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hidden beneath the cities s01e04
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00:00In Ybor City, Florida, workers uncover hidden tunnels, raising questions surrounding their purpose.
00:08Who had the means, who had the motive to build them?
00:11And what might they suggest about the hidden activity that once moved beneath Ybor City?
00:17In Naples, Italy, a hidden tomb was uncovered deep underground.
00:22We believe the necropolis once held dozens of tombs.
00:28But key questions persist.
00:31Who was buried here?
00:32And what do these elaborate chambers tell us about the Hellenistic Neapolis?
00:37In Nushabad, Iran, a local digging a well unearths a massive underground complex known today as Ui.
00:45Ui had largely stayed hidden from the modern world until its rediscovery in 2006.
00:50And the question remains, why was it built in the first place?
00:53Below the busy streets of the world's cities exists a hidden realm of wonder.
01:02Sprawling ancient complexes.
01:06Mysterious tombs.
01:08Top secret military bases.
01:12Strange structures.
01:13And lost artifacts.
01:17Buried beneath our feet and long forgotten.
01:21Until now.
01:23Underground marbles are exposed to reveal what lies hidden beneath the cities.
01:40Three miles northeast of downtown Tampa, Florida, lies Ybor City, a vibrant neighborhood born of industry and shaped by immigrants.
01:50But long ago, it was a haven for organized crime, where ambition and vice collided.
01:57In 1885, Spanish-born magnate Vincent Martinez Ybor moved his operations from Key West to Tampa, pushed by labor unrest,
02:07weak infrastructure, and political instability in Cuba.
02:10Attracted by Tampa's rail lines and port, he bought 40 acres northeast of downtown and built a planned community of
02:18factories and worker housing.
02:20Laying the foundation for the city's rise as an industrial powerhouse.
02:28In 1896, cigar industrialists expanded their reach by founding the Florida Brewing Company.
02:33Set near Key Rail Lines and Government Spring, a crucial water source, the brewery thrived.
02:40By 1900, it was reportedly exporting more beer to Cuba than any other American brewery.
02:47As Ybor City expanded, so did Tampa's underworld.
02:51From the late 1800s through the mid-20th century, the city gained a reputation for organized crime that was so
02:58entrenched that federal authorities ranked it as one of America's most corrupt cities.
03:03In November 2018, demolition crews working at 12th Street and 6th Avenue in Eber City uncover a brick-lined tunnel,
03:13reigniting questions about the neighborhood's rumored subterranean past.
03:19The tunnel has rounded ceilings and a flat, mostly dirt floor, and modifications like intersecting pipes, electrical wiring, and double
03:30locks.
03:31Reinforced by three layers of brick, the ceiling sits roughly one foot beneath street level.
03:38While a small segment of the tunnel was initially exposed during streetcar construction in the early 2000s, the 2018 excavation
03:47revealed additional details.
03:49Glass bottles, traces of a spring, and a direct connection into the basement of the Florida Brewing Company.
03:56At least three tunnels have been documented beneath Ybor.
04:02At the former Blue Ribbon store on 7th Avenue and 15th Street, a local news report mentioned three separate passages
04:08extending from the 26,000-square-foot building.
04:12A fire in 2000 destroyed the building and sealed any existing entrances, leaving the extent of these tunnels unknown.
04:21In a region where basements are uncommon, these tunnels raise important questions.
04:26Who had the means, who had the motive to build them?
04:30And what might they suggest about the hidden activity that once moved beneath Ybor City?
04:36The straightforward design of the tunnels suggests they might have initially served a practical purpose.
04:43The tunnel discovered in 2018 appears to date to between 1885 and the late 1890s, right in line with Ybor
04:54City's early expansion.
04:56Structurally, it matches dual-use sewer systems designed to manage both wastewater and stormwater that were constructed in other U
05:06.S. cities around that time.
05:09Could the tunnels represent the city's first attempts at sanitation and stormwater control?
05:17In the 1700s and 1800s, cities along the eastern seaboard built brick storm drains that doubled as sewage channels.
05:25Gravity would transport waste toward the bays or channels.
05:29The tunnel discovered in 2018 likely once extended directly to the Ybor channel before being sealed off,
05:36which supports the idea that it originally functioned to carry wastewater toward the waterfront.
05:43At the time, Tampa was experiencing explosive growth.
05:47The arrival of the railroad in 1883, the construction of the ultra-luxurious Tampa Bay Hotel in 1891,
05:52and the rise of the cigar manufacturing and brewing industries transformed the city.
05:57By 1900, Tampa's population had tripled to 16,000.
06:01Dealing with sewage and drainage would have likely been a concern.
06:07Roughly 1,000 miles north, in New York City, similar challenges led to groundbreaking infrastructure innovations.
06:18By 1849, New York's population had surged to nearly 500,000 people.
06:24Sewage flowed into the rivers, and the city was struck by one of its worst outbreaks of cholera.
06:29In response, 70 miles of sewer pipe were laid in just five years.
06:35It's reasonable to think that other fast-growing cities like Ybor may have looked to similar solutions.
06:41In Ybor, a team laser scanning the 2018 tunnel found an artesian spring still flowing through the tunnel,
06:51one that was documented nearly a century earlier.
06:54While the spring alone doesn't confirm the tunnel's purpose,
06:59its presence, along with the drainage pipes,
07:03strongly suggests the structure was intended for early water management or sewage.
07:10Interestingly, some of the pipes date to the 1970s or 80s,
07:15indicating later reuse or modification.
07:17While this particular tunnel was eventually identified as a stormwater sewer on a 1927 city plan,
07:25other tunnels don't appear in official records.
07:30Some of the tunnels also have flat dirt floors, which make them less effective for drainage.
07:34While they may have started as part of Ybor's early sanitation efforts,
07:38more advanced systems were in place by 1905.
07:41So it's possible their use evolved beyond any original civic function.
07:46Local lore, combined with the location of the tunnels,
07:50has led some to question whether they were built or later used for covert activity.
07:56Even before national prohibition, Florida had enacted its own ban on alcohol,
08:01which meant that Tampa was dry.
08:04But by the 1920s, liquor arrived by boat from Cuba and the Caribbean,
08:08and it also came in from local stills across Hillsborough County.
08:14Given the hundreds of bootlegging arrests on record,
08:17could these tunnels have offered smugglers a protected route underneath Ybor?
08:22By 1930, Tampa had roughly 130 underground liquor retailers.
08:30In Ybor, bootlegging became a thriving cottage industry.
08:34Some estimates suggest half the neighborhood's families were involved,
08:38as homemade stills supplied cafes, restaurants, and speakeasies.
08:44With that level of activity, the tunnels may have offered a discreet way to move cash and contraband,
08:52especially for Tampa's Italian community, who profited heavily from the trade.
08:57That underworld economy overlapped with the rise of mob figures like Charlie Wall,
09:03who built an empire on gambling and, by the 1890s, had taken over Tampa's Bolida rackets,
09:09an illegal numbers game with an 80-to-1 payoff,
09:13reportedly with backing from local business leaders eager to keep profits in the city.
09:19By the 1930s, Italian bootlegging operations were encroaching on Wall's territory.
09:24A violent turf war broke out, and in the late 30s,
09:27assassins tried to kill Charlie Wall in broad daylight,
09:30blasting at his car with a sawed-off shotgun.
09:32But Wall escaped into his home,
09:34slipping through a tunnel-like passage that linked his garage to the house.
09:38In that climate, tunnels would have offered a secure way to transport contraband
09:42and an essential means of escape and protection.
09:45Just 20 miles southwest in St. Petersburg,
09:49another tunnel offers a possible glimpse into how criminal networks in Florida
09:53may have operated below ground.
09:57Beneath the historic Snell Arcade,
09:59a reinforced concrete tunnel extends roughly 30 feet under the sidewalk.
10:05It's only accessible through a hidden four-square-foot hatch in the basement,
10:09and Al Capone was rumored to have kept an office there.
10:12During Prohibition, the Snell Arcade housed a rooftop nightclub rumored to be a speakeasy
10:19and a taxi office linked to several moonshine arrests in the 1930s.
10:25Given that history, the tunnel may have offered a way to move alcohol
10:31without drawing attention from the police or the public.
10:35While the Snell Arcade tunnel might have initially served as utility access,
10:40some suggest it continues beyond the basement wall,
10:44possibly extending beneath the street toward a former bank.
10:47This alignment has led some to believe that the tunnel was later adapted
10:52for secretly transporting cash or other contraband.
10:56But here's the thing.
10:58There's been no reported conclusive evidence linking Ybor's tunnels to organized crime.
11:03In the 1920s, public corruption and limited policing,
11:06at times just nine officers for the entire city,
11:09meant organized crime related to Belita and Prohibition
11:12could operate without relying on elaborate tunnel systems.
11:15But that doesn't mean they didn't serve another nefarious purpose.
11:20Historians are now confident that Ybor's tunnels
11:24originated as part of an early sewage system
11:27abandoned by the city before the 1920s.
11:31And while the passageways have never been definitively tied to running contraband,
11:36it's not a stretch to wonder if bootleggers and smugglers
11:40use these secret corridors for their illicit purposes.
11:45The tunnels beneath Ybor City offer traces of a complex past
11:50and could illustrate a town defined as much by what was hidden below ground
11:54as by what was built above it.
12:07On the western coast of the Italian peninsula,
12:10120 miles southeast of Rome,
12:13Naples sits on the sweeping curve of the bay that bears its name.
12:19Naples sits within a natural arc of hills
12:22that stretches from the promontory of Posilipo to the Sorrentine Peninsula.
12:27This coastal setting helped define its long role as a maritime hub,
12:33first in Greek antiquity and later as one of the Mediterranean's most influential port cities.
12:41Greek colonists arrived between the 9th and 8th centuries BCE,
12:46first on the island of Pithikusai and then later at Kumae on the mainland.
12:51By around 600 BCE, they founded Neapolis, meaning new city,
12:57a planned settlement with temples and a theater and a major port,
13:01as well as a defined civic center.
13:05Neapolis was absorbed into the Roman Republic in 327 BCE,
13:10but retained autonomy for another 200 years,
13:13allowing Greek customs to persist under Roman rule.
13:17From the 6th century CE onwards,
13:20Naples transitioned through Byzantine, Norman and Swabian rule.
13:24From 1265 on, under Angevin rule,
13:27Naples flourished as a dynastic capital,
13:30notable for its Gothic architecture blending French, Greek and Arab cultural elements.
13:38In 1889, beneath the courtyard of a 19th century palazzo in Naples' Sanita district,
13:44a barren digging for water pierces the ceiling of a long buried chamber,
13:50uncovering one of the city's most extraordinary archaeological sites.
13:54Forty feet below the palazzo, a steep staircase leads to the hypogeum of Crystallini Street.
14:01Four rock-cut tombs carved directly into the volcanic rock hillside.
14:07Each has its own monumental entrance.
14:10One is even framed by ionic columns.
14:12These entrances originally opened onto the ancient Necropolis pathway,
14:17actively used between the 4th and 1st centuries BCE.
14:20Each tomb follows a two-level plan.
14:24The lower chambers built in the Hellenistic period contain carved stone beds,
14:29statues, and symbolic offerings consistent with traditional Greek burial customs.
14:36Later Roman adaptations introduced niches for urns and Latin inscriptions on the upper levels.
14:43In all, 700 artifacts were discovered, reflecting the tomb's extensive and evolving use.
14:52After centuries of activity, flooding and mudslides buried the Necropolis beneath layers of sediment,
14:57eventually concealing it entirely.
15:00By the 1500s, the Sanita was built above it.
15:03Now, workers may have encountered the site in the 1700s,
15:06but even today, its full extent is unknown.
15:09We believe the Necropolis once held dozens of tombs.
15:16The hypogeum of Crystallini Street opened to the public for the first time in 2022.
15:22But key questions persist.
15:24Who was buried here?
15:25And what do these elaborate chambers tell us about the ancient beliefs,
15:29identity, and ramifications of social status in Hellenistic Neapolis?
15:36The vivid frescoes and symbolic motifs inside the hypogeum of Crystallini Street
15:42raises questions about whether these tombs were more than resting places.
15:47The deepest and most intact chamber, Tomb C,
15:52is framed by fluted columns, scarlet painted steps, and elaborate frescoes.
15:57The density of symbolic detail raises the question,
16:01was this space designed for cultic ritual or commemorative rites?
16:07Dominating one wall is a 20-inch limestone Medusa head,
16:12a common protective emblem in Hellenistic tombs meant to ward off evil.
16:18Nearby lies a silver wine jug and meticulously carved offerings.
16:24These features imply the chamber may have been deliberately crafted
16:29to blend symbolic protection with rituals of remembrance.
16:34Near the tomb's entrance, there's this painted golden dish
16:37that depicts two characters who are believed to be Dionysus and Ariadne.
16:41Those are characters associated with fertility, rebirth, and divine ecstasy.
16:47Now, there are also laurel and myrtle garlands.
16:51Those are plants that are associated with Dionysus.
16:55Unlike public ceremonies conducted at the civic level,
16:59Dionysian mystery cults practiced private, initiatory rituals
17:03for individuals or small groups seeking favorable afterlives.
17:07Crystallini's iconography may indicate similar private rites were enacted here.
17:15500 miles east at Amphipolis in northern Greece,
17:19archaeological discoveries provide clear evidence
17:22of ritual spaces dedicated to cult worship.
17:26Excavations in 2024 beneath a later Byzantine basilica
17:31revealed a dedicated cult building reconstructed during the 4th century BCE.
17:38Archaeologists found dense ritual deposits,
17:41including female figurines, womb effigies, oyster shells, and animal bones,
17:46indicating sustained cultic activities,
17:50likely honoring a female deity, possibly Artemis.
17:55Amphipolis provides definitive evidence of cult activity,
17:59votive offerings, ritual objects, and a clear devotional setting.
18:04While artifacts were found at Crystallini,
18:07the most striking elements are the carefully arranged architecture
18:12and evocative imagery, raising an important archaeological distinction.
18:18Is this a genuine cult space or a commemorative tomb
18:23that only mimics sacred ritual forms?
18:27In 1968, about 50 miles southeast of Naples at Pastem,
18:33the tomb of the Diver was discovered.
18:36The tomb is dated to around 480 to 470 BCE,
18:41and it consists of five slabs of limestone
18:44forming this small painted chamber.
18:47The interior walls depict young men crowned with laurel
18:51who are eating and making music,
18:53but the most striking feature is the tomb's ceiling.
18:57It shows this solitary figure diving headfirst into shallow water,
19:02framed by trees and by sky.
19:05That image is unique.
19:07It's unlike any other from that time in history.
19:10The burial contents are unusually sparse,
19:13with no human remains or inscriptions.
19:16This absence of typical offering suggests that the tomb's meaning
19:20may have relied heavily on its painted imagery,
19:23with visual symbolism itself serving as a key form of commemoration,
19:29perhaps replacing material offerings.
19:34Interpretations of the diver's imagery vary,
19:36from metaphors on the soul's passage into the afterlife
19:39to depictions of suicide.
19:42Some even argue these scenes were borrowed
19:44from popular attic base motifs
19:47and may not reflect a fully developed
19:49or unified funerary belief system.
19:52Cristalini, by contrast,
19:55represents a more integrated ritual environment.
19:59Its carved architecture and mythic iconography
20:02points to deliberate planning aimed at shaping commemorative practice.
20:08But the limited evidence makes it difficult to determine
20:11which rights or beliefs, if any,
20:14were actually tied to the space.
20:17The architecture, materials,
20:19and detailed iconography at Cristalini
20:22hint at a particular social standing.
20:26The tombs clearly reflect high-status decorative traditions
20:30observed in the 4th century BCE
20:32at Macedonian burials
20:33and at Greek-speaking cities across southern Italy.
20:37You've got monumental facades,
20:39you've got richly painted interiors,
20:41you've got symbolic imagery.
20:42All of that aligns with their customs and beliefs.
20:46So, given these parallels,
20:49is it safe to assume that these tombs
20:51were commissioned by the prominent Greek families of Neapolis?
20:56Hypo-GMC exemplifies this substantial investment.
21:01Carved directly into the rock,
21:03its furnishings include stone beds
21:05with intricate palmette and geometric patterns
21:08resembling inlaid precious stones.
21:11Painted pillows with carefully detailed bread stitching,
21:15along with expensive pigments
21:17like matter yellow and Egyptian blue,
21:20reinforce the exceptional resources of the tomb's patrons.
21:23Perhaps the strongest evidence of Greek patronage
21:27lies in the Greek inscriptions of personal names
21:30and six headstones bearing the word kaira,
21:33meaning farewell.
21:35These inscriptions,
21:36coupled with sophisticated design elements,
21:39indicate a deliberate expression
21:40of cultural identity and elite status.
21:44Over 450 miles south,
21:47the Tholos tombs at Pylos
21:49highlight a different approach
21:51to elite burial practices.
21:54Excavations at Pylos
21:55uncovered two beehive-shaped tombs
21:5815 feet underground
22:00and dating back 3,500 years.
22:03Although looted in antiquity,
22:06the chamber floors were once lined
22:08entirely in gold foil.
22:11It was clearly intended
22:12as a powerful visual statement
22:14of wealth and prestige.
22:17Look at these artifacts.
22:18You've got Baltic amber,
22:20you've got Egyptian amulets,
22:21you've got a gold pendant
22:23depicting the Egyptian goddess
22:24Hawthor, protector of the dead.
22:27There's a pattern to these.
22:29They are rare and they're imports.
22:32Those two things suggest
22:34that early rulers deliberately
22:36displayed objects like this
22:37to broadcast their trade connections
22:39and their cosmopolitan tastes.
22:43This outward-facing strategy
22:45contrasts with Crystallini's
22:46more narrow focus
22:48that linked them back
22:49to their Hellenistic roots.
22:51At Crystallini,
22:52elite status was asserted
22:53not through lavish foreign goods,
22:55but through culturally specific
22:57visual narratives,
22:59inscriptions,
22:59and localized symbolic motifs,
23:02indicating a tightly defined
23:04community identity
23:05rather than a broader
23:07Mediterranean cosmopolitanism.
23:09In 2023,
23:11archaeologists uncovered
23:12the remarkably intact tomb
23:14of Cerberus,
23:16dating to around 2200 years ago,
23:19just over 10 miles west of Naples.
23:22The tomb's painted garlands
23:24and vivid mythological scenes
23:26include a rare depiction
23:28of Hercules capturing Cerberus,
23:30the three-headed hound
23:32of the Roman underworld.
23:34The tomb's impressive scale
23:35and intricate imagery
23:37suggest it was commissioned
23:38by an elite family
23:39for a prominent Roman patriarch
23:41in ancient Latourna.
23:44Inside, archaeologists found
23:46libation vessels,
23:47glass ointment jars,
23:49and a stregel,
23:50which is a grooming tool
23:52used by ancient Greeks
23:53and Romans,
23:54in bath rituals.
23:56Based on these findings,
23:57it seems that the tomb's
23:59lavish elements
24:00were strategically chosen
24:02to assert the social standing
24:04and enduring legacy
24:06of its occupant.
24:08At Cristallini,
24:10imagery of Dionysus
24:11could also reflect
24:12elite status,
24:14particularly for families
24:15involved in the wine trade.
24:17Because in Hellenistic
24:18southern Italy,
24:19Dionysus embodies
24:20big-picture themes
24:21like transformation
24:22and immortality,
24:23but he's also explicitly linked
24:25to wine and rituals
24:27around wine.
24:28So this imagery
24:29could be doing
24:30two things at once here.
24:31It could be signifying
24:32spiritual aspirations,
24:34but also professional
24:36and economic identity.
24:38The visual language
24:39at Cristallini
24:40corresponds with
24:41philosophical ideas
24:42circulating in southern Italy
24:44at the time.
24:45From 530 BCE onwards,
24:47Pythagorean philosophy
24:49was centered
24:49in southern Italian cities
24:51like Croton
24:52and likely influenced
24:53local views
24:54of immortality,
24:55cosmic order,
24:56and the afterlife.
24:57Although a direct link
24:59can't be established,
25:00these ideas may have informed
25:02how some elite community
25:03used tombs
25:04to express beliefs
25:05in harmony,
25:06identity,
25:07and continuity
25:08beyond death.
25:11Around 20 Hellenistic tombs
25:13have been documented
25:14beneath Naples'
25:15Sunita district.
25:16But the hypogeum
25:18of Cristallini
25:19is by far
25:20the most intact.
25:21Still,
25:22questions remain
25:23about the individuals
25:24behind its construction,
25:26their motivations,
25:27and the precise beliefs
25:29embedded in its design.
25:41Deep inside central Iran's
25:44Ishfahan province,
25:45about six miles north
25:46of the historic city
25:48of Kashan,
25:49is the desert town
25:50of Nushabad.
25:52Now, as I understand it,
25:53the Persian name
25:54Nushabad
25:55is traditionally translated
25:56as something like
25:57city of cold,
25:59tasty water.
26:00And listen,
26:01in this part of the world,
26:02cold water's gonna taste
26:03really good.
26:04The climate is very hot,
26:06but Nushabad's 12,000
26:08or so inhabitants
26:08have been using
26:09a freshwater spring
26:10at the foot
26:11of the nearby mountains.
26:12And for more than
26:131,500 years,
26:15that underground water system
26:17has supported
26:17not only drinking water,
26:19but also agriculture
26:20and even public baths.
26:22But the design
26:23of the city itself
26:24is also ingenious.
26:26Towering over the streets
26:27are vertical towers
26:28called wind catchers,
26:29which are designed
26:30to harness the slightest breeze
26:31and funnel it indoors.
26:34These impressive structures
26:36have towered
26:37above Nushabad's
26:38desert skyline
26:39for centuries.
26:39But in 2006,
26:42an accidental discovery
26:43shines a light
26:44on what lies beneath
26:46this ancient city.
26:49A local resident
26:50in a nearby village
26:51was digging a well
26:52on his property
26:53when he unearthed
26:54what appeared to be
26:55an underground tunnel.
26:57Upon closer inspection,
26:58it was clear
26:59that this was
26:59a man-made corridor
27:00that had been cut
27:01into the earth and rock.
27:03By 2007,
27:05formal excavations
27:06had begun,
27:06and what they found
27:07at the end of this tunnel
27:08would blow your mind.
27:10It's this Byzantine complex
27:12of interconnected rooms
27:14with three stories
27:16of narrow hallways
27:18and stairwells
27:19that led to this
27:19dense concentration
27:21of hidden chambers
27:22and canals
27:23going all the way down
27:24between 13 and 60 feet.
27:27Each room had a height
27:28of approximately 6 feet,
27:30which strongly suggested
27:31they'd been designed
27:31for human occupation.
27:33But there didn't appear
27:34to be a main entryway
27:35into this underground city.
27:37As the site
27:37was more thoroughly investigated,
27:39a number of secret entrances
27:40were discovered.
27:41These doorways
27:42were cleverly concealed
27:43within some of the town's
27:44older residences.
27:46The scale of this thing
27:47is enormous.
27:49It's estimated
27:49to be over 3 1⁄2 acres,
27:51and it seems to have been
27:53dug out continuously
27:54over years.
27:55But who built it,
27:57and why?
28:00Researchers date
28:01the structure
28:01by examining
28:02its architectural details,
28:04along with stone tools
28:05and pottery
28:06that were excavated
28:07from the site.
28:09their analysis
28:10places the construction
28:11of this underground edifice
28:13to about 1,500 years ago.
28:16This was the era
28:18of the Sasanian dynasty
28:20in Iran.
28:21The Sasanians
28:22were one of the most
28:23influential empires
28:24in that country's
28:25entire history.
28:27Under their regime,
28:28academia flourished,
28:29and an artistic renaissance
28:31began to bloom.
28:33Archaeologists have found
28:34evidence of expert metalwork
28:36and gem engraving
28:37from this period.
28:39New Shabbat itself
28:40was situated
28:41along a valuable trade route
28:42between Tehran
28:43and the Persian Gulf,
28:44which was part
28:45of the Silk Road.
28:46This made the city
28:48a valuable stop
28:49for travelers
28:49and merchants alike.
28:51To this day,
28:52there are ruins
28:53of centuries-old inns
28:55buried in the surrounding desert.
28:57But New Shabbat's
28:58geographical location
28:59also made it vulnerable
29:01to attack.
29:03During the 7th century's
29:05Muslim conquest,
29:06the Sasanians
29:07were crushed by the Arabs.
29:09But evidence suggests
29:10the underground city
29:11of New Shabbat,
29:12which had been built
29:13during their reign,
29:14continued to be extensively used
29:16for hundreds of years.
29:17The subterranean underground world
29:19was locally known as Uy.
29:22But despite its incredible size
29:24and 1,500-year history,
29:26Uy had largely stayed hidden
29:28from the modern world
29:28until its rediscovery in 2006.
29:31And the question remains,
29:32why was it built
29:34in the first place?
29:36A subterranean complex
29:38hints at subterfuge,
29:40and there may have been
29:41a good cause for secrecy
29:42in Sasanian Iran.
29:45The kingdom adopted
29:47Zoroastrianism
29:48as its state religion.
29:49And while there was tolerance
29:51for other beliefs,
29:52some did face
29:54religious persecution.
29:55One such religion
29:56might have been Mithraism,
29:58which was gaining popularity
30:00in Rome at the same time
30:01Christianity was exploding
30:03across the empire.
30:05Mithraism was inspired
30:06by the Iranian deity Mithra,
30:09and worshippers would congregate
30:10at these underground temples
30:12called Mithraia.
30:14There's almost no literary evidence
30:16of Mithraic practices,
30:18but hundreds of these temples
30:20have been discovered
30:20in underground chambers
30:22throughout the former Roman Empire.
30:25In the northwestern part
30:26of the country,
30:27the Mithra temple of Morage
30:28features multiple rooms,
30:30domed ceilings,
30:31and a grand entrance corridor.
30:33It's possible Nushabad's Ui
30:35also could have served
30:35as a secret place of worship.
30:39But there's been
30:40no reported discovery
30:41of any Mithraic artifacts
30:43or iconography
30:44at Nushabad's underground city.
30:46And a dedicated Mithraim
30:48was usually only about
30:5075 feet long
30:51and 30 feet wide.
30:53It would have held
30:54no more than 20 or 30 people,
30:57far fewer than
30:58the sprawling complex
30:59buried under Nushabad.
31:03The harsh living conditions
31:04in the desert
31:05may have been motivation
31:06enough for the construction
31:08of an underground city.
31:11One obvious reason
31:12to build a complex
31:13of this size below ground
31:14is to shield the people
31:16from the punishingly hot weather
31:18you get in that region.
31:20The structure's cooler temperature
31:22was achieved
31:22by this brilliant series
31:24of air ducts
31:25throughout the complex
31:26that could circulate
31:27the cooler air.
31:29The complex appears
31:30to have been built
31:31around the freshwater spring
31:33that was the town's namesake,
31:35and it used water pipes
31:36and canals
31:37to move the water
31:38from one place to another.
31:39This was part
31:40of an ancient Iranian
31:42water system
31:42called the Qanat,
31:43which delivered groundwater
31:45to the surface
31:46through a series
31:46of gently sloping
31:48underground tunnels.
31:49It's highly plausible
31:51that the need
31:51to get cool air
31:53and fresh water
31:53to its residents
31:54in the most efficient way possible
31:56is what drove
31:57the design of this structure.
32:01And while the structure itself
32:03may appear too grandiose
32:04for such a utilitarian purpose,
32:06architecture during the time
32:07of the Sasanians
32:08could be over the top.
32:10But the sheer scale
32:11of this underground complex
32:12betrays a larger,
32:13more important purpose.
32:15The secret entrances
32:16into the underground
32:16suggest that residents
32:17could quickly
32:18and easily go into hiding.
32:20But why?
32:23The town of New Shabbat
32:24may have created
32:25this mysterious habitat
32:27as a means of escaping
32:29an imminent threat.
32:31Around 1220,
32:33Genghis Khan,
32:34the leader of the Mongolian Empire,
32:36marched his armies
32:37into the Khwarazmian Empire,
32:39which included much
32:40of present-day Iran.
32:42Now, because of New Shabbat's proximity
32:44to a valuable trade route,
32:46it was a likely target.
32:47The city's giant underground shelter
32:49could easily have served
32:51as a wartime refuge
32:52for its residents.
32:54By entering through
32:55secret entrances above ground,
32:57the population could
32:58effectively disappear from view.
33:00And because of the access
33:02to the spring water,
33:03people could have sustained
33:04themselves there
33:05for weeks at a time.
33:06There are also many
33:08architectural details
33:09throughout the halls
33:10that were clearly built
33:12for defensive purposes.
33:13One of the more ingenious features
33:15is the corridors
33:16between the interconnected rooms,
33:18which are often angled
33:20to eliminate direct sight lines
33:21between spaces.
33:23This would make it much easier
33:25to hide from your enemy,
33:27or conversely,
33:28it's the ideal space
33:29to mount a surprise
33:30defensive maneuver.
33:31In certain corridors,
33:33there's also evidence
33:34of booby traps
33:35and disguised pits,
33:36which could ensnare
33:37unsuspecting intruders.
33:40Whether it was built
33:41in a time of the Sassanians'
33:42conflicts with the Romans
33:43or during their later battles
33:44with the Mongols,
33:45the fact that this shelter
33:46and water system
33:47were hidden underground
33:50strongly suggests
33:51that safeguarding
33:52Nushabad from invaders
33:54was the main reason
33:55it was built this way.
33:58Today, researchers believe
34:00that this enormous structure
34:02may be even larger
34:04than previously thought.
34:07Currently, locals and tourists
34:08can enter the underground city
34:09through an adjacent cistern,
34:11but this isn't thought
34:12to be the original entrance.
34:14So there's a very real possibility
34:16that this underground network
34:17of tunnels may extend
34:18far beyond the walls
34:19of Nushabad.
34:21Many of the rooms
34:22were amalgamated
34:23in the centuries
34:24following the Sassanian dynasty,
34:26and modern infrastructure,
34:28such as water pipes,
34:29storage spaces,
34:30and even toilets,
34:31were eventually incorporated.
34:33This complex
34:34is a wonder of engineering
34:36that was continually updated
34:38right until the beginning
34:39of the 20th century,
34:41until it was reportedly
34:42abandoned in the 1920s.
34:44It took the accidental discovery
34:47in 2006
34:48for current generations
34:49to bring their own ingenuity
34:51and adaptations
34:51to this incredible underground city.
34:54Today, the site is recognized
34:56as one of the oldest
34:58underground structures
34:59in the world.
35:00And as researchers
35:01continue their exploration,
35:03new mysteries are likely waiting
35:05to be uncovered
35:06within Nushabad's
35:07secret subterranean city.
35:22Situated near the center of Italy
35:24and within 200 miles
35:26of iconic cities
35:27like Naples and Florence
35:29is the nation's capital,
35:31Rome.
35:34Rome is one of the most
35:35prominent centers
35:37of culture and power
35:38in the history of the world.
35:40And there's a reason
35:41that it's known
35:41as the Eternal City.
35:43It's existed
35:44for almost 28 centuries,
35:46making it one
35:46of the oldest cities
35:47in Europe.
35:48And within Rome,
35:50there's the sovereign country
35:51of Vatican City,
35:53which is the administrative center
35:54of the Catholic Church.
35:56For centuries,
35:57the Roman Empire
35:58was a colossus
35:59of cultural and economic power.
36:01At its height,
36:02it spanned about
36:032 million square miles,
36:05with its highly professionalized
36:06military controlling territory
36:08in Western Europe,
36:09the Middle East,
36:10and Northern Africa.
36:12At one point,
36:13Rome ruled over
36:1460 million people,
36:16which at the time
36:16was more than 20%
36:18of the world's population.
36:21Today,
36:221,500 years after the fall
36:23of the Roman Empire,
36:24the city is an archaeological
36:26gold mine.
36:27Priceless artifacts
36:29are pulled out of there
36:30every year.
36:33In 2016,
36:35the city is in the middle
36:36of undertaking
36:37an excavation
36:38of a different kind.
36:40The Metro Sea Project
36:42is a years-long expansion
36:44of public transportation
36:45from Rome's eastern suburbs.
36:47But the construction
36:48of one of its underground tunnels
36:50leads to an unexpected discovery.
36:54Near the Aurelian Walls
36:56on Rome's Kylian Hill,
36:58workers came into contact
37:00with a large structure
37:01buried 30 feet below ground.
37:05Archaeologists were brought in
37:07to conduct their own analysis
37:09and excavation,
37:10and soon realized
37:11that what they were looking at
37:13was the remains
37:14of a large military complex
37:17spanning over 9,000 square feet
37:20and containing
37:2139 dormitory-style rooms.
37:25Two years later,
37:27they announced the discovery
37:28of another mysterious building
37:29buried below the barracks
37:31at a depth of about 40 feet.
37:33It appears to be the remains
37:34of a luxurious Roman house,
37:36or domus.
37:37Like the barracks,
37:39these remains
37:39are remarkably intact,
37:41but their lavish decor
37:42stands in stark contrast
37:44to the military building.
37:46There's evidence that suggests
37:47the home was deliberately
37:49dismantled and covered up.
37:50The walls were raised,
37:52and the room seemed
37:53to have been carefully
37:54and purposefully filled
37:55with earth.
37:56This is not your typical
37:57Roman ruin.
37:59This house appears
38:00to have been intentionally buried.
38:02So who lived in this place,
38:03and why was it buried?
38:06As the excavation continues,
38:08it becomes evident
38:09that the domus
38:11was designed for comfort.
38:13The house covers an area
38:14of about 3,000 square feet
38:16with 14 rooms.
38:18It also looks like
38:19the property had
38:20a large courtyard
38:21with a fountain
38:22and a bathhouse.
38:23Even by today's standards,
38:25this was a pretty sweet pad.
38:27The interiors of the home
38:29are no less decadent.
38:31Many of the rooms
38:32have floors covered
38:33in black and white mosaics
38:35made from marble
38:37and gray slate.
38:38And there are two rare
38:40figurative mosaics as well.
38:42One panel depicts
38:44a solitary bird
38:45perched on a branch.
38:47Another depicts
38:48two figures,
38:50possibly deities,
38:51who appear to be
38:52locked in combat.
38:54Further excavation
38:56places the construction
38:57of the house
38:57and the barracks
38:58in the 2nd century BCE
39:00during the reign
39:01of Emperor Hadrian.
39:04In this century,
39:06Kylian Hill,
39:07where the barracks
39:08and domus were discovered,
39:09was an area
39:10with a conspicuous display
39:12of wealth and power.
39:13The Roman emperor's
39:15secret police,
39:16known as the Frumentari,
39:18were stationed here,
39:18as were the emperor's
39:20horse brigades.
39:21The city's firefighters
39:22and police forces
39:23were also located
39:24on Kylian Hill.
39:26The hill was also
39:28a fashionable neighborhood
39:29for the city's aristocracy.
39:31And given the amenities
39:32in the courtyard
39:33of the buried house,
39:35the mosaics,
39:35and the private bathhouse,
39:37it's clear that
39:38they likely belonged
39:39to one of Rome's elites.
39:41The fact that the home
39:42was situated
39:43within the barracks grounds
39:44on Kylian Hill
39:46suggests that the resident
39:47could have been
39:48a Roman senator
39:50with connections
39:51to the military.
39:52A politician
39:53living in this domus
39:55would have effectively
39:56had their own
39:57private security force
39:59living on the property
40:00with them.
40:01Is it possible
40:03that this individual
40:04was caught
40:05in some kind of intrigue
40:06or political upheaval
40:09and needed protection?
40:10In 271 BCE,
40:13Kylian Hill
40:14was home
40:15to a violent uprising
40:16when workers
40:17at the Mint revolted.
40:19The emperor
40:19implicated several senators
40:21in the plot
40:22and they were eventually
40:23put to death.
40:24Could one of those senators
40:25have been the owner
40:26of the domus
40:27behind the barracks?
40:28If so,
40:29the burial
40:30of his opulent home
40:31may have followed
40:32soon after his execution.
40:35If this senator
40:36had loyalists
40:37inside the barracks,
40:38it's conceivable
40:39he could have taken
40:40up residence there.
40:42But maintaining
40:43a private army
40:44in the middle
40:44of one of the most
40:45powerful and influential
40:47regions in Rome
40:48would hardly
40:49have gone unnoticed.
40:50Nor would it have been
40:51acceptable
40:52to the neighboring
40:53power brokers,
40:54much less the leaders
40:55of the military.
40:58The burial
40:59of the barracks
41:00and the domus
41:00may have been
41:01a public erasure.
41:02Edicts like this
41:03were well within
41:04the powers
41:05of the state.
41:06There was this
41:07formal punishment
41:08in the Roman world
41:09called damnatio memoriae,
41:11which means
41:13condemnation
41:13of memory.
41:15And this was
41:16a death penalty,
41:17but it was more
41:17than just that.
41:18It also removed
41:19a person
41:19from the public record.
41:21A perceived traitor
41:22within the ruling class
41:24would be executed
41:25and then their name
41:26would be removed
41:27from any inscriptions
41:28and public monuments.
41:30their statues
41:31and their property
41:32would also be demolished.
41:35Is it possible
41:36that this is what
41:37happened to the owner
41:38of the mystery house?
41:39The buried villa
41:40certainly suggests
41:42some kind of
41:43deliberate erasure
41:44has taken place.
41:46Whoever lived
41:47in the domus
41:48prior to its burial
41:49may have been
41:50under house arrest
41:51and watched over
41:52by military guard
41:53until his scheduled
41:54execution.
41:55However,
41:56there is no
41:57physical evidence
41:58to corroborate
41:59the theory.
42:01Ultimately,
42:02the best explanation
42:03for why this luxury home
42:05was nestled
42:06on military grounds
42:07may be the simplest one.
42:09The proximity
42:10of the luxury home
42:11to the military barracks
42:12seems like it should
42:13tell us a lot
42:14about who lived here.
42:15In this context,
42:17it seems highly likely
42:18that this was
42:19the private residence
42:20of the commanding officer
42:21of the adjacent barracks.
42:24It wouldn't have been
42:25unusual for a Roman general
42:27to have lived in luxury.
42:28A commander's residence
42:30was known as a praetorium
42:32and it was essentially
42:33the nucleus
42:33of any military facility.
42:35A praetorium that was
42:37unearthed at Castor
42:38in Cambridgeshire
42:39was truly palatial
42:41and one of the largest
42:42structures from the Roman Empire
42:44ever discovered in England,
42:46far exceeding the size
42:47of the mysterious villa
42:48on Kylian Hill.
42:50If the buried domus
42:52in Kylian Hill
42:53really was the home
42:55of a high-level
42:56military officer,
42:57that would make it
42:58the first time
42:59within the city of Rome
43:00that a military barracks
43:01has been found
43:02with the private residence
43:04of its commander.
43:07But the mystery
43:08of why it was
43:09deliberately buried
43:10remains.
43:11It would have taken
43:13a lot of effort
43:14to cover up the domus,
43:16so what was the motivation
43:18to do so?
43:19Both structures
43:20have now been
43:21painstakingly taken apart
43:23and removed piece by piece,
43:25but the plan
43:26is to rebuild them
43:27when the transit stop
43:28is completed.
43:32Romans of today
43:33will be able to puzzle
43:34over the remains
43:35when the domus
43:36and the barracks
43:37are reinstalled
43:38near the metro station.
43:42The questions
43:43surrounding the barracks
43:44and its neighboring villa
43:45may never be fully answered.
43:49For now,
43:50it seems the people
43:51who buried
43:52these mysterious structures
43:53have successfully erased
43:55their true origins
43:56from Roman history.
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