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00:00Archaeologists make a grim discovery while excavating an ancient structure in Italy.
00:09Sunken into the ground, they found fragments of human bone.
00:12To find one skull can be alarming, but uncovering the fragments of 12 skulls is downright shocking.
00:19So who were these individuals?
00:21And why were their remains deposited in such a specific way?
00:25An enormous burial chamber is unearthed in China.
00:28The massive underground space is home to thousands of life-sized statues of Chinese soldiers.
00:34And despite the vast number of warriors, each one of them is unique.
00:39It's got its own hairstyle, its own facial features, its own clothing.
00:43Given how close this is to the tomb of Xin Shi Huang, is it possible that they're connected to a secret necropolis?
00:51A strange skeleton is discovered in Belgium.
00:54A more in-depth look at the remains revealed that they were all in different stages of development.
00:58A person, or group of people, took the time to create a skeleton using bones from several different individuals.
01:05Like, who would do that? And why?
01:07Buried.
01:10Hidden.
01:12Cursed.
01:15From mystical artifacts and doomed treasures
01:20to mysterious structures and ancient rituals.
01:26Myths and legends that have long been shrouded in the shadows of history
01:31are finally brought into the light.
01:37These are Secrets in the Dark.
01:52The southeastern peninsula of Italy spreads over 7,000 square miles
01:57from the Adriatic Sea in the east to the Gulf of Taranto in the Western Ionian Sea.
02:03The region, known as Puglia, boasts a stunning coastline longer than any other in Italy.
02:11Today, Puglia is known for its mild Mediterranean climate and clear turquoise waters.
02:17The flat landscape is dotted with several charming villages and towns,
02:21but it's one of Italy's quieter regions,
02:23as tourists tend to flock to the bigger cities or the Amalfi Coast.
02:27Since ancient times, Puglia has had a mix of influences,
02:32due to its natural location between the cultural regions of Western Europe,
02:35the Balkans, and Greece.
02:37The peninsula became a kind of bridge between all three,
02:41and in the Middle Ages, it was a cultural frontier
02:43between the Roman-Germanic west and the Greek-Byzantine east.
02:48Not surprisingly, Puglia also has a rich and extensive legacy
02:52of archaeological sites and excavations,
02:55revealing artifacts as far back as the 6th millennia BCE.
03:00The region was densely populated for at least 500 years during this Neolithic period,
03:06and archaeologists continue to learn about the traditions and beliefs of the people who lived there.
03:10One site in particular near the ancient village of Maseria Candelaro has garnered extra attention and interest.
03:19According to the local folklore, the village was a kind of sacred and spiritual nexus,
03:24a place where mysterious rituals govern not only daily life,
03:28but also funeral rites in death.
03:30Archaeologists are excavating at the Maseria Candelaro site
03:35when they make a surprising discovery.
03:38They were working inside what was once a storage structure they had dubbed Structure Q,
03:44a rectangular space roughly 42 by 48 feet.
03:48In the center of the structure, sunken into the ground,
03:50they found fragments of human bone just below the surface.
03:54The fragments were all revealed to be crania and mandibles,
03:58in other words, human skulls.
03:59And not just one or two fragments.
04:02In total, the deposit was comprised of almost 400 skull samples,
04:07representing at least 12 individuals, and possibly more.
04:10To find one skull can be alarming,
04:12but uncovering the fragments of 12 skulls altogether
04:15and not attached to the rest of their former skeletons is downright shocking.
04:21So who were these individuals,
04:23and why were their remains deposited in such a specific way?
04:27To identify the sex and age at death of the skulls,
04:32researchers take bone samples from several mandibles.
04:36Two sets of radiocarbon dating tests were performed,
04:39and it was determined that the bone fragments were deposited at some point
04:42between 5500 and 5400 BCE.
04:46Dental eruption and dental attrition were used to establish age at death,
04:51as it's a precise way to measure what you might call the general wear and tear,
04:56as well as decay in cavities.
04:58In this case, the samples revealed at least two adolescents,
05:01one young adult, one adult between 25 and 35,
05:04and three older than 35.
05:06This information was both useful and a bit confounding,
05:11as it represents a wide age range and cross-section of the community.
05:15Further analysis of the bone fragments revealed
05:18at least five of the individuals were male,
05:20six were probably male,
05:22and the remainder could not be determined.
05:24So while the group was assumed to be all male,
05:26the presence of females couldn't be ruled out.
05:28But the placement of the skull fragments themselves was intriguing.
05:32They weren't buried at the bottom of some mass grave.
05:36They were found just below the surface.
05:39It's possible the skulls were originally placed above ground on display,
05:43as if those who placed them there were making some kind of statement or warning,
05:48or possibly a celebration of victory over an enemy.
05:52The practice of taking and displaying human body parts as trophies
05:56dates back thousands of years.
05:59There are many examples in Neolithic Europe of what we call skull cults,
06:03whose practices included shaping, painting,
06:05and modifying skulls once they were removed.
06:08There are other examples in Neolithic Europe of tribes or clans
06:12mounting the heads of their enemies after battle.
06:15The distinguishing factor in each of these cases,
06:18in addition to the symbolic display of the skulls,
06:21is clear evidence of trauma inflicted at the time of death or shortly thereafter.
06:26A careful inspection of the cache of skulls in Masseria Candelaro reveals a critical clue.
06:33There was no evidence of peri-mortal trauma to any of the skull fragments,
06:37whether from blood force or a cut from a sharp or chipped stone.
06:41And while the heads must have been removed from their owners at some point,
06:44it wasn't the result of an act of violence.
06:48It was determined the skulls were removed from their bodies at some later point after death,
06:53and possibly after their initial burial.
06:55Plus, if the individuals in the Masseria Candelaro site were enemies to the locals,
07:03they would have originated from a different region.
07:06By measuring the isotopic concentration of the skull fragments
07:09and comparing them with local fauna,
07:12it could be determined if they were endogenous or local,
07:16or if they were exogenous from further afield.
07:19The results were clear.
07:21They were not from a different or distinct location.
07:24They were all local.
07:26And since the crania were not a display of trophy heads,
07:30there must have been some other explanation for the cache of skulls.
07:34And why the remains of these particular individuals were deposited together.
07:39Is it possible they were all members of the same family?
07:42The tradition of family burial sites in Europe
07:44can be traced as far as 6,000 years ago.
07:48One of the best preserved Neolithic tombs in Britain
07:50was discovered in the Cotswolds region.
07:54Archaeologists found the remains of 35 individuals
07:57who lived sometime between 3,700 and 3,600 BC.
08:02By taking DNA samples,
08:04it was determined that 27 of the 35 were biologically related.
08:10Most of them were descendants of four women
08:12who all had children with the same man.
08:15Family members were buried inside two different chambered areas
08:17of the tomb.
08:19Men were buried with their fathers and brothers,
08:21which suggested a patrilineal burial practice
08:23connecting generations through the male.
08:26While two of the daughters who died in childbirth
08:29were found in the tomb,
08:30the complete absence of adult daughters
08:32suggested they were buried elsewhere,
08:34possibly with their male partners and their families.
08:37So is it possible the skulls at Masseria Candelaro
08:40represent similar traditions?
08:41Further analysis of the skull material leads to a surprise.
08:46Most Neolithic family burial sites consist of individuals
08:49that either died from a single event
08:51or in a very narrow time frame,
08:54such as a sudden illness, mortal accident,
08:56or even an entire family or village being killed by enemies.
09:00But these skull fragments paint a very different picture.
09:04Based on data collected,
09:06it appears the individuals died
09:08over a period of about 200 years.
09:12Even though the bones were deposited here
09:14in Structure Q at the same time,
09:16the actual people represented
09:18lived up to two centuries apart.
09:21That roughly translates to about eight generations,
09:25and it's extremely unlikely
09:26a single family burial plot
09:28would be maintained for that long.
09:29Plus, there's still the question
09:32about the skulls themselves,
09:33specifically the fact it was just skulls at the site
09:36with no indication of where the remaining skeletons were
09:39or why the heads were separated and isolated.
09:42The picture that emerged at Masseria Candelaro
09:45was a ritual in which just the skulls
09:48were removed from buried ancestors
09:49and circulated between members of the community
09:52as an act of veneration or respect.
09:56Exactly what kind of power
09:58the skulls were believed to possess,
09:59and why these individuals were selected,
10:02we may never know.
10:03But clearly, the skull fragments
10:05represented some kind of connection to the dead,
10:07whether it was to provide protection or guidance
10:10or simply as a spiritual connection.
10:13This tradition went on across multiple generations
10:16before the skulls were ultimately deposited
10:18in the area known as Structure Q.
10:21Their final resting place
10:22may or may not have been part of the ritual.
10:25It's possible it was simply just the disposal site.
10:28The discovery at Masseria Candelaro
10:31changes our understanding and appreciation
10:33of prehistoric burial rites.
10:36And further excavations will no doubt uncover more secrets
10:39about the beliefs and community traditions
10:42of Neolithic Italy.
10:43In the south-central region of China's Shaanxi province,
10:53the sprawling city of Xi'an stretches across a large floodplain
10:59created by apes surrounding rivers and streams.
11:13Throughout much of its history,
11:16Xi'an was one of China's great ancient capitals,
11:19and it held that position for several dynasties,
11:22including Western Zhou, Western Han,
11:25and the Tang Dynasty.
11:28Its strategic location on a flat plain
11:30between the Wei River to the north
11:32and the Qin Mountains to the south
11:34played a key role in its appeal as a capital city.
11:37It was easy to fortify and defend against enemies.
11:41Xi'an is also well-known as the burial place
11:43of China's first emperor, Chinchu Wang,
11:46who founded the Qin Dynasty
11:47that lasted from 221 to 207 BCE.
11:51Wang is famous for unifying the country
11:53by ending a long and bitter period of feudalism
11:55and spearheading construction
11:56on what would become the Great Wall of China.
12:02But Jin Shi Huang's most significant accomplishment
12:05was the creation of his own mausoleum complex,
12:09this massive underground necropolis
12:12covering over 20 square miles.
12:15Today, that burial site intrigues and captivates visitors
12:19mostly because there's still a great deal of mystery
12:22surrounding its inner sanctum.
12:24The main chamber of the tomb,
12:26where the emperor's body lies,
12:28is sealed shut to protect his remains
12:31and his most precious artifacts.
12:33A group of local farmers is digging a well
12:36less than a mile east of the unexcavated mausoleum
12:39when they make a surprising discovery.
12:43They came across fragments
12:45of what looked like artifacts made from clay.
12:47For centuries, there had been reports
12:49of bits of the emperor's mausoleum
12:51found here and there,
12:52mostly roof tiles, bricks, and sections of mortar.
12:56But these fragments were not from any building.
12:59They were more detailed, as if decorated.
13:01Deeper down, they found something even more compelling.
13:04About 20 feet below the surface,
13:06there was a massive subterranean chamber.
13:09It appeared to be connected
13:10to a series of other chambers,
13:12all running underground.
13:13But it was impossible to tell how many there were
13:16or how far the system of tunnels went.
13:20But the most shocking thing about the first chamber
13:22is its contents,
13:24or rather, its occupants.
13:26The massive underground space
13:28is home to thousands of life-sized statues
13:31of Chinese soldiers.
13:34They're organized according to rank
13:36and facing in the same direction,
13:37as if on guard or about to attack an enemy.
13:40Many of them have real weapons.
13:42Each of the soldiers was carefully sculpted
13:47from a mixture of compressed earth
13:48and red clay called terracotta.
13:51And despite the vast number of warriors,
13:54each one of them is unique.
13:56It's got its own hairstyle,
13:57its own facial features,
13:59its own clothing.
14:00So given how close this is
14:03to the tomb of Xin Xihuang,
14:05is it possible that they're connected
14:07to his secret necropolis?
14:09A closer look at the life and legacy
14:12of China's first emperor
14:13offers an intriguing explanation.
14:15The period leading up to the Qin Dynasty,
14:19roughly the 5th to the 3rd centuries BCE,
14:21was known as the Warring States Period.
14:24And for good reason.
14:25For two centuries,
14:27the seven kingdoms of east-central China
14:29fought constantly for dominance.
14:32When Qin Xihuang became emperor,
14:34he enforced strict rule
14:36over all the feuding states
14:37and unified them by imposing
14:39a powerful military presence
14:41in 36 command areas.
14:43He cemented the unification
14:45by establishing a new currency
14:47and creating a universal system
14:49of weights and measures.
14:50He even standardized Chinese writing.
14:53By exercising his control
14:55over every aspect of daily life,
14:57Qin Xihuang achieved his dream
14:59of absolute rule.
15:01But it came at a cost to the citizens.
15:04The emperor suppressed any form of dissent
15:06with brutal punishments.
15:08460 scholars were rounded up and executed
15:10and their dissident texts were burned.
15:12The citizens of all ranks
15:13were encouraged to spy
15:15and report on their neighbors.
15:16And if convicted,
15:17the guilty were either murdered,
15:19tortured, or sentenced to hard labor.
15:22It was thanks to these labor camps,
15:23numbering over 700,000 workers,
15:25that Qin Xihuang was able
15:27to grow his empire so quickly.
15:28New palaces, new canals, new roads,
15:31all built at a back-breaking pace.
15:34But it was the mausoleum
15:36that best exemplified
15:38both the Jin dynasty
15:39and the emperor himself.
15:42The creation of what would become
15:43his final resting place
15:45was a symbol of his greatest obsession
15:47and his darkest fear.
15:51According to historical records,
15:53Qin Xihuang was preoccupied
15:55with his own death
15:56from the time he was a teenager.
15:59This was only amplified
16:00when he became emperor
16:01and he faced several assassination attempts.
16:04He responded by building up
16:06multiple defenses around the palace,
16:08both structural and military.
16:10He created a labyrinth
16:12of underground walkways
16:13and passageways
16:14between palace buildings,
16:15in part for protection,
16:17but also to remain
16:18out of the public eye.
16:21It's from this fear of death
16:22that the emperor developed
16:24his other great obsession,
16:26the desire to achieve immortality.
16:28For years,
16:29Qin Xihuang sent advisors
16:31and alchemists
16:32across the globe
16:33in search of herbal remedies
16:34and potions
16:35rumored to give the gift
16:37of everlasting life.
16:39And when that didn't work,
16:41he turned his energy
16:42towards the mausoleum.
16:44Qin Xihuang's mausoleum
16:45is a sprawling labyrinth
16:47encompassing underground chambers,
16:49pits,
16:49and under a tall earthen mound,
16:51his own tomb.
16:53But the mausoleum
16:54was also a place
16:54for him to furnish
16:55everything he would need
16:56in the afterlife.
16:58Is it possible
16:58that included a small army
17:00of terracotta soldiers
17:00to defend him for eternity?
17:03Qin Xihuang was not
17:04the only powerful ruler
17:06in history
17:06who wanted company
17:07with him on his journey
17:09to the afterlife.
17:10In Japan,
17:11burial mounds
17:12called kofun
17:13were used by imperial families
17:14between the 3rd
17:15and 6th centuries CE.
17:17These huge sites
17:19were known
17:19not only for their
17:20unique keyhole shape,
17:22but also for the
17:23cylindrical clay figurines
17:25called haniwa
17:26that were frequently buried
17:28with the deceased rulers.
17:30The haniwa
17:32were typically sculpted
17:33in the shape of soldiers,
17:34forces,
17:35and armaments.
17:36And while we don't know
17:37much about their
17:37specific purpose
17:38because there was no system
17:40of Japanese writing
17:41at the time,
17:42historians generally agree
17:43that they were intended
17:44for protection
17:45in the afterlife.
17:47Given that the imperial
17:49terracotta soldiers
17:50were placed in military formation
17:52facing east,
17:53the direction from which
17:54most enemies
17:55were likely to attack,
17:56it was concluded
17:57that like the kofun sites,
17:59Qin Shi Huang
17:59commissioned their creation
18:01for similar protection.
18:02But the real question is,
18:04how did these things
18:05get built?
18:06The vast resources
18:07and manual labor
18:08required to manufacture
18:10over 7,000
18:11life-sized soldiers
18:122,200 years ago
18:14would have been immense.
18:16Did he enlist an army
18:17to create an army?
18:19Researchers make
18:20a detailed examination
18:21of several individual soldiers.
18:24The foundation
18:25of every statue
18:25is exactly the same.
18:26It's a standardized
18:27hollow torso
18:28and a base of solid legs
18:30made from coils of clay.
18:32Now, all that is dried
18:34and fired
18:35in some kind of kiln.
18:36But from there,
18:37it was proposed
18:38that the soldiers
18:38were created
18:39in some kind of
18:39an assembly line,
18:40like a mass-produced car
18:42in a large factory.
18:44But that would be staggering.
18:46The invention
18:47of the assembly line
18:48is always characterized
18:49as one of the great
18:5020th century innovations.
18:52Is it possible
18:53that it was invented here
18:55centuries before?
18:58In this scenario,
18:59specialized workers
19:00would repeatedly produce
19:01only one part,
19:03an ear, for example,
19:04or the tip of an arrowhead,
19:06and then send
19:06their finished products
19:07to an assembly line
19:08where other specialized workers
19:10would put the pieces together.
19:12To test the theory,
19:14samples were taken
19:14and analyzed
19:15from arrowheads
19:16of the same part
19:17of 30 different statues.
19:20Their results showed
19:21that the chemical composition
19:22of one
19:22was quite different
19:23from the next,
19:25which proved
19:25they weren't all created
19:26by a singular specialized worker.
19:29Parts had been created
19:30in different locations
19:31with slightly different materials
19:33and by different people.
19:35With the assembly line ruled out,
19:37a theory based on
19:38cell groups of production
19:39seemed more likely.
19:40In this scenario,
19:41the statues were created
19:42from start to finish
19:43by a small team
19:44of versatile artisans
19:45likely collaborating
19:46in hundreds of workshops.
19:48These highly skilled craftsmen
19:50might not only carve,
19:51but they might also design
19:52the armor
19:53and paint the soldier's face.
19:55Contemporary imaging technology
19:57is used to break down
19:58the design
19:58and construction process.
20:01They took detailed measurements
20:02of facial features
20:03from a sample group
20:04of the statues
20:05and they found
20:06that even the shapes
20:07of the ears
20:08varied from soldier
20:10to soldier.
20:11And with 3D digital photography,
20:13they could compare
20:14all those ears
20:15and not only were
20:16no two of them the same,
20:18but the variability
20:19in that sample group
20:21was the same
20:22as the variability
20:23in actual populations
20:25of humans.
20:26That was clear evidence
20:28that every one
20:29of those statues
20:30was a copy
20:31of an actual person.
20:34The artists who created them
20:36were going for absolute realism
20:37as if the statues
20:39were a kind of
20:39three-dimensional portrait painting.
20:43Details such as hair,
20:44facial features,
20:45and clothing
20:46were added by hand
20:47before the whole figure
20:49was dried
20:49and eventually fired
20:51in a large kiln.
20:52The statues
20:53were also the same height
20:55as the average warrior
20:56from the Qin dynasty.
20:59Another factor explains
21:00each soldier's
21:01remarkable craftsmanship.
21:03The artists were held
21:04accountable
21:04for what they produced.
21:06Each statue
21:07bore a chiseled marking
21:08like a maker's mark
21:09connected to its creator.
21:12This allowed imperial officers
21:14to track down
21:15and punish anyone
21:16producing defective soldiers.
21:18One more example
21:19of the extreme control
21:21Qin Shi Huang
21:22had over every aspect
21:24of his rule.
21:25Secrecy and concealment
21:26played a huge role
21:27in that control,
21:28even in death.
21:29After all,
21:30the terracotta army
21:31was kept hidden
21:32for over 2,000 years.
21:34So,
21:35is it possible
21:35there are more
21:36secret underground chambers
21:37and artifacts
21:38in his necropolis
21:39just waiting to be found?
21:40Further excavations
21:42of the site
21:42lead to more
21:43surprising discoveries.
21:45They found
21:46a second chamber
21:47connected
21:48to the terracotta army chamber
21:50that had more than
21:51130 war chariots in it
21:53and over 600 horses.
21:56And just like
21:57with the soldiers,
21:58this massive cavalry
21:59was all life-size
22:01and crafted
22:02with incredible realism.
22:05In addition,
22:06chambers closer
22:07to the burial tomb
22:08were found
22:08to contain statues
22:09of musicians,
22:11acrobats,
22:12and various exotic animals.
22:14This suggested
22:15Qin Shi Huang
22:16had more planned
22:17for the afterlife
22:18than just preparing
22:19for an enemy attack.
22:20It's possible
22:21he wanted to be
22:22entertained as well.
22:23A final chamber
22:24was revealed
22:25to be empty,
22:26an indication
22:27that the emperor's
22:27full plan
22:28wasn't executed
22:30before his death.
22:32Qin Shi Huang's
22:33actual tomb
22:34remains a mystery
22:35as it's still
22:36sealed up.
22:37According to
22:38the Han Dynasty
22:39historian Sima Qian,
22:40the tomb
22:41is a miniature replica
22:42of the entire kingdom,
22:44including a recreation
22:45of the Yangtze
22:46and the Yellow Rivers
22:47using liquid mercury
22:48and a ceiling
22:49decorated with constellations.
22:51In this context,
22:53it seems Qin Shi Huang
22:54believed he could
22:55continue to rule
22:57over his empire,
22:58even in the afterlife.
23:00The terracotta army,
23:01discovered by peasant farmers,
23:03remains one of the
23:04most significant
23:05archaeological finds
23:06in China's history.
23:08The excavation work
23:09on Qin Shi Huang's
23:10necropolis continues,
23:12as there may be
23:13more secret chambers
23:14waiting to be discovered,
23:16just as the remarkable
23:17soldiers await
23:18their battle order
23:19for the centuries to come.
23:20just a few miles
23:40from the French border
23:41in western Belgium
23:42lies the small town
23:44of Pomerul.
23:46Pomerul is in the
23:47Wallonia region,
23:48which covers much
23:48of southern Belgium,
23:49just over 6,500 square miles.
23:52The population of Wallonia
23:54is just over 3.6 million,
23:56largely made up
23:57of French-speaking people.
23:59In Roman times,
24:01this area was called Gaul.
24:02Gaul comprised land
24:04that now makes up
24:05all of France
24:06and parts of Belgium,
24:07Germany, and Italy.
24:09The Gauls were Celtic tribes,
24:11but they were heavily
24:12influenced by the Romans.
24:14Most of them lived
24:15in farm settlements.
24:17Over time,
24:18Gothic Germans
24:19penetrated the area
24:20until the 3rd
24:21and 4th centuries
24:22when a new group of Germans
24:23called the Salic Franks
24:24pushed the Romans south
24:26to a line that demarcated
24:27the division of Belgium
24:28that still exists today,
24:30with French-speaking
24:31Wallonia in the south
24:32and Dutch-speaking
24:33Flanders in the north.
24:35Because of this rich
24:36and varied history,
24:38Pomerul has been home
24:38to some interesting
24:39archaeological finds
24:40over the years.
24:41In the 1970s,
24:4376 Roman cremation burials
24:45dating to the 2nd
24:46or 3rd century CE
24:48were discovered,
24:49as well as a solitary
24:50intact skeleton,
24:51also thought to be
24:52of Roman origin.
24:53As part of a research project,
24:55a team of osteoarchaeologists
24:57from a university
24:58in Brussels
24:58decides to re-examine
25:00the skeleton found
25:01at Pomerul
25:02and find something
25:03perplexing.
25:04Just looking at the bones
25:06with the naked eye,
25:07they could tell
25:07something wasn't right.
25:09The vertebrae looked like
25:10it was a combination
25:11of adolescent bones
25:12and adult bones
25:13lined up as though
25:15they came from
25:15the same person.
25:17And the femur
25:17was way too big
25:18for the pelvis.
25:21A more in-depth look
25:22at the remains
25:23revealed the presence
25:24of five adult metatarsals
25:25and two non-adult phalanges,
25:27the small bones
25:28of the foot.
25:29They were all
25:30in different stages
25:30of development.
25:32Bizarrely,
25:33this suggests that the bones
25:34from at least seven
25:35different people
25:35made up the skeleton.
25:37So let me get this straight.
25:39A person,
25:40or a group of people,
25:41took the time
25:42to create a skeleton
25:43using bones
25:44from several
25:45different individuals
25:45like some kind
25:47of ancient
25:47Dr. Frankenstein
25:48and then buried it.
25:50Very strange.
25:52Who would do that
25:52and why?
25:54While rare,
25:55this wasn't the first time
25:56that a skeleton
25:57composed of the bones
25:58of different individuals
26:00was discovered.
26:01In 2001,
26:02archaeologists
26:03excavating at Cladholland,
26:05a Bronze Age settlement
26:06on an island
26:07in Scotland's
26:08Outer Hebrides
26:09found two sets
26:10of remains
26:11with similar attributes
26:12to the skeleton
26:13unearthed in Belgium.
26:15They found the remains
26:16of a male and female
26:18buried in the fetal position.
26:19The male's skull,
26:20neck, torso,
26:21and lower jaw
26:22belonged to three
26:23separate men.
26:24The female skeleton
26:25was comprised
26:26of a female torso,
26:27a male skull,
26:28and the arm
26:29of a third person
26:30whose gender
26:30was undetermined.
26:31The female was made
26:32from body parts
26:33that dated to around
26:34the same period
26:35while the male mummy
26:36was made up
26:36of individuals
26:37who died
26:37a few hundred years apart.
26:39The bodies
26:40have been placed
26:41in nearby peat bogs
26:42for some time
26:43before being retrieved
26:44and reburied
26:45300 to 600 years later.
26:48Peat bogs foster
26:49low-oxygen,
26:51high-acid conditions
26:52which prevent bacteria
26:53that break down
26:54organic material
26:55like flesh and tissue.
26:58However,
26:59acidic environments
27:00break down bones,
27:01so the good condition
27:03of the skeletons
27:04indicated that
27:05whoever buried them
27:06removed the bodies
27:07from the peat bog
27:08after preservation
27:09but before acid
27:11caused the bones
27:12to disintegrate.
27:14Why these remains
27:15were mummified
27:16and then mixed together
27:17is a mystery.
27:19Some people believe
27:20that the mixing of bones
27:21could have been done
27:22intentionally
27:22to combine
27:24different families
27:25or create the symbol
27:26of a shared ancestor.
27:28Now that does
27:29seem strange,
27:30but humans do weird things
27:31with bones all the time,
27:33so that's no reason
27:33to rule it out
27:34as a possibility.
27:35Could that be
27:36what happened
27:37with the skeleton
27:37discovered in Belgium?
27:42That's a possibility,
27:43but these skeletons
27:44are roughly
27:453,000 years old
27:46and the one found
27:47at Pomerul
27:47is from a 2nd or 3rd century
27:49CE Roman burial site.
27:51And there's no evidence
27:52to suggest
27:53that the Romans
27:54engaged in the practice
27:55of mixing bones
27:56from different individuals
27:56into a single skeleton
27:58for burial in this region.
28:00On top of that,
28:00cremation was the most common
28:02Roman funerary practice
28:03in Gaul at that time,
28:04as evidenced
28:05by the 76 cremation sites
28:06found at the same time
28:07as the skeleton.
28:08Looking to get
28:09to the bottom
28:10of the mystery,
28:11the team in Brussels
28:11runs radiocarbon dating
28:13and DNA analysis
28:14on the arm and leg bones
28:16and five toes,
28:18resulting in another surprise.
28:20The results confirm
28:21that the bones belong
28:22to at least seven
28:23unrelated individuals,
28:24but the shocking thing
28:26is that they were found
28:27to span several generations,
28:28from 4,212 to 4,445 years ago.
28:33So that means that
28:34this isn't a Roman burial at all.
28:37The remains are
28:37from the late Neolithic period.
28:40But there's one thing
28:41that's still puzzling.
28:42In the grave with the remains,
28:44they found a small Roman pin
28:46made out of bones.
28:47These were sometimes used
28:48as grave goods,
28:49possibly to keep the hairstyle
28:51of the deceased in place
28:52or to fasten their clothing.
28:54Their presence in graves
28:56suggests that they were items
28:57of significance
28:58to the person's identity
28:59while they were still alive.
29:01So what was a bone pin
29:03from the Roman era
29:04doing in a Neolithic grave?
29:06Further radiocarbon dating
29:08and DNA analysis
29:09on the skull
29:10may just provide the answer
29:12to that question.
29:13They were unable
29:14to date the skull,
29:16but DNA analysis revealed
29:17it belonged to a Gallo-Roman woman
29:19whose genes closely matched
29:21those of two young siblings
29:22buried in a Roman cemetery
29:24just over 90 miles to the east.
29:26That dates back
29:27to the 3rd century CE.
29:29So we've got a skeleton
29:30made up of bones
29:31from seven unrelated
29:32Neolithic individuals
29:33of different ages
29:35spanning several hundred years
29:37and the skull of a Roman woman
29:38whose life ended
29:392,500 years later.
29:41What's going on here?
29:43As the researchers
29:44try to put the pieces
29:45of the puzzle together,
29:47several different theories
29:48as to what transpired
29:49at Pomerol all those years ago
29:51come to light.
29:53One possibility
29:54is that it is
29:55a Roman burial
29:56and that they collected
29:57local Neolithic bones
29:58and combined them
29:59with a Roman skull
30:00as a kind of nod
30:01of respect to those
30:02who occupied the lands
30:03before them.
30:04A connection to the past.
30:06But the problem
30:07with that theory
30:08is that the skeleton
30:09is in the wrong posture.
30:11It's in the fetal position.
30:13When the Romans
30:14buried their dead,
30:15when they didn't cremate them,
30:17the bodies were always
30:17laid on their backs.
30:19The most plausible explanation
30:21is that similar
30:22to what was found in Scotland,
30:24Neolithic tribes
30:24collected bones
30:25from different families
30:26and buried them together
30:28as an act of community
30:28and as a symbol
30:29of common ancestry.
30:31And then hundreds
30:32of years later,
30:33the Romans may have
30:33disturbed the gravesite
30:34while interring
30:35their own dead
30:36and added the skull
30:37as a way of making amends
30:38for interfering with the body.
30:40Whether the original skull
30:41was missing
30:41or removed by the Romans
30:42is unknown.
30:44But there's still
30:45one question.
30:46Where are the remaining
30:48parts of the skeletons
30:49used to create
30:49these composite remains?
30:51Roughly 12 miles
30:52southeast of Pomerul
30:54lies the Belgian village
30:55of Spien.
30:56In 1843,
30:58extensive Neolithic
30:59flint mines
31:00that were in operation
31:01between 4,300
31:02and 2,200 BCE
31:05were discovered
31:06on the outskirts of town.
31:08The mines cover
31:09about 250 acres,
31:11about the size
31:11of a large university campus.
31:13And they're the largest
31:14and earliest
31:15concentration of the
31:16ancient mines
31:17in Europe.
31:18The Neolithic mining
31:19of flint
31:20was a really important stage
31:22in the development
31:23of human technology.
31:24These mines
31:25gave prehistoric people
31:26access to a material
31:28that was crucial
31:29for the production
31:30of tools
31:31and implements.
31:32The Spien site
31:33has also yielded
31:34Neolithic human bones.
31:36And given that
31:36no other grave sites
31:37from the time
31:38have been discovered
31:39near Pomerul,
31:40it's possible
31:41that the bones
31:42that comprise
31:42the composite skeleton
31:43were transported there
31:45from the area
31:46around the mines.
31:48It's also possible
31:49that the bones
31:50came from local burials
31:51at Pomerul
31:52and that the rest
31:52of the remains
31:53may still be in the area.
31:54The excavation
31:55around the grave
31:56wasn't particularly extensive,
31:58so there's potential
31:59for future discoveries.
32:00As for what happened
32:03to the rest
32:03of the remains
32:04of the Gallaroman woman
32:05whose skull
32:05was used
32:06to complete the skeleton,
32:07it's hard to say.
32:09Maybe her other bones
32:10were cremated
32:11and are one of the 76
32:12cremation burial sites
32:13discovered with the skeleton,
32:15but as of right now,
32:16the whereabouts
32:16of her body
32:17is still a mystery.
32:20The human skeleton
32:21discovered at Pomerul
32:22adds to our expanding
32:23knowledge of diverse
32:25human burial practices
32:26throughout history
32:27and demonstrates
32:28a rare intersection
32:29between the Roman
32:30and late Neolithic worlds.
32:33But what exactly
32:34transpired at this gravesite
32:35thousands of years ago
32:37remains an intriguing puzzle.
32:57located in the southernmost region
33:02of Mexico,
33:03bordering Guatemala,
33:05Chiapas is an area
33:06renowned for its stunning
33:07natural beauty
33:08and rich cultural heritage.
33:10Hidden inside the region's
33:12dense jungles
33:12are monumental stone pyramids
33:14and temples
33:14of the majestic ruins
33:15of the ancient Maya cities
33:16of Palenque,
33:18Yaxchilan,
33:18and Bonampak.
33:23Palenque in particular
33:24is one of the most famous
33:25Maya cities in the world,
33:26and was a thriving
33:28political and ceremonial center
33:29from about 226
33:30to 799 CE.
33:33It's estimated that
33:34Palenque contains
33:35somewhere around
33:361,500 structures
33:38across an area
33:39about twice the size
33:40of Central Park
33:41in New York.
33:42But of those 1,500,
33:44only about 50
33:45have been excavated.
33:47Most are still
33:48hidden beneath the forest,
33:49meaning much of
33:50that city's history
33:51is still waiting
33:52to be discovered.
33:54The excavated sections
33:56primarily include
33:57the ceremonial
33:58and administrative core
33:59of the ancient city,
34:01like the palace complex,
34:02which is made up
34:03of courtyards,
34:04galleries,
34:04and vaulted rooms
34:05with a distinctive
34:06four-story observation tower.
34:08The largest and most famous
34:11structure is the Temple
34:12of Inscriptions,
34:13where limestone walls
34:14are intricately carved
34:15with hieroglyphics
34:16documenting around
34:17180 years of the city's history.
34:22It also houses
34:23the tomb of Pakal the Great,
34:24who oversaw the construction
34:25of many of Palenque's
34:26most iconic structures.
34:27Next to the Temple
34:29of Inscriptions
34:29is a building
34:30known as Temple 13.
34:33An archaeologist
34:33is doing a routine
34:35maintenance inspection
34:36at the site
34:36when she discovers
34:38something rather shocking.
34:40She finds an unknown passageway
34:42that leads to two empty chambers
34:44and a sealed door.
34:47Behind the door
34:48are two different skeletons
34:49laid on the ground
34:50surrounding a large sarcophagus
34:53chiseled out of limestone.
34:55The top of the sarcophagus
34:56is covered in heavy flagstone
34:58with a circular hole
34:59known as a psychoduct,
35:01which the Maya believed
35:02would allow the soul inside
35:04to communicate
35:05with the world of the living.
35:08A camera was lowered
35:09through the psychoduct
35:10and inside another body
35:12covered in red paint
35:13or powder,
35:14and the whole inside
35:15of the coffin
35:16seems to be painted red too.
35:22There are no inscriptions
35:23anywhere on the sarcophagus
35:24to identify the individual.
35:26So who was this person?
35:28And why is their body
35:29and coffin red?
35:31The presence of red
35:33is reminiscent
35:34of funerary rituals
35:35discovered just over
35:36200 miles away
35:38from Palenque.
35:39There's a ruin
35:40in the rainforest
35:41of northern Guatemala
35:42that was discovered
35:43in the 1960s
35:44by petroleum workers.
35:45It's the ancient Maya palace
35:47of El Perú Huaca,
35:49occupied from 200 to 800 CE.
35:52The palace is a sprawling complex
35:54of rooms, courtyards,
35:56and ceremonial spaces.
35:57And it served as residences
35:59for rulers,
36:00as ceremonial spaces
36:01for important rituals,
36:02and as burial sites
36:04for the city's elite.
36:07One of the most fascinating
36:08discoveries in the city
36:09was beneath the palace
36:10Acropolis,
36:11what may be
36:12its oldest royal burial.
36:14The pottery style
36:15within the tomb
36:16suggests it dates back
36:17to 300 to 350 CE,
36:20likely identifying it
36:22as the final resting place
36:23of King Techan Ak,
36:25who ruled during
36:25the early 4th century.
36:27Even though there were
36:29no inscriptions
36:29to put his name on it,
36:31there are a few key factors
36:32that suggest
36:33this is a royal grave,
36:35like the fact
36:36that it's located
36:36right in the center
36:37of the palace.
36:39Also, there's a jade funerary mask
36:41painted with cinnabar.
36:44Cinnabar is a bright red mineral
36:45composed of mercury sulfide.
36:47Its striking color
36:48has made it highly valued
36:49throughout history
36:50for its use as a pigment
36:51in art, decoration,
36:52and ritual practices.
36:53In ancient Maya culture,
36:55it was often sprinkled
36:56over the deceased
36:57in tombs
36:57as part of ritualistic practices
36:59symbolizing life,
37:00death, and rebirth.
37:02But its use was restricted
37:04to only the elite or royalty.
37:06So could the body
37:07found in Palenque
37:07also be somewhat
37:08of importance?
37:09The sarcophagus
37:10is pried open,
37:11and testing on the red substance
37:13covering the body
37:14confirms that it is cinnabar.
37:16A closer look reveals
37:17that the ancient coffin
37:19is full of surprises.
37:20The skeleton is female
37:23and decorated with
37:24a collection of pearls,
37:25jade, shells,
37:26and bow needles.
37:28Her chest is covered
37:29with flat obsidian
37:30and jade pieces as well.
37:32Near the body
37:33is a seashell
37:33with a small limestone figurine
37:35inside.
37:38The various pieces
37:39of material
37:39are discovered
37:40to fit together
37:41to make an ornate jade mask
37:43with limestone
37:43and obsidian eyes
37:45that pierce into you,
37:46conveying a striking sense
37:47of presence and power.
37:48Jade masks were used
37:51in Maya funerary practices
37:52to represent the wearer
37:54and protect them
37:55in the afterlife.
37:56They were also symbols
37:57of wealth and power,
37:58usually only bestowed
38:00on males.
38:02Given the mask
38:03and the lavishly filled sarcophagus,
38:06one of the richest
38:07in Maya history,
38:08could she be a queen
38:09or some sort of royalty?
38:12Females buried
38:13with extravagant grave goods
38:15were rare,
38:16but not unheard of
38:17in the Maya civilization.
38:19At the palace
38:20of El Peru Huaca
38:21in Guatemala,
38:22the skeleton of a woman
38:24was found buried
38:25alongside an array
38:26of offerings,
38:26including ceramic vessels,
38:29jade jewelry,
38:30stone figurines,
38:32and,
38:32here's the most interesting thing,
38:34an alabaster jar
38:35intricately carved
38:37into the shape
38:38of a snail shell.
38:40Maya hieroglyphics
38:41on the back of the jar
38:42feature the names
38:43Lady Water Lily Hand
38:44and Lady Snake Lord,
38:46both believed
38:47to reference Lady Cabell,
38:48military ruler
38:49of the Wok
38:50or Centipede Kingdom,
38:52between 672
38:53and 692.
38:56Lady Cabell
38:57was one of the greatest rulers
38:59of the late classic period.
39:01She led her people
39:02with her husband,
39:03King Kinnitch Balaam II,
39:05for at least 20 years
39:06and held the title
39:07of supreme warrior,
39:09a position of authority
39:10surpassing even that
39:11of her husband.
39:12After her reign
39:15and even after the collapse
39:16of the classic Maya civilization,
39:18Lady Cabell's tomb
39:19remained a site
39:19of ritual and pilgrimage,
39:21honoring the warrior queen
39:22beloved by her people.
39:24Could the female remains
39:25from Palenque
39:26belong to a queen
39:27as well respected
39:27as Lady Cabell?
39:29As the archaeologists
39:30study the remains
39:31in the hope
39:32of dating the woman,
39:33they receive
39:34disappointing news.
39:36The red cinnabar
39:37covering the body
39:38has contaminated it,
39:39making carbon dating
39:41impossible.
39:42However,
39:42the other bodies
39:43found in the tomb
39:44might hold the answers
39:46they're looking for.
39:47One of the skeletons
39:48belonged to an adolescent male,
39:50around 11 to 12 years old,
39:52and showed evidence
39:53of cuts and blows
39:54to the ribcage.
39:55The second was an adult female
39:57in her 30s,
39:58also bearing fatal injuries.
40:02The wounds suggest
40:03both individuals
40:04were likely sacrificed
40:06and buried together
40:07to accompany the tomb's
40:08primary occupant
40:09into the afterlife.
40:10carbon dating places
40:14their deaths
40:15between 650 and 660 CE.
40:18Now that a timeline
40:19has been established,
40:21the team does
40:21a thorough examination
40:22of the woman's remains,
40:24looking for more clues.
40:26She was between 50 and 60
40:27at the time of her death
40:28and stood just over
40:29five feet tall.
40:30Her teeth showed minimal wear,
40:32indicating a high-quality diet,
40:33and suggesting she likely
40:34belonged to the aristocracy.
40:35Most striking, however,
40:38was the shape of her skull,
40:39which displayed evidence
40:40of intentional
40:41cranial deformation,
40:43a common practice
40:44among the ancient Maya
40:44to signify beauty
40:45and social status.
40:48The process was achieved
40:49by shaping infant skulls
40:51while the bones
40:52were still soft and malleable.
40:54Using tools like flat boards
40:55or tightly wrapped cloth,
40:57pressure was applied
40:58to the head
40:59to create specific shapes.
41:00Two types of intentional
41:03cranial deformation
41:04were practiced.
41:05There's oblique
41:06and there's erect.
41:08Oblique deformation
41:09involves a binding
41:10of the head
41:10so that it comes back
41:12at an angle,
41:13so the forehead slant
41:14continues back up the head,
41:16almost like a big ramp.
41:18Erect deformation
41:19uses vertical bindings
41:20between flat boards
41:21that just make the head
41:22point straight up,
41:23not back.
41:25Oblique deformation
41:26was reserved for the royal family
41:28and other elites.
41:29Considering the woman's
41:30skull showed evidence
41:31of oblique deformation,
41:33she must have been
41:34someone of high importance.
41:36As the pieces of the puzzle
41:38fall into place,
41:39the identity of the mystery woman
41:41begins to emerge.
41:43There's only one other
41:44sarcophagus in Palenque
41:45and that belongs
41:46to Pakal the Great.
41:48It just happens to be
41:49in the temple
41:49right next to where
41:50the woman was found
41:51and it's from around
41:52the same period.
41:54And given the fact
41:55that she has one
41:56of the most lavish burial sites
41:57ever found in Maya culture,
41:59she was most likely
42:01Pakal's wife,
42:02Sakbu and Jah.
42:04DNA testing revealed
42:06no blood link
42:07between the woman
42:07and Pakal the Great,
42:09further supporting the theory
42:10that the remains
42:11belonged to his wife.
42:13Over a thousand years
42:14after she died,
42:15it appears the mystery
42:16of the Red Queen of Palenque
42:18is starting to be solved.
42:20But no matter what,
42:21the tomb still provides
42:22crucial insight
42:23into the burial practices
42:25and religious beliefs
42:26of Maya royalty.
42:27.
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