:49that it's fake
22:50then he could be accused
22:51of a cover-up.
22:53If he says
22:54it's real
22:55then there would be
22:56a descent of treasure hunters
22:58into the region
22:59trying to find
23:00these lost gold
23:02and other items.
23:04So
23:04naturally
23:05he delayed
23:07and procrastinated
23:08as long as possible.
23:12So
23:12John Allegro
23:13goes ahead
23:14and publishes the list
23:15and courts
23:17media attention.
23:19The result
23:20is a great deal
23:21of recrimination
23:21and bitterness
23:22between the two scholars.
23:23in 1962
23:25to prove his theory
23:27Allegro leads
23:28an expedition
23:29in search
23:30of the lost treasure.
23:31The search
23:32for lost treasures
23:33is a phenomenon
23:34which has beckoned
23:35to humanity
23:35over the centuries
23:37and leads many
23:39a person
23:39to ruin.
23:41Allegro doesn't find
23:42even a single nugget
23:44of gold.
23:44and despite decades
23:48of searching
23:49by treasure hunters
23:50these incredible riches
23:52remain elusive.
23:54So
23:55is it simply
23:56a fable?
23:58Now
23:58new research
23:59may finally answer
24:00the secrets
24:01of the Copper Scrolls.
24:07In 2015
24:08a new theory emerged.
24:10Could the Copper Scroll
24:11have been merely
24:12an accountability list
24:14of items
24:15which had been donated
24:16to the temple
24:16over time
24:17and never actually
24:18all existed
24:19at any one
24:20given moment.
24:22There are other
24:23Jewish ancient
24:25Hebrew texts
24:26that effectively
24:26talk about
24:27a made up version
24:28of a treasure
24:29that didn't actually exist
24:30but rather
24:30a kind of idealized
24:31number or value
24:33of a treasure
24:34that could have existed
24:34in the past.
24:35This idea
24:36may be connected
24:37to the ancient Greeks.
24:40This is the Lindos Chronicle
24:42an inventory
24:43of items
24:43in a temple
24:44to Athena
24:45written 200 years
24:46before the Copper Scrolls.
24:48Towards the start
24:49of the text
24:50they actually say
24:52all these things
24:53that we have been
24:54cataloging
24:54weren't
24:55actually there.
24:58They may have existed
24:59at one point
25:00but the idea was
25:01that I would
25:02give these items
25:03to Athena
25:04the goddess
25:05of Athens
25:06as a supplication
25:08as a dedication
25:09to her
25:09even if I don't
25:11actually have
25:12those items
25:12to show the dedication
25:13that you would have
25:14to her.
25:15So it's a way
25:16to show how much
25:17you love the god
25:18effectively.
25:19And there's a connection
25:20between lists like this
25:22and the enigmatic
25:23Copper Scrolls.
25:25The scroll is written
25:26in ancient Hebrew
25:27but a closer look
25:28reveals Greek letters
25:30at the end
25:30of some of the entries.
25:33Greek inventories
25:34use similar notations
25:35known as letter labels.
25:37It's a simple
25:38cataloging system
25:40like numbering
25:41an index card.
25:43Is that what
25:44the Greek letters
25:44on the Copper Scrolls
25:45mean?
25:46So how do you
25:47present it to your god?
25:48You have to organize
25:48it in some way
25:49and so using
25:50Greek letters
25:51might be the way
25:52that this was done.
25:54So like the Lindos Chronicle
25:55the scroll
25:56could be a record
25:57of wealth
25:58for display in the temple
25:59which may explain
26:01why it's made of metal.
26:03The more you think
26:04about it
26:04this then raises
26:05the material
26:06of the Copper Scroll
26:07itself.
26:09Why was it in copper?
26:10Perhaps it wasn't
26:11for durability.
26:12Perhaps it was
26:13a matter of display.
26:15Perhaps this was
26:16rather than a scroll
26:17more of a plaque
26:18detailing on the wall
26:20of the temple
26:20all of the great items
26:22all of the treasure
26:23which had been bestowed
26:24upon it over the years.
26:26There's just one problem.
26:29Unlike the Lindos Chronicle
26:30the Copper Scrolls
26:31identify locations
26:32for the treasure.
26:34Whether all this wealth
26:35is real or historic
26:36why would they advertise
26:37this for any treasure hunters
26:39to see?
26:42The answer
26:43may lie in the final lines
26:45of the scroll.
26:47Ironically
26:48the last entry
26:49on the final sheet
26:50of the scroll
26:51is a specification
26:52about where
26:54you can find
26:55the list.
26:58Probably another Copper Scroll
26:59which can decode
27:02the locations
27:03for the items
27:04in the larger list.
27:06So effectively
27:08not only are the treasures missing
27:09but the very means
27:11to locate them
27:11remains missing as well.
27:15But as long as the potential
27:17for real treasure exists
27:19treasure hunters
27:21will keep coming back
27:22to Qumran
27:23to seek their fortune.
27:24in the north of England.
27:40Tucked away in the local museum
27:41is a replica
27:42of one of the strangest
27:43and most bizarre inventions
27:45in history.
27:47Standing over a meter tall
27:49it looks like a model
27:50fairground carousel
27:51but it's not.
27:56This is a Victorian
27:57cutting-edge
27:58scientific instrument.
28:00It's an intricate contraption
28:02of polished mahogany
28:03glass, silver
28:04and brass
28:05and it's designed
28:06to change the world.
28:09There has never been
28:09anything like it
28:10before
28:11or since.
28:14This
28:14is the Tempest
28:16Prognosticator
28:17built to crack
28:18one of the greatest
28:19and most challenging
28:20problems
28:20of the Victorian age.
28:21the weather
28:23using the power
28:26of leeches.
28:30Twelve tiny leeches
28:32living in jars of water
28:33that are trained
28:34to ring a bell.
28:37In the presence
28:37of extreme weather
28:38the leeches
28:40would rise up
28:41and kind of signal
28:43that inclement weather
28:44was coming due.
28:46150 years ago
28:47this is a serious idea.
28:50People treat it
28:51seriously.
28:55Who comes up
28:57with this bizarre device?
28:58How is it supposed
28:59to work?
29:00And why does anyone
29:01believe a leech
29:02can tell them
29:02it's going to rain?
29:04It sounds crazy now
29:05but in the Victorian era
29:07anything seems possible.
29:09Mad ideas
29:10didn't seem so mad.
29:11By the 1850s
29:17Victorians
29:18are making
29:18huge strides
29:19in technology
29:20and science.
29:22New inventions
29:23like rubber tires
29:24photography
29:25and bicycles
29:27are revolutionizing
29:28the way people
29:29live
29:29work
29:30and travel.
29:33That's of early
29:34and mid era
29:35is a time
29:36of enormous
29:38innovation
29:39of enormous
29:41social
29:41and physical
29:42and industrial
29:43and economic
29:44change.
29:45Things are happening
29:46so fast
29:47it would take
29:47your breath away.
29:49Business and trade
29:50are booming
29:50and that's
29:52where the weather
29:52comes in.
29:56The weather
29:57has always
29:58been important
29:59for society
30:00because of course
30:01crop yields
30:02and the harvest
30:03are utterly
30:04dependent on it.
30:05Increasingly
30:06as trade became
30:07more important
30:08as there was
30:08more traffic
30:09on the seas
30:10it became
30:11ever more important
30:12to be able
30:12to predict
30:13storms
30:14and so forth.
30:16There is more
30:16to be lost
30:17when you've got
30:18huge fleets
30:19at sea
30:19than there was
30:20when it was
30:21just a few boats
30:22inshore.
30:23As the world
30:24became more
30:24connected
30:25and trade grew
30:26weather
30:27had more
30:29of an impact.
30:32Unfortunately
30:32weather forecasting
30:33is stuck
30:34in the dark ages.
30:36There have always
30:36been all these
30:37sort of folklore
30:38signs of the weather
30:40things like
30:41red sky at night
30:43shepherd's delight
30:44red sky morning
30:46shepherd's warning.
30:48But folklore
30:49doesn't sit comfortably
30:50with the new
30:50Victorian age
30:51of science.
30:54From electricity
30:55to magnetism
30:56to evolution
30:57nature
30:58is giving up
30:59its secrets.
31:00One after another
31:02all sorts of
31:02mysteries
31:03are being cracked.
31:04Could reliably
31:05predicting the weather
31:06be science's
31:07next great conquest?
31:08by the Victorian time
31:12it began to look
31:15possible to bring
31:16weather within
31:17the sort of
31:17remit of things
31:19that scientists
31:20could measure
31:21and understand
31:22and predict.
31:23This was a science
31:25really at its birth
31:27in its very early stages
31:28and no one was
31:29really sure what
31:30would work
31:30and what wouldn't.
31:33Enter
31:33gentleman scientist
31:35George Merriweather.
31:36Merriweather was
31:38a doctor
31:38of Whitby
31:39and it seems
31:41he had
31:41all kinds
31:42of side interests.
31:43He was
31:44the curator
31:45of the local
31:46museum.
31:47Another of his
31:48side interests
31:48is invention.
31:50One of his
31:50inventions
31:51was a lamp
31:52that he said
31:53would burn
31:54continuously
31:55for two weeks
31:56fueled by a mixture
31:57of pure alcohol
31:59and whiskey.
32:00Unfortunately
32:01it didn't catch on.
32:03His clientele
32:03probably preferred
32:04to drink the whiskey
32:05rather than burn it.
32:07In 1850
32:08he produces
32:09his most famous
32:10and groundbreaking
32:11creation
32:12the leech-powered
32:13tempest prognosticator.
32:16The core
32:16of his invention
32:17is a glass bottle
32:18containing a few
32:19centimeters of water
32:20and a leech.
32:22Hidden away
32:23at the top
32:23of each bottle
32:24is a system
32:24of levers
32:25and chains
32:26connected to a bell.
32:27There was a little
32:28mechanism
32:29made from
32:31a very fine bone
32:32that would be triggered
32:33by the leech
32:34coming past
32:35and that would
32:36ring a bell.
32:37Of course
32:38there is always
32:38a risk
32:39that one leech
32:40might misbehave
32:41but Meriwether
32:42has a plan
32:42for that.
32:44His machine
32:44uses 12 of them.
32:46As opposed
32:47to relying
32:47on just one leech
32:48and its wisdom
32:49on the weather report
32:51there was actually
32:52a ring of these
32:52jars
32:53so that you could
32:55take more
32:56of a majority vote
32:57on the activities
32:58of the leeches.
32:59The more bells
33:00that ramp
33:01then the stronger
33:02your prediction was.
33:04It all sounds
33:05terribly rational
33:06except for one thing.
33:09Why does Meriwether
33:10believe leeches
33:11can predict
33:12the weather?
33:20Animals often appear
33:22in the folklore
33:22of weather prediction.
33:24There's a long history
33:26of looking
33:27at animal behavior
33:28to try to anticipate
33:30changes in the weather
33:31and there seem
33:33to be some good
33:34reasons for this.
33:35It does seem
33:35that some animals
33:36are very sensitive
33:37to impending changes
33:38in the weather.
33:42So this notion
33:43that somehow
33:44you could use
33:45some change
33:46in animal behavior
33:47as a weather forecasting tool
33:50this was actually
33:51something that
33:51goes back a long way
33:52that was very well established.
33:53cows lying down
33:55in fields
33:56is supposed
33:56to be an indicator
33:57that rain
33:58is on its way.
34:00There are many
34:00of these
34:01across all cultures
34:02all over the world.
34:04In Germany
34:05frogs
34:05are the go-to
34:06weather predictors.
34:08Every German
34:08thinks that you
34:09can predict
34:10the weather
34:10by putting a frog
34:11in a jar
34:13with a little
34:13ladder in it
34:14mostly made of wood
34:15and then depending
34:17on where the frog
34:17sits
34:18you know
34:19if it's going
34:19to rain
34:20or if it's
34:20going to be sunny.
34:21Meriwether
34:23goes for leeches
34:24an animal
34:25that holds
34:25a unique fascination
34:26to Victorians.
34:28He claims
34:29that leeches
34:29can sense
34:30a change
34:30in the weather
34:31and will rise
34:32up towards
34:32the surface
34:33of water
34:33when rain
34:34is coming.
34:36The leech
34:37looks like
34:38a really
34:39primitive thing
34:40just a kind
34:40of slug
34:41but actually
34:41it's
34:42an amazingly
34:43sophisticated
34:44creature.
34:46They are worms
34:46they are not
34:47slugs
34:48or snails
34:49they are
34:50beautifully
34:51colored
34:51they can have
34:52an orange
34:53green color
34:55pattern.
34:56But the
34:56principal
34:57attraction
34:57of leeches
34:58is their
34:58macabre
34:59dietary habits.
35:00Leeches
35:01are very much
35:02like worm
35:02vampires.
35:04It likes
35:04to drink
35:05blood
35:05and in
35:07order to
35:07do that
35:08it has
35:09two suckers
35:10so one
35:11sticks on
35:12to the
35:12host
35:13the other
35:13one
35:14is lined
35:15with teeth
35:16hundreds
35:16of teeth
35:17so they
35:18bite
35:19and as
35:21the leech
35:21sucks
35:22blood
35:22it gives
35:24out
35:24two
35:25chemicals
35:25one
35:26is a
35:27kind
35:27of
35:27anaesthetic
35:28and the
35:29other
35:29one
35:29is an
35:30anticoagulant
35:31a chemical
35:32that stops
35:33the blood
35:33from clotting
35:34so it can
35:35continue to
35:36drink.
35:37Once it's
35:37gorged
35:38itself
35:38in this
35:38way
35:39the leech
35:39can survive
35:40for up
35:41to a
35:41year
35:41without
35:42feeding
35:43again.
35:48This ability
35:50to draw
35:50blood is
35:51important to
35:51Victorians
35:52because many
35:53of them
35:53believe human
35:54health depends
35:55on maintaining
35:55balance between
35:56the four
35:57humans.
35:58Black bile
35:58yellow bile
35:59phlegm
36:00and blood.
36:02Most attention
36:03was given
36:04to blood
36:04because either
36:06you had too
36:06much blood
36:07or you had
36:07bad blood
36:08and in both
36:09cases
36:09the medical
36:10leech could
36:11help.
36:11bloodletting
36:12to remove
36:13the excess
36:13or bad
36:14blood
36:14was common
36:15place
36:15and leeches
36:16were definitely
36:17the lesser
36:18of two
36:18evils.
36:19For bloodletting
36:20you would
36:20cut the
36:21person
36:21and if
36:22you cut
36:22at the
36:22wrong
36:22position
36:23then you
36:24could bleed
36:24to death
36:25of course
36:25or and
36:26you could
36:27get an
36:27infection
36:28that could
36:28not be
36:29healed
36:29and cured
36:29so both
36:30was not
36:30very good
36:31and the
36:31leeches
36:32were much
36:33much better
36:33because it
36:34was just
36:35a very
36:35small wound
36:35that was
36:36considered
36:36to be
36:36natural.
36:39Unsurprisingly
36:40in the
36:40circumstances
36:41medical
36:41leeches
36:42are wildly
36:43popular.
36:44They were
36:45everywhere.
36:45People needed
36:46leeches
36:46or thought
36:47they needed
36:47leeches
36:48for a whole
36:48range
36:49of medical
36:50conditions.
36:52In 1833
36:53France alone
36:54imported
36:5541.5 million
36:56leeches.
36:57In Germany
36:58commercial
36:59leech farming
37:00was established
37:00and even
37:01today we have
37:02commercial
37:03leech farms
37:03in Germany.
37:04There were
37:06people whose
37:07profession was
37:07leech gathering
37:08literally
37:09usually women
37:10this rolling
37:11your skirts
37:11right up
37:12and walking
37:12in the
37:13sorts of
37:13places where
37:14leeches live
37:15so that they
37:15were detached
37:15to your
37:16legs.
37:17In fact
37:17there was
37:18so much
37:19used
37:20that we
37:21pretty much
37:21fished them
37:22out of
37:22existence.
37:25According to
37:26Meriwether
37:26inspiration for
37:27his prognosticator
37:28comes from a
37:29poem written
37:30by vaccine
37:31pioneer,
37:32physician and
37:33all-round
37:33science
37:34superstar
37:35Edward
37:35Jenner.
37:38So the
37:39poem is
37:40called
37:40Signs of Rain
37:41and includes
37:42the lines
37:43the leech
37:44disturbed
37:45is newly
37:46risen
37:46quite to
37:47the summit
37:47of his
37:48prison.
37:50And as
37:50a Victorian
37:51doctor
37:51Meriwether
37:52is probably
37:53quite keen
37:53on leeches
37:54already.
37:55But can
37:56they really
37:56predict
37:57the weather?
38:03Meriwether
38:04claims that
38:05leeches rise
38:06up when
38:06rain is
38:07coming.
38:09And that
38:09might not
38:10be as
38:10crazy as
38:11it sounds
38:11because bad
38:12weather is
38:12usually
38:13associated
38:13with a
38:14drop in
38:14air
38:14pressure.
38:16One
38:17possible
38:17reason why
38:18leeches
38:19may detect
38:20air pressure
38:20in their
38:21surroundings
38:22is that
38:22they relate
38:23to the
38:23oxygen
38:24because
38:24they need
38:25to breathe
38:25inside of
38:26the water.
38:27Leeches
38:28get oxygen
38:28directly through
38:29their skin
38:30from the
38:30water
38:30surrounding
38:31them.
38:32They're
38:32very,
38:32very
38:32sensitive
38:33to the
38:34concentration
38:35of oxygen
38:35in the
38:36water.
38:37And that
38:38will change
38:39if there's
38:39a change
38:40in atmospheric
38:40pressure.
38:42When air
38:42pressure drops,
38:43there's less
38:44oxygen in
38:45the water,
38:45so the
38:45leeches
38:46rise closer
38:47to the
38:47surface,
38:48where oxygen
38:48levels are
38:49higher.
38:50It's for
38:50them just
38:51a matter of
38:51survival to
38:52get into
38:53an area
38:53where there's
38:54enough oxygen
38:54or to
38:56sense if
38:56they have
38:56enough oxygen
38:57already,
38:58and then
38:58they can
38:59dive
39:00deeper.
39:01This is
39:02really what
39:02they're
39:02responding to.
39:03So that
39:03was the
39:04kind of
39:04mechanical
39:05principle
39:05behind the
39:06device.
39:07But for
39:07the prognosticator
39:08to work,
39:09Meriwether's
39:10leeches would
39:10have to
39:11reliably react
39:12in a way
39:12that triggered
39:13the bell
39:13every time.
39:15Is that
39:15even possible?
39:17I have
39:18actually trained
39:19leeches
39:19myself quite
39:20successfully,
39:21and the
39:22leeches were
39:23quite interesting
39:23because they
39:24don't have a
39:25centralized
39:25brain,
39:26but their
39:27nerve nodes,
39:28they are
39:28spread all
39:29over the
39:29body.
39:30So we
39:30started to
39:31train leeches
39:31to see what
39:33they can
39:33memorize,
39:34what they
39:34would forget,
39:35and they
39:35can memorize
39:36more than
39:37we humans
39:38would expect.
39:41But
39:41Meriwether
39:42complains
39:42that some
39:43leeches have
39:44difficult
39:44personalities.
39:46It seems
39:47that Meriwether
39:48got a little
39:48bit obsessed
39:49with the
39:49leeches
39:50because he
39:50thought some
39:51seemed to
39:52be a little
39:52bit stupid,
39:53but I have
39:54to say,
39:54being a
39:55person who
39:55trained leeches,
39:56of course
39:57they do
39:57have kind
39:57of a
39:58personality
39:58and some
39:59are more
39:59capable of
40:00doing things
40:00and others
40:00are not,
40:01so you
40:01could easily
40:02get the
40:02impression
40:03that the
40:04leeches,
40:05you know,
40:05they have a
40:06personality
40:07in their
40:07special.
40:09It seems
40:10Meriwether
40:11may be on
40:11to something.
40:13The idea
40:14of Dr.
40:14Meriwether
40:15was not
40:15completely
40:16crazy at
40:16all.
40:17It was a
40:17very nice
40:18experiment,
40:19and maybe
40:19there's
40:20some truth
40:20in it.
40:21But if
40:23his Tempest
40:23prognosticator
40:24actually works,
40:26why don't
40:26we see
40:26leech
40:27barometers
40:27everywhere?
40:29What
40:29goes wrong
40:30with his
40:31brilliant
40:32plan?
40:36Well,
40:37it certainly
40:37isn't a
40:38lack of
40:38self-belief.
40:40He gave
40:41a lovely
40:42talk to
40:42the Whitby
40:43Literary and
40:44Philosophical
40:44Society,
40:45went on for
40:46three hours
40:46apparently,
40:47about how
40:47successful it
40:48had been,
40:49during which
40:50he compared
40:50himself to
40:51Galileo.
40:52But is the
40:53prognosticator
40:54really that
40:55good?
40:56London
40:56Illustrated
40:57News,
40:58for example,
40:58carried a
40:59story about
41:00his successful
41:01prediction of
41:02a major
41:03storm,
41:0451 and a
41:06half hours
41:06before it
41:07happened.
41:09It's a fairly
41:09generous margin
41:10of error,
41:11isn't it?
41:12In 1851,
41:15Meriwether takes
41:15his revolutionary
41:16invention to the
41:17prestigious Great
41:18Exhibition in
41:19London.
41:20All the great
41:21scientists and
41:22inventors and
41:23manufacturers were
41:25present.
41:26It was the
41:28sensation of the
41:29age, and there
41:30he was with his
41:31leeches in the
41:31middle of it.
41:33That is just the
41:34most extraordinary
41:35piece of publicity.
41:37Unfortunately,
41:38Meriwether doesn't
41:39need public
41:40admiration to
41:40succeed.
41:41He needs
41:41government funding.
41:44He said that the
41:45whole of the
41:45government should
41:46install them all
41:48all the way up and
41:48down the coast for
41:50the benefit of sailors
41:51and merchantmen right
41:53across the country.
41:55But unlike the
41:57leeches, the
41:57government doesn't
41:58bite.
41:59The prognosticator
42:01didn't take off, and
42:02it's probably no
42:03surprise that it
42:04didn't.
42:05It would have been,
42:06for one thing, an
42:08expensive thing to
42:09produce and to
42:10maintain.
42:10leeches would keep
42:13dying.
42:14It wouldn't have
42:15been a terribly
42:15reliable instrument.
42:18Had it come 100
42:19years earlier, it
42:20would have been
42:20perfectly in keeping
42:21with the ideas of
42:23the time.
42:24But actually, it
42:25came at a time
42:28when an instrument
42:30like this was
42:31starting to look
42:32like a device
42:33from another era.
42:35By the early to
42:36mid-19th century,
42:38scientific instruments
42:39weren't meant to
42:40look like, you
42:41know, an aquarium
42:41with little swimming
42:43creatures in it.
42:46Stuck between a
42:47superstitious past
42:48and a scientific
42:49future, Meriwether's
42:51Tempest Prognosticator
42:52is simply mowed down
42:54by better inventions.
42:57Oddly, it's the
42:58telegraph that makes
42:59a big difference
42:59because you can
43:00suddenly get very,
43:01very quick results
43:02from weather stations
43:03posted all the way
43:04around, so you can
43:05start mapping what
43:06the conditions are in
43:07one place or other.
43:09And with those maps,
43:10you can start to make
43:11more informed predictions
43:13rather than just
43:14relying on the leeches.
43:18All that remains
43:19today of Meriwether's
43:20radical invention
43:21is a replica
43:22that sits in the museum
43:24where he was once
43:25curator,
43:28albeit lacking its
43:29blood-sucking stars.
43:31in the museum.
43:38We'll be right back.
43:40Ευχαριστώ.
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