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00:02Herapolis, an extraordinary Roman city, built on top of mysterious, dazzling white formations of rock.
00:10This city was a pearl among the cities of the Eastern Roman Empire.
00:15This magnificent place hides a dark secret.
00:20Legend says that beneath these streets lies the gate to hell.
00:25Animals drop dead. Birds fall out of the sky.
00:29Why do the ancients believe this city hides a portal to the underworld?
00:34What is the deadly truth behind this terrifying tale?
00:40It's really, really very dangerous and it is deadly.
00:45Now experts have rare access to investigate this ancient horror story
00:50and use pioneering technology to solve a 2,000 year old mystery.
00:57This is silent killer. The story is true.
01:02In the hunt for answers, we digitally reconstruct this spectacular Roman city.
01:09We track the footsteps of priests and gods, investigate strange skeletons,
01:15and explore a lost sacred space to unearth the truth about the terrifying Roman gate to hell.
01:32This is the ancient city of Herapolis in western Turkey.
01:37Perched on top of stunning white cliffs more than 500 feet high,
01:42it's one of the most picturesque cities in the Roman world.
01:48This street is the main street of the city.
01:51Visitors would come through the north gate behind me, pass through the city.
01:55They would be very impressed with all the architecture of the buildings that were here.
02:00Mark Wilson has been investigating the Romans for 35 years.
02:04He explores this extraordinary city.
02:10Herapolis is founded by Greek settlers before the Romans take control in 133 BC.
02:20After the Romans take over this city, they begin big infrastructure projects,
02:25building institutions like bathhouses.
02:27We have several theaters that are built here.
02:29So they transform the urban landscape of Herapolis.
02:37The Romans turn Herapolis into a splendid city of 12,000 people.
02:44They build gymnasia and temples,
02:49a mile-long colonnaded street,
02:54and one of the finest amphitheaters in the Roman world.
02:59But behind the grandeur lies a sinister presence.
03:03A strange shrine to Pluto, god of the underworld,
03:07and his hellhound Cerberus.
03:11Why are they here?
03:12Do the Romans believe this magnificent city is home to the gate to hell?
03:21Julian Bennett investigates this 2,000-year-old mystery.
03:26He searches for clues in an account written by the Greek geographer Strabo,
03:31who visits Herapolis in the first century BC.
03:35Strabo describes a terrifying place believed to be the entrance to the underworld.
03:44He says it is an opening of only moderate size,
03:49large enough to admit a man,
03:51but it reaches a considerable depth.
03:54And this space is full of vapor,
03:56so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground.
04:02According to Strabo, this eerie place is home to an invisible terror
04:06that causes animals to drop dead.
04:10Strabo continues,
04:12balls that are led into it fall,
04:14and are dragged out dead.
04:16And I threw in sparrows,
04:18and they immediately breathed their lust and fell.
04:23Where is this fatal grotto?
04:26And what causes these creatures to drop dead so dramatically?
04:31Searching for answers, Julian explores the area around the main temple.
04:37A large area within the city is dominated by the Sanctuary of Apollo,
04:42the god of music.
04:44It was a place of pilgrimage.
04:48Next door to the Sanctuary of Apollo,
04:51Julian finds a replica of a magnificent statue of Pluto,
04:56god of the underworld.
04:59And beneath it, an intriguing structure.
05:05We've got this large rectangular space, full of water.
05:10And there on one side, we've got a cave-like entrance.
05:13We don't know what it's going down into.
05:17Julian believes this must be the place Strabo describes.
05:21It's called the plutonium, the place of Pluto.
05:27So what we have here is a large sort of hole in the ground,
05:31dominated by a statue of Pluto.
05:34We've got this archway, large enough for a man to go into.
05:38So this has to be the gates of hell.
05:46When archaeologists first unearth this site,
05:49they find a carved inscription that dedicates it to Pluto and his queen.
05:56Beneath it is a gateway, just like Strabo describes.
06:00But it's blocked with stones.
06:05Myth has it that these rocks conceal an entrance to the underworld.
06:09A gateway filled with the toxic breath of the hellhound Cerberus.
06:14Sending anyone foolish enough to enter to certain death.
06:19Can there be any truth to this tale?
06:27When archaeologists remove the stones that seal the gateway,
06:31something mysterious happens.
06:36One morning, they came into work and they saw dead insects around this archway
06:41and then small voles and mice.
06:44And they realized that this is a silent killer.
06:47The story is true.
06:49The strange deaths explain why the ancients think this is the gate to hell.
06:55But how does it work?
06:57What is causing these sudden fatalities?
07:02Mehmet Ekmekchi first began studying Hierapolis in 1993.
07:07He believes the bizarre animal deaths must be caused by some natural phenomenon.
07:13The question is why animals are dying in this locality.
07:17The ancient people was thinking and believing that the god of the underworld
07:22was taking their lives.
07:24But this cannot be true, of course.
07:29Mehmet investigates the area around the entrance to the Plutonian.
07:33In Roman times, this was dry, but now it's flooded.
07:38Something in the water catches his eye.
07:42You see the bubbles coming out of the water, so intense.
07:46When we analyzed this gas, we found that the dominating gas is carbon dioxide here.
07:54Carbon dioxide occurs naturally in the air and in water.
07:59The air we breathe only contains a tiny amount, just 400 parts per million.
08:05At higher levels, it's deadly.
08:08How much carbon dioxide is there here?
08:11Now here we have a carbon dioxide analyzer.
08:15And we will go there and see how much carbon dioxide is coming out to the air.
08:23Just 50,000 parts per million of carbon dioxide, or 5%, causes respiratory problems.
08:3110% carbon dioxide will cause vomiting and loss of consciousness.
08:3620% can cause convulsions, coma and death in one minute.
08:42After just a few seconds, Mehmet is struggling to breathe.
08:49And I must say that it is dangerous to stay here and breathe the air for a long time.
08:58Even now, I feel that I have some kind of distress.
09:06The maximum concentration of carbon dioxide this machine can measure is 100,000 parts per million, or 10%.
09:15In seconds, the reading hits the top of the scale.
09:19When the air here is measured with a higher specification monitor, it's revealed to be full of the deadly gas.
09:28Here in the plutonium area, especially in the hole, it reached to over 70% and larger.
09:37So it's really, really very dangerous, and it is deadly.
09:41Mehmet believes the toxic levels of carbon dioxide explain what kills the birds and other animals.
09:48Clearly, the animals are dying here because of the high concentration of the carbon dioxide in the air.
09:55But it's not only unlucky passing animals that are caught in this deadly trap.
10:02Ancient texts describe this site as a place of pilgrimage,
10:07where worshippers come to seek favor from Pluto and witness his power.
10:14The priests exploit their faith.
10:17They sell animals to the pilgrims and promise to sacrifice them in their name.
10:25They walk the animals into the enclosure, leading them up to the gate to hell.
10:36Here, as if damned by the gods, the animals fall lifeless to the ground, while the priests magically survive.
10:46It's amazing that the myth was not only a myth, but it is a reality.
10:52And we proved this scientifically, showing that the carbon dioxide was the main reason.
10:57The discovery of carbon dioxide explains the bizarre animal deaths, and the mystery of the gate to hell.
11:06But there's another mystery to be solved.
11:09If the carbon dioxide levels are so lethal, why don't the priests die too?
11:16Can further evidence here at the plutonium reveal how they escape its deadly effects?
11:31The spectacular Roman city of Herapolis.
11:36It's said to be home to the gate to hell, where toxic levels of carbon dioxide cause animals to drop
11:43dead.
11:44But why don't people die too?
11:47A clue may lie in the design of the plutonium itself.
11:54The Romans build a gate around the deadly cave.
12:00And an enclosed arena in front of it.
12:06At one end is a temple believed to house Persephone, queen of the underworld.
12:13On the other side, steps provide seating for over 500 spectators.
12:22The arena beneath them floods with carbon dioxide from the cave, creating an invisible kill zone, bringing hell to earth.
12:32How can the audience and the priests survive in this theater of death?
12:42To find out, Mehmet Ekmekci investigates how the deadly gases spread through the arena.
12:51He takes a closer look at the seating area and measures the carbon dioxide levels.
12:56The concentration of the carbon dioxide at the gate was extremely high and is deadly in poisonous air in there.
13:05But here, where the audience would sit, is much lower and it's safe.
13:12Here, the carbon dioxide levels are less than 10,000 parts per million, or 1%.
13:19Seated in the open air, the spectators are well away from the deadly gas.
13:24But what about the priests?
13:27How do they go right into the cave and survive when the animals they are leading die?
13:34It's very interesting that Strabo tells us that the priests were coming here into the hall, bending in, and not
13:42affected.
13:50Mehmet believes the secret to the priests' survival lies in the special properties of carbon dioxide.
13:57He uses a tower of burning candles to test this theory.
14:04Okay, so we have a jar, and the jar now is full of air, normal air.
14:11So, if I pour the air, nothing happens.
14:18Next, Mehmet fills the jar with pure carbon dioxide.
14:25Take the jar, and pour the carbon dioxide on the candles.
14:32The gas sinks to the bottom and puts out the candles one by one.
14:39Carbon dioxide is heavier than air.
14:46Mehmet believes this special property is what allows the priests to survive the deadly gas when the animals die.
14:55The carbon dioxide was sinking to the ground level,
15:00and the animals were breathing the air that is highly concentrated with carbon dioxide.
15:06On the other hand, the priests were standing up, breathing the air at a higher level,
15:11and with lower concentration of carbon dioxide.
15:17The characteristics of carbon dioxide mean the gas sits close to the ground,
15:22creating a toxic cloud around the priest's feet.
15:26It allows them to walk in and out of the gateway without dying.
15:33Do the priests believe they are really entering the gate to hell?
15:39Julian Bennett believes they know the deadly gas is dangerous.
15:45Strabo writes about this, and he says,
15:47they hold their breath as much as they can,
15:49but I can see in their countenances a kind of suffocating attack.
15:55They obviously learned that they had to hold their breath.
15:58The priests likely believe the deadly vapors rise straight from the underworld.
16:04They almost certainly believed it was the gates of hell,
16:08and that this was the only way they could survive it.
16:12But who are these secretive holy men?
16:15An intriguing Roman sculpture could provide clues.
16:19The priests who served in the Plutonian, what were known as the Galli,
16:24they were the priests who worshipped the Great Mother Goddess, Kybele,
16:27and her companion, Attis.
16:30So this is a sculpture of Attis.
16:32He's got long hair, and his clothing is very much that of a woman.
16:37Attis is a tragic figure whose story inspires the Galli priests,
16:42and a bizarre ritual.
16:49According to legend, Attis betrays Cybele when he falls in love with another woman.
17:00Attis betrays Cybele when he falls in love with another woman.
17:14Wearing long robes, heavy makeup, and bleaching their hair.
17:20During a festival called the Day of Blood, they hold wild parties, whip themselves, and some even self-castrate.
17:31The citizens of Herapolis are mesmerized by the bizarre priests and their miracles at the Plutonian.
17:39The city attracts visitors from far and wide to witness the spectacle.
17:45But just at the entrance to Herapolis lie hundreds of solemn monuments.
17:51What are they?
17:52And what more can they reveal about this mysterious place?
18:06The ancient city of Herapolis.
18:09At its heart is a lethal gate to hell, where strange priests perform deadly rituals.
18:17Nearby, hundreds of stone monuments line the road that leads out of the main gate.
18:23What are they?
18:25And what can they reveal about life in this remarkable city?
18:32The ancient city of Herapolis.
18:32Stretching for almost a mile, it's a city of the dead with over 1,200 tombs.
18:39Inside the chambers, archaeologists find a mass of human remains with rich grave goods like coins and jewelry.
18:51Some tombs contain up to 90 skeletons.
18:57It's one of the largest surviving cemeteries in the Roman world.
19:01The final resting place for tens of thousands of people.
19:06Who is buried here?
19:08And why is this graveyard so magnificent?
19:18The state of preservation and the number of tombs here in the cemetery is just spectacular and totally unexpected.
19:27Historian Mark Wilson investigates why there are so many lavish tombs here.
19:32He first needs to find out who they belong to.
19:37A clue lies in an inscription found on one of the tombs.
19:42This tomb is erected by a merchant by the name of Flavius Xuxus.
19:46And Xuxus is telling us a bit boastfully that during his lifetime he made a passage around the tip of
19:51Greece 72 times on his way to Rome.
19:54So this attests to the great mobility of a person like Xuxus who could make so many trips like this
20:00during his lifetime.
20:02The inscriptions suggest the tomb's owner works in Herapolis' main industry.
20:08Xuxus is most probably a textile merchant because the city was noted for its textile production.
20:14He's carrying his trade goods between Hierapolis and Rome which is 1,100 miles away.
20:20Many of the people buried here are made rich by the city's lucrative textiles trade.
20:26Mark believes this is why so many of the tombs still stand today.
20:32These tombs would take about one to two years salary for the cost of constructing them.
20:36And so they invest a lot of their resources in building these tombs that last to this present day.
20:43This cemetery is so spectacular thanks to the wealth of the city's textile merchants.
20:49They use the finest stone to build magnificent tombs, which helps the structure survive for two millennia.
20:58But why is this city such a great place to make and export cloth?
21:06Mehmet Ekmekchi investigates.
21:09He believes the answer lies in the stunning white rock formations on the edge of the city.
21:17This area is known as Pamukkale. Pamukkme is cotton in Turkish and kale is a castle, so it looks like
21:24a cotton castle.
21:25And these structures are called travertine terraces.
21:30Travertine terraces are naturally occurring rock formations made from calcium carbonate.
21:36They form when natural spring water bubbles up out of the ground.
21:41As it flows down the hillside, it leaves behind these white deposits.
21:49The travertines are formed by the degassing of the carbon dioxide from the hot water.
21:56And then the calcium and carbonate are combined and then precipitates as calcium carbonate.
22:02Over 400,000 years, the deposits build up.
22:06To create this spectacular cliff one and a half miles long and more than 500 feet high.
22:17Mehmet believes the natural springs that form the travertine are key to Herapolis' textile industry.
22:23He investigates the water.
22:28Fresh water has a mineral content of less than 200 milligrams per liter.
22:34The mineral content is more than 1,000 milligram per liter.
22:39So the water here in Pamukkale is highly mineralized.
22:45Mehmet discovers some water here has a mineral content of more than 2,500 milligrams per liter.
22:51It's rich in calcium carbonate, the perfect ingredient for fixing dye on fabric.
22:58Even today, in the textile industry, they use calcium carbonate.
23:02But here, we have already the calcium carbonate naturally in the water.
23:07And they were using this when they were dyeing their clothes.
23:12Thanks to this natural resource, Herapolis becomes famous for its woolen fabrics,
23:18dyed in vibrant shades of red and purple.
23:23But textiles alone don't explain the wealth of Herapolis.
23:28A ruined bathhouse in the city center reveals another clue to the city's success.
23:39The mineral-rich waters are channeled directly into Herapolis and create a thriving trade.
23:49Ancient Greeks and Romans believe the waters can cure diseases,
23:53from asthma to eczema, and flock here to be treated.
24:00The spa industry makes Herapolis rich,
24:05helping it grow into a city of 12,000 people.
24:11But not everyone who comes here to be treated is cured.
24:18Mehmet believes some of them end up in the magnificent tombs of the cemetery.
24:23I'm not a medical doctor, but when you look at the necropolis, a huge number of graves,
24:30you can't stop thinking that the belief that the water is healing is not as correct as they thought.
24:39Mineral-rich hot springs for textiles and bathhouses,
24:43and a cave filled with deadly gas, make Herapolis rich and famous.
24:50Can a strange geological formation outside the city reveal what causes these bizarre natural wonders?
25:09Ancient Herapolis is unlike any other Roman city.
25:13It's home to bubbling mineral springs, dazzling white rock formations, and a dark cave that spews out lethal vapors.
25:24This trio of geological wonders is evidence of subterranean forces at work.
25:37Three miles deep beneath the city is a huge chamber, brimming with magma bubbling at almost 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
25:48It heats the groundwater above, so that it leaches minerals from the rocks.
25:52It becomes saturated with carbon dioxide and highly pressurized.
25:59The immense heat and pressure try to push the water up, but there's a thick layer of rock separating it
26:06from the surface.
26:08How can it reach the cave in the plutonium and release its deadly gas?
26:17Erhan Altunel searches Herapolis for clues.
26:22Well, this is the main city of Herapolis.
26:25That building was the monumental fountain.
26:28If you look at that wall, blocks are tilted, they are rotated.
26:34So those things cannot be as a result of wind erosion or old age.
26:38It seems that the whole building was strongly shaken.
26:43As Erhan investigates, he discovers more mysterious damage.
26:48A water channel has been torn in two.
26:52Well, look at this channel here.
26:54As you see here, it is broken.
26:56That part fell down and this part was uplifted.
27:02For Erhan, there's only one possible explanation for what causes all this destruction.
27:10If there is a really large earthquake, it creates two things.
27:14One is strong ground shaking and one is surface rupture.
27:19This is very clear evidence of historical earthquake.
27:25Historical accounts reveal that in 60 AD, a huge earthquake hits Herapolis.
27:31It completely destroys the growing city and two other nearby towns.
27:37The 60 AD earthquake was not only one.
27:40After that earthquake, there has been a lot of earthquakes.
27:43But there were several really destroying earthquakes.
27:46What causes all these devastating earthquakes?
27:49And can it explain the strange gases that leak into the city?
27:55A clue may lie in towering 40-foot-high cliffs just outside the city walls.
28:03These are not normal cliffs. These are tectonic-origin fault planes.
28:07A tectonic fault is a fracture in the ground that occurs when pressure builds up in the Earth's crust.
28:15This one is called the Pamukkale fault.
28:17It's about 25 miles long.
28:21When it moves, it creates earthquakes.
28:26So, when you put stress on the crust, blocks on each side of the fault plane move in the opposite
28:33direction.
28:33So, when they move, the ground is shaking.
28:36It's this fault that causes all the earthquakes in Herapolis.
28:41The city sits on a ticking time bomb.
28:45Last movement on this fault was in the 14th century.
28:48So, it produces earthquakes every couple of hundred years.
28:52Now, it is maybe time, you know, for the next earthquake.
29:01Erhan believes this mighty fault is also the secret force that creates the mineral springs and travertine terraces.
29:09And powers the deadly spectacle at the plutonium.
29:14Smaller cracks in the city center support this theory.
29:18That is the temple of Apollo.
29:20And there is the plutonium behind the temple.
29:24And there are lots of cracks, faults, and this is one of them broken this wall here.
29:32Hereapolis is built right on top of the tectonic fault.
29:36It runs for a mile through the city center and directly under the plutonium.
29:42That explains why the plutonium is here and why it kills animals.
29:46Because it was built right on the fault.
29:51The tectonic fault explains the phenomena seen at the plutonium.
29:57It causes cracks that allow carbon dioxide to escape directly into the shrine.
30:03It's also the force that powers the mineral springs and creates this breathtaking landscape.
30:11The mystery of the gate to hell has finally been solved.
30:15But more mysteries remain.
30:19After an earthquake destroys Herapolis in the first century AD,
30:23what happens to the residents?
30:26What can the famous oracle at Delphi reveal about this eerie city?
30:41Herapolis.
30:43What happens to the city after an earthquake destroys it in 60 AD?
30:49Julian Bennett investigates.
30:52A first clue could lie in the city's Nymphaeum,
30:55an ornamental fountain near the Temple of Apollo.
31:00The water that is supplied to Nymphaeum comes from the hills to the east of here.
31:05The water you can actually get in Herapolis is not particularly nice to drink.
31:11When archaeologists unearth the fountain's foundations,
31:15they make a surprise discovery.
31:19What's very unusual about this structure,
31:22you've got this sort of half-three-quarter arch thing here.
31:25And one side of the arch goes straight down into the fault line.
31:31Arches are a common feature of Roman architecture.
31:34They allow engineers to span wide gaps and construct large complex structures.
31:41But it's very unusual to find an arch in the foundations of a building.
31:47The architect realizes he's got this big crack going across the site.
31:51So he comes up with a rough-and-ready solution.
31:55So I can build an arch here which will cover this gap,
31:58which will take the weight of the superstructure off and pass it down.
32:02And I'd appear onto something more substantial.
32:05Experts believe that like many of the buildings in Herapolis,
32:09this structure is evidence that after the earthquake wreaks its destruction,
32:14the Romans rebuild the city.
32:18Basically, everything you can see in Herapolis today dates from 60 AD going into the early 2nd century.
32:25And, you know, they rebuilt it and they continued to rebuild it.
32:30The ground beneath Herapolis is scarred by rips in the earth, evidence of centuries of earthquakes.
32:42Undeterred, the Romans build their city right on top of these cracks, even some of their finest buildings.
32:52They bridge a crack under the Nymphaeum with stone arches and build its walls around them.
33:02Hoping this magnificent fountain will stand the test of time and provide vital drinking water for years to come.
33:14The Romans knew of the potential of an arch of actually spreading weight down in unstable ground.
33:22So you could have arches in the foundations for that particular reason to prevent something happening in the future.
33:31Julian believes the Romans know about earthquakes and designed their buildings to withstand them.
33:38But why are they so determined to stay in this dangerous place?
33:47Mark Wilson returns to the Travertine Terraces to investigate.
33:52The city of Herapolis is situated in a very fragile but beautiful place.
33:57And, of course, part of that fragility is the fact that we're on a very active seismic zone.
34:02Mark believes the Travertines hold the key to understanding why the Romans go to so much effort to stay in
34:09a place like this.
34:11Well, the location is fantastic here because it's situated on one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world.
34:17It's also on this natural shelf looking over a beautiful, rich, fertile valley called the Lycos River Valley.
34:23And even in antiquity, it was a very fertile farmland that contributed to the richness of this city.
34:31The Romans' decision to live here isn't only a practical one.
34:35There's also another spiritual reason linked to one of the most important shrines in the ancient world.
34:46The legendary sacred site of Delphi in Greece is home to a grand temple dedicated to the god Apollo.
34:55This is where the Oracle of Delphi makes her famous predictions.
35:02Deep inside the temple is a chamber where gas rises from a crack in the ground, just like in Herapolis.
35:13The Oracle priestess inhales this breath of the gods.
35:18She enters a trance and predicts the future.
35:21The Greeks believe the fault at Delphi is a direct channel to the gods.
35:29They believe the same connection exists at Herapolis, as the city's name makes clear.
35:36The Greek word Hieron means holy, polis means city, so Hierapolis means holy city.
35:43And this is very much connected to these religious sanctuaries, to Apollo, to Pluto.
35:49Herapolis has an important spiritual connection.
35:53Here and across the ancient world, people seek out fault lines and geologically active areas to be closer to the
36:01divine powers.
36:02The plutonium provided direct access to the underworld and so the residents here truly believed that they were in a
36:08place related to the gods.
36:11A fault crack and poisonous gases do not deter the later Romans.
36:15In fact, they're two of the area's main attractions.
36:20But the power of the plutonium does not last forever.
36:25What can an intriguing structure high up on a hillside reveal about what happens to the gate to hell?
36:42The Roman city of Hierapolis, perched on top of stunning white cliffs.
36:48Do the forces of nature that create this incredible landscape also cause the city's downfall?
36:59Historian Mark Wilson goes back to the plutonium to find out how the story ends.
37:06Today at the plutonium, we see the entrance to the underworld totally blocked up.
37:10But this is not from some natural catastrophe, but clearly due to human intervention.
37:17Mark investigates why the Romans shut down this important sacred site.
37:24A clue to their dramatic change of heart could lie high up on the hillside.
37:30Here he finds a mysterious tomb.
37:34Among the hundreds of tombs in the cemeteries of Hierapolis, the question is why is this one special?
37:40Well, according to tradition, on the hill behind us, Philip the Apostle of Jesus Christ was martyred around AD 80.
37:48And after his death, his body was buried in this tomb.
37:52According to ancient Christian texts, Philip the Apostle arrives in Hierapolis around 60 AD with a disciple Bartholomew and his
38:02sister Mariamne.
38:06Philip preaches the teachings of Christ and performs miracles to cure the ill.
38:15But the temple priests, the galley, and officials see Philip as a heretic.
38:21They arrest him, whip him, and drag him through the streets.
38:27They nail Philip upside down on a cross to die, and hang Bartholomew by the hair.
38:37In the first century after Christ, the old gods still rule supreme in the Roman world.
38:44In Hierapolis, the galley, with their deadly rituals, preside over the plutonium.
38:51And Christians are persecuted for their beliefs.
38:55But over the next 300 years, Christianity spreads across Europe and the Near East.
39:01The emperor Constantine legalizes Christianity, and we see the beginning of churches being constructed throughout these cities by the Christians
39:09who live in them.
39:10So, Christian religion now becomes the majority religion in the Roman Empire.
39:17Gradually, the old gods die out.
39:20And in the late 4th century, pagan worship is officially banned.
39:25In the middle of the 6th century, we see the emperor Justinian sending out a man by the name of
39:31John of Ephesus.
39:32And his mission is to destroy any remaining pagan temples and sanctuaries in places like Hierapolis.
39:38The temple of Apollo is knocked down.
39:41The plutonium is blocked up.
39:44And a huge church is built on the site where Philip the Apostle is martyred.
39:50Hereapolis becomes a center of Christian pilgrimage.
39:55Pilgrims who once came to Hierapolis to offer sacrifices to Pluto at the plutonium,
40:01now come to the tomb of Philip to venerate this important apostle.
40:06Hierapolis, once the city of Apollo and Pluto, is now the city of Philip and Jesus Christ.
40:12But the threat that comes from the fault line running through Hierapolis is not over.
40:18In the 7th and 14th centuries, two more huge earthquakes devastate the city.
40:25Eventually, it's abandoned.
40:27The seismic fault line that caused the Romans to build the sanctuary to Pluto
40:31and brought notoriety to the city was the same seismic fault line that eventually caused the destruction of the city
40:38and its abandonment.
40:40In the end, the Roman expertise in engineering was no match for the forces of nature.
40:47Today, the ancient gods may be cast aside.
40:51The gate to hell closed.
40:54But the powers that fuel it still lie dormant beneath the earth.
40:58Until the day they may wake again.
41:05The Roman city of Hierapolis.
41:08Home to a terrifying mystery.
41:11A cave full of vapors where animals drop dead.
41:16But now the truth has been unearthed.
41:20Hierapolis sits on a crack in the ground.
41:23A natural wonder that is the source of the city's power.
41:26The agent of its destruction.
41:30And the answer to the mystery of the gate to hell.
41:33I don't know.
42:03I don't know.
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