All language subtitles for Ancient Powers s01e05 Law and Order

Thousands of years ago, ancient powers
ruled our world.

Egypt.

China.

India.

Greece.

And Rome.

Players in a high stakes game of
strategy and luck.

Success will bring them wealth and
immortality.

failure, oblivion, and death.

In their battle for survival, each
civilization will face the same

How they respond will shape their
destiny.

In this episode, more and order

in an unruly world our ancient powers
must

lead their people create ways to govern
and keep rebellion

at bay who will find the right way to
rule

Our ancient powers have established
their cultures, built monuments and

links, and fought battles to protect
their homeland.

Now they confront their next challenge.

Egypt is peaceful, prosperous, and
powerful.

Its three million people are happy and
well -fed.

But the sudden death of its pharaoh,
Thutmose II, plunges this ancient power

into crisis.

Because the heir to the throne is only a
child.

Thutmose was the second son. He was
about two or three years of age. And so,

although he was crowned king, he needed
a regent.

Without a strong guiding hand, the boy
king's rule is in danger.

Who can step in and take charge?

The only choice is Thutmose's wife and
queen.

Hatshepsut was a woman of royal blood.

But in terms of kingship, a king was
male. So Hatshepsut being female was a

little bit confusing.

She needs a way to secure her reign.

So Hatshepsut embarks on a radical
transformation.

She showed herself as a man dressed in
Pharaoh's paraphernalia. There's nothing

female about her.

So for all the Egyptians, the Pharaoh is
as he should be.

It just happens to be she.

While these visual tricks work for some,
others see her rule as dangerous and

unacceptable.

But Hatshepsut understands her people.

and knows that to succeed, she needs to
make a permanent mark.

And she has a plan.

The ancient Egyptians were big on
propaganda and imagery, and that's how

communicated what was going on. So
Hatshepsut built throughout Egypt,

am king.

But building alone isn't the answer.

She also needs to have the gods on her
side.

At Karnak Temple in Thebes, Hatshepsut
erects a huge obelisk.

Carved from a single 30 -meter -high
block of granite, it is dedicated to the

god Amun -Ra.

An obelisk is a symbol of the sun god.
It's like a sunbeam.

And that's why the top, which is also a
little pyramid, would have been covered

by electron.

And when the sun hit it, at certain
times of day, the whole area would just

explode with light.

For the common Egyptians, it would look
as if the gods were really present and

radiating their light out.

And by putting her obelisks here, it's
establishing a close rapport and

relationship between Hatshepsut and the
god Amun, which also is a way of giving

her more legitimacy.

Hatshepsut convinces her subjects of her
power.

But there is another formidable group
she must get on side.

The priests.

They gather taxes and receive lucrative
offerings for the gods.

They are powerful and influential.

Strong enough to depose a pharaoh.

To buy their loyalty, Hatshepsut plans
an enormous temple complex.

This huge temple takes 13 years to
construct.

Built of dazzling limestone, it's a
stunning architectural achievement and

propaganda on the grandest possible
scale.

This is one of the most unusual of
Egyptian funerary temples.

The mountain is embracing this monument.

approach was lined with sphinxes which
all had her face.

On the facade, Hatshepsut depicts
herself as Osiris, the male god of the

On the walls, she creates reliefs
illustrating her royal exploits.

And inside, in a sacred space where only
priests are allowed, Hatshepsut makes

an audacious claim.

Part of her divine origin myth.

Here you have the goddess Hathor, who is
crowning Hatshepsut and sort of

presenting her to Amun as the rightful
ruler.

Hathor is the goddess of love, beauty
and fertility.

Here, she is represented as a cow.

And we have these... fabulous images of
the goddess Hathor and Hatshepsut

suckling. And by taking in the milk, she
herself is getting even more divine

because she's ingesting from the
goddess.

Hatshepsut's remarkable power play pays
off.

And she rules for over 15 years.

Hatshepsut's reign was a wonderful time
for Egypt.

She was innovative.

She had good ideas with architecture,
decoration, programs for establishing

the legitimacy of kingship and setting
up the whole mechanism for large -scale

Egyptian propaganda for the new kingdom
pharaohs.

Hatshepsut changes history.

By proving a pharaoh's gender doesn't
always matter.

The people and priests can accept women
who they believe are divine.

And this pharaoh secures a golden age
for Egypt.

I have to say that she has always been
one of my favorite pharaohs because when

you have a woman pharaoh and you
yourself are a woman, it's quite a buzz.

In Egypt, the power of the gods
legitimizes a pharaoh's claim to rule.

To the east, ancient India has many
different belief systems.

But here too, religion is key to
maintaining law and order.

Power in India is fragmented.

In the north, small kingdoms battle for
control.

But soon, one wins out.

The Guptas.

The territory they conquer stretches
from coast to coast, across the northern

half of the Indian subcontinent.

Two decades into their imperial rule,
India's greatest king takes the throne.

Samudra Gupta.

Samudra Gupta was a man of many, many
talents.

On the one hand, he was a great warrior.

We read about how his body was adorned
with the scars he received in various

battles from axles and swords.

But he was also something of a creative
thinker, a poet king who composed a lot

of poetry himself.

Samudra Gupta has millions under his
command, but faces a challenge.

How can he keep control of his vast and
diverse kingdom?

He turns to his religion, Hinduism, for
answers.

The Vedas are the sacred foundation of
Hinduism.

The oldest of these sacred texts, the
Rig Veda, discusses rituals and

the praise of gods, the origin of the
universe, and the nature of the divine.

But crucially for Emperor Sumudra Gupta,
one of these hymns suggests how society

should be structured.

There's one controversial verse in the
Rig Veda that talks about how from the

body of the cosmic creator, God himself,
it was from the mouth that the Brahmin

emerged.

The Brahmins are the sacred theological
priestly community.

It was from the arms of the Kshatriyas
emerged.

The Kshatriyas were the fighters and the
warrior class.

It was from the Thais that the
mercantile class emerged.

And finally the Shudras from the feet.

And the Shudras are the service
communities that serve everybody else,

and so on.

This was used as a justification to say
that in the most sacred of the Hindu

scriptures, there is reference to
stratification.

Samudra Gupta and the other Gupta kings
take this idea and build on it.

dividing society into distinct classes
or castes.

This system proves to be a powerful form
of control.

The caste system in the early Gupta
period wasn't necessarily set in stone.

was a lot more fluid.

There are strong indications that the
Guptas might have been Brahmins

themselves. And if the kings themselves
were Brahmins, of course you see

Brahmins receiving state power and
thereby becoming stronger in Hindu

Samuja Gupta cements his power at the
top of the caste system and transforms

Indian society.

You see that there's arts and culture
thriving, the empire is stable, there's

economic activity.

In fact, to many Hindus, this was the
golden age of Hindu civilization.

The Guptas use religion to organize and
control their people.

In China, the ruler of a new dynasty
faces a similar problem, but will

find a very different solution.

For over two centuries, different states
compete for domination of China.

Eventually, there's a winner, the Qin.

But its new emperor, Qin Shi Huang, has
a problem.

How can he unify over 30 million people
from different cultures who have

different customs and beliefs?

He begins at ground level, creating 36
new administrative districts known as

commentaries, and building 7 ,000
kilometers of new roads to link

them.

Next, to make trade between regions
easier and collect taxes, he

standardizes currency, units of length,
and weights.

But he doesn't believe these unifying
measures will be enough.

Something else is needed.

The text on these bamboo slips is Qin
Shi Huang's solution to the problem.

Hundreds of rules and instructions. A
legal code.

Detailing the do's and don'ts of his new
empire.

This is the story of Shui Wu Li.

You mentioned that the ancient people
had their own customs.

That is to say, in the past, the people
had their own customs.

The goods were not convenient for the
people and harmful to the people.

Some of them were inconvenient for the
people and harmful to the country.

This new way of ruling is known as
legalism.

Brutal and absolute.

Legalism is strict authoritarian rule.

It makes Qin Shi Huang

China's most powerful emperor.

His enormous tomb reveals the secrets of
his rule.

Covering over 56 square kilometers, this
burial ground is a mirror of his

empire in life.

He's buried with his fearsome army
critical to enforcing his rule.

But he's also accompanied by some less
familiar figures.

If you make a mistake when you write,
you can use a sharp knife to scrape it

off. It's just like a piece of rubber.

Combining this with Taoyong, we can make
a preliminary analysis to determine the

nature of this pit.

It should symbolize the Qin dynasty's
Qin and Wei institutions.

These men are buried much closer to
their emperor than his army.

These officials write the laws that
maintain the emperor's eye and grip on

power.

So crucial to his rule that he keeps
them close, even in death.

In China, Strict laws and regulations
help unify this ancient power.

Far to the west, Rome also needs to
exert authority on its ever expanding

territory.

Rome's population is now almost 60
million people.

But the empire is in turmoil.

Divided by bloody civil war as different
factions attempt to seize control.

How can its new emperor, Vespasian, get
the people back on side and restore law

and order to the empire?

His idea is a no -expense -spared gift
to the people.

A mighty monument to house the greatest
show on Earth.

This is the largest arena the world has
ever seen.

A place where 50 ,000 people can witness
spectacles of bloodlust.

They have poetry, they have democracy,
they have art.

And then on the other hand, they appeal
to the brutal side of man.

It's this marriage between beauty and
violence.

The Romans love the games.

They're a celebration of macho
athleticism.

And the gladiators...

are superstars.

They are the most sexually desired
athletes of the Roman Empire.

They are muscly, oiled -up men that
ladies love and men want to be.

Each gladiator plays a different role.

The secutor is a heavily armored
warrior.

The mamillo, the enemy from Gaul.

And the Retiarius, a fisherman.

Each distinctive character fights with
different armor and weaponry.

But they are all heroes that the crowds
can share on.

The Retiarius has the Galera here.

Nice bit of armor on the shoulder, which
protects the side of his face so he can

look over it.

He's got the trident, and he's got the
net. But his body's exposed. His leg's

exposed. You think that's hardly fair,
because look at this guy. This guy's got

the scooter.

He's also got a wonderful helmet.

You'd say, I definitely want to be with
this guy. Well, don't let it appear to

fool you, because here's the problem. He
can't breathe very well.

He is going to get tired way quicker.

And it's wonderful to see...

what the outcome is going to be, because
you don't know.

But the games aren't simply gory
entertainment.

They are powerful propaganda.

Reenactments of Rome's victories which
celebrate its control over its dominion.

The visceral spectacle that draws the
crowd.

The atmosphere would have been electric.

First of all, you've got the roar of the
crowds chanting for their teams.

You've got the sounds from the beasts,
so you can already hear them as you're

walking towards the Coliseum.

You go to any sports stadium, and when
you're walking with the crowds, you feel

that enthusiasm, that passion, that
excitement.

For many people, it would have been the
highlight of their week to go and see a

gladiatorial contest.

These violent displays bring the Romans
together.

A trick repeated all across their empire
in more than 200 amphitheaters,

each built to impress, entertain, and
assert the emperor's

power.

Ultimately, if you take it from the
emperor's point of view, well, why is

emperor putting on these lavish games?
It's simple.

He needs to distract you because there's
famine coming through the city. There's

problems. It's fine. Watch the games.

Vespasian's distraction works.

For over 400 years, the gladiatorial
games helped keep the peace.

All people need is food and distraction.

Bread and circuses. Pan and chichensum.

For the most part, the mob is happy, and
that's what the emperor wants.

Your happiness, his popularity, his
reign continues, and everyone's good.

And that's why the emperor does it.

In ancient Rome, entertainment maintains
law and order across its empire.

Further to the south, a belief in their
gods has kept Egypt safe for millennia.

Until now.

In the century after Hatshepsut's reign,
Egypt has gone from strength to

strength.

The great builder pharaoh, Amenhotep
III, is on the throne.

Like his predecessor, he uses
architecture to celebrate his religion.

Amenhotep III loved statues.

The bigger, the better.

He made gorgeous images of himself.

He loved to show off himself and his
power.

Key to Amenhotep's authority are Egypt's
many gods.

The gods were the foundation of the
entire economy and the political

of ancient Egypt.

Without the gods, there wouldn't be an
Egyptian state.

Amenhotep, like all pharaohs, relies on
religious belief to justify his rule and

maintain peace and stability in this
life and the next.

When Amenhotep dies after 40 years on
the throne, The priests transport his

to a huge underground tomb.

Here, his people believe the gods of the
underworld are waiting.

I have Amenhotep III here, portrayed as
a young man heading off on his journey

to the afterlife.

And the god Anubis, the god of
embalming, is taking him by the hand.

and showing him the way to the other
side.

Over here, there's another version of
Amenhotep III with the goddess Hathor.

She's embracing him, holding the key of
life.

And over there, I can see Amenhotep III
receiving life from the god of the

underworld, Osiris.

All of these gods are helping Amenhotep
III make his way into the afterlife.

But just as Amenhotep's body is entombed
in his granite sarcophagus, his son and

heir, Akhenaten, plots a religious
revolution.

To turn away from the gods would have
been unfathomable to most ancient

Egyptians.

But not for Akhenaten.

He closes down the temples and cults of
Egypt's multiple deities.

and replaces them with monotheism, the
worship of just one god.

Akhenaten became fascinated by the sun
disk, Aten.

This only one being that he thought was
the source for all life, for everything,

and was the only god.

Akhenaten plans a huge new desert city
to honor his god, known today

as Amarna.

It was challenging to build a new spot
in the desert. He had to build

everything, his own palace, temples,
tombs.

Built in great haste, all is not well
for this new city's 30 ,000 inhabitants.

The rest of Egypt is enjoying a time of
great bounty.

But here, food is scarce and disease
rife.

Recent excavations show that people were
suffering.

That there was malnutrition, there was
illness.

But the biggest problem in Akhenaten's
reign is that he ignored the rest of

Egypt. He let the rest of the country
fall apart.

With the temples closed and gods banned,
Egypt's economy suffers.

People thought that he was a bad king.
They thought that he was insane, that he

ruined Egypt.

But before things completely fall apart,

Akhenaten mysteriously dies.

And with him, his new religion.

His son soon abandons Armana and
reinstates the old gods.

Akhenaten is branded a heretic.

He failed to take into account how
important the gods were to the Egyptian

people and to the Egyptian state.

Without the temples, this society
crumbled.

As Akhenaten statues are smashed and his
name is erased from history,

order is restored.

In Egypt, Religious revolution comes
close to bringing down society.

In Greece, traditionally, power has
rested with whoever seizes control.

But now, change is in the air.

Greece is a loose collection of
individual city -states.

Athens is one of the most powerful.

It is populated by slaves, ordinary men
and women, and wealthy hereditary

nobles.

And whichever noble manages to grab
power rules the city.

They are known as tyrants. And the role
is now shared by brothers

Hipparchus, Hippias.

Our historical sources make it very
clear that Hippias is the one actually

ruling, whereas Hipparchus, the brother,
is concerned primarily with enjoying a

good life.

Hippias seems to have ruled without many
problems for a number of years.

But in 514 BCE, everything changes when
a love rival murders

Hipparchus.

The assassination occurred at a famous
Athenian shrine called the Laocorion,

which was the shrine of the daughters of
the hero Laos. And we think that we've

discovered that shrine because we've
discovered a number of inscriptions that

mention the hero Laos.

The impact of his brother's murder is
devastating for both Hippias and the

Athenians.

After the assassination, his rule
becomes more cruel.

He's paranoid.

He kills people in the city that he
thinks were co -conspirators.

And exiles others.

Hippias' brutal rule, harsh taxes,
exiles, and executions soon

lead to civil strife.

And eventually, he is deposed.

But the Athenians are reluctant to live
under another brutal tyrant and begin to

ask, could there be another way?

The man with a plan is Cleisthenes.

He is a wealthy noble, but wants to
overturn the idea of hereditary

and hand power to the people.

He proposes any Athenian can attend its
governing body, the assembly.

We're at the Pnyx. We're above the
Athenian Agora, and we're also in front

the Acropolis Hill.

This is the place where the citizen
assembly, the Ecclesia, would have met.

There is a stand where the speaker could
have addressed the crowd, that's called

the beamer, and then there's a large
open space where the crowd can sit or

stand.

And we think that there was probably
space here for about 6 ,000 people,

upwards of 10 ,000.

This is the centre of political life.

But this early form of democracy has its
quirks.

Members are not elected, but randomly
selected.

It means that you can't become a career
politician, you can't try and corrupt

people towards making certain decisions.
It means that the whole citizen body is

represented as fairly as possible.

But not everyone is eligible to take
part in making decisions.

It's just the adult males who are over
18.

and are Athenians.

That means no women, no children, no
slaves, and also no resident foreigners.

Despite only representing 10 % of the
city's population, this version of

democracy works.

It brings political stability and allows
culture and arts to thrive, making

Athens the dominant force in the growing
Greek Empire.

It is an idea so successful that it
spreads.

So this move from a system of tyranny to
this direct democracy,

that's quite a radical political
revolution.

It's something that will take hold
throughout the Greek world later, but

is the place where this sort of idea
begins.

Democracy transforms ancient Greece and
ushers in a new age.

To the east, the ancient Chinese are
also looking for a different way to

The Qin's severe laws and punishments
have kept their people in check for

decades.

But they are beginning to tire of
authoritarian rule.

So when a new dynasty and an ambitious
teenage emperor, Wu, comes to power,

he seeks a new way to rule.

The system he discovers resonates in
modern China to the present day.

Confucianism.

Orphaned in childhood, the young
Confucius is self -taught.

He spends most of his career working for
the government, where his radical ideas

make him political enemies.

Confucius advocates a kinder, more
harmonious approach to life.

Confucius proposes that these acts don't
just apply to personal relationships,

but also how the country is run.

But as civil war engulfs China, the
people forget Confucius and his ideas.

Until three centuries later, Emperor Wu
is introduced to them by one of his

advisors.

But more than this, Dong convinces the
emperor that he should adopt

for his government.

and that only students of this
philosophy can work in it.

Confucianism transforms Chinese society,
and it helps Emperor Wu enjoy a

long and prosperous reign, and
consolidates the Han Dynasty's grip on

. . . .

. . .

Every ancient power has found a way to
control their people with their own

of authority.

In Egypt, the old gods helped the
pharaohs reinforce their rule of law.

And beware those who challenge
tradition.

China finds that whilst harsh rules can
keep people in check,

It's a more caring philosophy that
endures.

The ancient Indians impose a caste
system to organize society.

While the Greeks, tired of tyranny, hand
control over

to their citizens.

And in Rome, the masses are kept happy
by bloody spectacles.

But soon, each will learn the harsh
lesson that nothing lasts forever.

Our ancient powers are approaching the
endgame.