1 00:00:02,166 --> 00:00:03,567 [narrator] In Panama, 2 00:00:03,567 --> 00:00:09,166 a military base on the front lines against a drug-running tyrant. 3 00:00:09,166 --> 00:00:14,800 A ruthless dictator. CIA meddling, narco kingpins, you name it. 4 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:16,667 This story's got it all. 5 00:00:18,767 --> 00:00:25,600 [narrator] In Italy, a life cut short turns a utopian dream into a nightmare. 6 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:31,000 Was the death the result of nefarious activities from a foreign power? 7 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:40,000 [narrator] And in Poland, a grim facility caught between the treachery of two regimes. 8 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,367 [Prof. Michele] The people held here fought against the very worst in humanity 9 00:00:44,367 --> 00:00:45,800 and were jailed for it. 10 00:00:47,767 --> 00:00:50,266 [dramatic music playing] 11 00:00:50,266 --> 00:00:52,100 [theme music playing] 12 00:00:52,100 --> 00:00:53,900 [narrator] Decaying relics, 13 00:00:55,266 --> 00:00:57,800 ruins of lost worlds... 14 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,100 Sites haunted by the past. 15 00:01:03,100 --> 00:01:07,700 Their secrets waiting to be revealed. 16 00:01:16,266 --> 00:01:19,867 In Panama, on the outskirts of the capital, 17 00:01:19,867 --> 00:01:24,700 a random collection of buildings tells a complex story of conquest. 18 00:01:28,967 --> 00:01:30,800 [Rob] In the shadow of the bridge of Americas 19 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:32,800 is what appears to be a public park, 20 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:37,767 but have a closer look and you'll see some strange remains. 21 00:01:37,767 --> 00:01:41,467 There's a lot of long rectangular buildings. 22 00:01:41,467 --> 00:01:45,567 They were clearly built with some purpose in mind. 23 00:01:45,567 --> 00:01:51,900 But there's very little left to suggest what exactly that might be. 24 00:01:51,900 --> 00:01:56,567 [narrator] More structures nearby point to an official function. 25 00:01:56,567 --> 00:02:02,367 You see the word "Polizia" and we understand that this must have been 26 00:02:02,367 --> 00:02:06,634 a Panamanian police building of some sort. 27 00:02:08,266 --> 00:02:12,266 When you look at the pitting here, people have been shooting this place up. 28 00:02:12,266 --> 00:02:16,600 And you don't shoot up your own base. 29 00:02:18,100 --> 00:02:22,100 For many years, this country had very close ties with the US. 30 00:02:22,100 --> 00:02:27,367 But in the 1980s, those ties were stretched to breaking point. 31 00:02:27,367 --> 00:02:32,467 It is as though Manuel Noriega wants to force 32 00:02:32,467 --> 00:02:34,567 George Bush Sr. 33 00:02:34,567 --> 00:02:37,800 into having a war in Panama. 34 00:02:44,767 --> 00:02:50,367 This place has changed immensely. It's not what it used to be. 35 00:02:50,367 --> 00:02:54,100 The houses were nicely painted. Everything was new. 36 00:02:54,100 --> 00:02:57,100 Grass was green. 37 00:02:57,100 --> 00:03:02,166 [narrator] Ricardo Eva was a soldier and interpreter in the US Army. 38 00:03:02,166 --> 00:03:05,467 When he was first stationed here in 1984, 39 00:03:05,467 --> 00:03:08,900 the country was a very different place. 40 00:03:08,900 --> 00:03:12,700 [Ricardo] Everything was American right here in the heart of Panama. 41 00:03:12,700 --> 00:03:17,800 There were a lot of families living here. Life was idyllic. 42 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:22,834 [narrator] The only reason these buildings exist at all is because of one thing... 43 00:03:23,467 --> 00:03:25,400 the Panama Canal. 44 00:03:26,900 --> 00:03:30,767 [Rob] The canal was built by the Americans in the early 1900s. 45 00:03:30,767 --> 00:03:33,367 And under the terms of the agreement with Panama, 46 00:03:33,367 --> 00:03:36,100 they were granted ownership, in perpetuity, 47 00:03:36,100 --> 00:03:43,567 of a 553-square-mile area of land called the Canal Zone. 48 00:03:43,567 --> 00:03:49,567 This was America's first step onto the world stage as an imperial great power. 49 00:03:49,567 --> 00:03:53,433 Unsurprisingly, an investment of this size needed protecting. 50 00:03:55,767 --> 00:03:59,700 [narrator] In 1913, at the end of this highway, 51 00:03:59,700 --> 00:04:02,667 huge gun batteries were installed 52 00:04:02,667 --> 00:04:06,667 to guard the Pacific entrance of the Panama canal. 53 00:04:06,667 --> 00:04:11,667 And here, administrative and housing facilities were built. 54 00:04:11,667 --> 00:04:15,100 It was called Fort Amador. 55 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:22,100 [Ricardo] Whenever you pass from Panama to the Canal Zone area, 56 00:04:22,100 --> 00:04:24,467 it's a totally different world. 57 00:04:24,467 --> 00:04:29,467 We had our own commissaries, little stores, theaters, 58 00:04:29,467 --> 00:04:33,000 bowling alleys, swimming pools, you name it, we had everything here. 59 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,000 [Rob] Amongst Panamanians, especially as we moved into the 1960s, 60 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:42,100 there was resentment that started to grow at this American presence. 61 00:04:42,100 --> 00:04:48,300 So, the United States used to guard this area very jealously 62 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:54,000 to a point where it became a problem for Panamanian citizens to cross 63 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,066 the Panama Canal to go to the other side of their own country, 64 00:04:59,066 --> 00:05:06,367 because we had Canal Zone police officers that could stop you at will. 65 00:05:06,367 --> 00:05:11,100 [narrator] On January 9, 1964, tensions boiled over 66 00:05:11,100 --> 00:05:13,467 when a group of angry Panamanian students 67 00:05:13,467 --> 00:05:18,000 marched into the Canal Zone and tried to raise the Panamanian flag 68 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,867 next to the stars and stripes. 69 00:05:20,867 --> 00:05:23,900 [Prof. Wawro] It unleashed this riot between the two groups. 70 00:05:23,900 --> 00:05:28,200 Over 20 people killed and several 100 injured in this fighting. 71 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:33,300 That was a spark that ignited the nationalism in Panama. 72 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:40,000 [narrator] The rising wave of anti-American sentiment eventually forced the US 73 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,567 back to the negotiating table. 74 00:05:42,567 --> 00:05:48,233 In 1977, an historic, new canal treaty was agreed upon. 75 00:05:49,467 --> 00:05:52,300 [Dr. Lynette] There was gonna be a phased withdrawal 76 00:05:52,300 --> 00:05:56,367 of American armed forces from the Panama Canal Zone 77 00:05:56,367 --> 00:06:01,166 and on the last day of 1999, 78 00:06:01,166 --> 00:06:07,433 the Panama Canal itself will become sovereign Panamanian territory. 79 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:11,400 [Rob] Fort Amador became a jointly-operated base 80 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,867 with the north side remaining as US housing, 81 00:06:13,867 --> 00:06:18,700 and much of the south side was turned over to the Panamanian forces. 82 00:06:18,700 --> 00:06:23,867 [narrator] Relations were strained, but hadn't yet reached a breaking point. 83 00:06:23,867 --> 00:06:29,400 That time came in the 1980s, when a power-hungry military leader 84 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,166 seized control of Panama. 85 00:06:32,166 --> 00:06:34,500 [Prof. Wawro] Manuel Noriega was absolutely ruthless, 86 00:06:34,500 --> 00:06:38,367 and someone who was determined to retain power at all costs. 87 00:06:38,367 --> 00:06:42,266 So, he creates the PDF, the Panamanian Defense Force. 88 00:06:42,266 --> 00:06:45,500 And this is gonna be under his personal control. 89 00:06:46,467 --> 00:06:49,700 [narrator] During this time, areas of Fort Amador 90 00:06:49,700 --> 00:06:52,700 became a dangerous place for Americans. 91 00:06:52,700 --> 00:06:54,867 [Ricardo] The PDF were pretty much under orders 92 00:06:54,867 --> 00:06:58,567 to harass us Americans that were here in Panama. 93 00:06:58,567 --> 00:07:03,700 He put his strategic buildings and headquarters all throughout this area, 94 00:07:03,700 --> 00:07:07,600 and that's what converted it pretty much into a no-go zone. 95 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:12,467 It was one of Noriega's ways of thumbing his nose at the US. 96 00:07:12,467 --> 00:07:18,367 "Look, you used to be here. Now I'm here and you're not allowed here any longer." 97 00:07:18,367 --> 00:07:21,567 [narrator] But Noriega's relationship with the United States 98 00:07:21,567 --> 00:07:23,367 was complicated, 99 00:07:23,367 --> 00:07:26,233 dating back to around 1958. 100 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:30,367 [Rob] Allegedly, he was recruited by the CIA initially 101 00:07:30,367 --> 00:07:32,867 whilst studying at a military academy in Peru. 102 00:07:32,867 --> 00:07:36,767 And from there, he went on to forge close ties with Washington. 103 00:07:36,767 --> 00:07:39,266 [Prof. Wawro] Noriega was a very useful client 104 00:07:39,266 --> 00:07:41,767 because Panama was a place where the United States could, 105 00:07:41,767 --> 00:07:46,000 you know, base a lot of its anti-Communist activity in Central America. 106 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:50,000 [narrator] Noriega also provided the CIA valuable information 107 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,133 on drug cartel activity. 108 00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:56,100 [Prof. Wawro] But the Americans became aware 109 00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:58,667 that Noriega wasn't working against the cartels. 110 00:07:58,667 --> 00:08:01,166 In fact, he was working with the cartels 111 00:08:01,166 --> 00:08:05,667 and making big profits by shipping drugs into the United States. 112 00:08:05,667 --> 00:08:10,066 [Rob] By this point, Washington's relationship with Noriega was over, 113 00:08:10,066 --> 00:08:11,900 and they wanted him out. 114 00:08:15,667 --> 00:08:17,967 [dramatic music playing] 115 00:08:17,967 --> 00:08:19,867 [narrator] In the late 1980s, 116 00:08:19,867 --> 00:08:24,400 the United States demanded that Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega 117 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:29,667 step down from office, after his close ties with the cartels came to light. 118 00:08:29,667 --> 00:08:32,834 Noriega remained defiant. 119 00:08:34,467 --> 00:08:36,667 [Rob] On December 15, 1989 120 00:08:36,667 --> 00:08:39,266 Noriega even went as far as declaring 121 00:08:39,266 --> 00:08:43,100 that a state of war existed between America and Panama. 122 00:08:44,467 --> 00:08:51,500 The day after, a marine is killed by Noriega's people. 123 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:54,667 The United States said, "You know what, this is it. 124 00:08:54,667 --> 00:08:56,100 We can no longer deal with this." 125 00:08:56,100 --> 00:09:02,333 [narrator] At 1:00 am, on December 20, Operation Just Cause begins. 126 00:09:03,700 --> 00:09:07,000 The objectives of the US invasion are clear. 127 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,767 Protect American lives, preserve the integrity of the Panama Canal, 128 00:09:11,767 --> 00:09:15,100 and apprehend Manuel Noriega. 129 00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:18,200 Fort Amador is a key battleground. 130 00:09:19,266 --> 00:09:22,867 This was one of Noriega's main headquarters. 131 00:09:22,867 --> 00:09:25,967 Operationally, we had to take this building. 132 00:09:25,967 --> 00:09:30,166 We had a couple of Apache helicopters flying around, 133 00:09:30,166 --> 00:09:32,767 and they shot off the rooves. 134 00:09:32,767 --> 00:09:38,667 While ground troops, 82nd Airborne, surrounded this whole area. 135 00:09:38,667 --> 00:09:41,467 [Prof. Wawro] And then they're pinned down for a while by snipers, 136 00:09:41,467 --> 00:09:43,300 but then they start moving in to Fort Amador. 137 00:09:45,467 --> 00:09:50,100 [Ricardo] You're scared, they're scared. What's gonna happen? 138 00:09:50,100 --> 00:09:52,367 There's bullets flying all over the place. 139 00:09:52,367 --> 00:09:54,567 [gunfire] 140 00:09:54,567 --> 00:09:58,000 After issuing warnings to surrender, the US military 141 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:03,500 bring out the big guns and start shelling the PDF barracks. 142 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:07,200 [Dr. Lynette] The Panamanian National Guard hasn't got a chance. 143 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:13,266 It is a decisive victory for the United States 144 00:10:13,266 --> 00:10:15,500 in record time. 145 00:10:16,967 --> 00:10:20,500 [Ricardo] About three hours, we had everything under control. 146 00:10:20,500 --> 00:10:22,700 People who were in this building, we detained them. 147 00:10:22,700 --> 00:10:27,133 We had them sitting here, of course, with their hands tied, and all that. 148 00:10:28,166 --> 00:10:31,800 [narrator] But Noriega was nowhere to be found. 149 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:33,967 A few days later, he turned up, 150 00:10:33,967 --> 00:10:36,767 hiding out at the Vatican Embassy in Panama City. 151 00:10:36,767 --> 00:10:40,533 And what happened next was one of the most bizarre scenes of the invasion. 152 00:10:42,500 --> 00:10:47,100 The Americans pull up some loudspeakers mounted on the back of vehicles, 153 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:54,166 and they blast the loudest rock music they can find. 154 00:10:54,166 --> 00:10:57,700 [Prof. Geoffrey] Noriega, believe it or not, actually likes classical music, 155 00:10:57,700 --> 00:11:01,467 and then after some time, Noriega says, "I'm done." 156 00:11:01,467 --> 00:11:04,834 And he comes out with his hands up and surrenders to American Forces. 157 00:11:06,567 --> 00:11:12,266 [narrator] In 1992, the fallen dictator was found guilty of drug trafficking 158 00:11:12,266 --> 00:11:15,200 and sentenced to 40 years in a federal prison. 159 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,166 Seven years later, in December 1999, 160 00:11:20,166 --> 00:11:26,467 the now democratic country took full control of the Panama Canal. 161 00:11:26,467 --> 00:11:30,300 [Rob] When the Americans left, Fort Amador, no longer needed, 162 00:11:30,300 --> 00:11:32,867 fell into complete disrepair. 163 00:11:32,867 --> 00:11:35,834 But the ghosts of American imperialism live on. 164 00:11:43,667 --> 00:11:47,467 [narrator] Noriega served 17 years in a US prison, 165 00:11:47,467 --> 00:11:52,266 and was eventually extradited back to Panama to face charges there. 166 00:11:52,266 --> 00:11:55,433 He died in 2017. 167 00:11:56,667 --> 00:11:59,166 But, ultimately, it was not without cost, 168 00:11:59,166 --> 00:12:01,400 this American intervention against him. 169 00:12:02,867 --> 00:12:06,867 [narrator] Official estimates suggest 500 civilians were killed 170 00:12:06,867 --> 00:12:09,567 during Operation Just Cause. 171 00:12:09,567 --> 00:12:14,000 Unofficial estimates say the death toll was much higher. 172 00:12:15,567 --> 00:12:18,166 [Ricardo] The damage was huge. 173 00:12:18,166 --> 00:12:21,266 Actually, I felt sad seeing all that 174 00:12:21,266 --> 00:12:24,867 because I don't believe the ends justify the means 175 00:12:24,867 --> 00:12:27,300 at all. I don't believe it. 176 00:12:34,100 --> 00:12:38,800 [narrator] In Warsaw, Poland, is a secretive facility that struck fear 177 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:41,200 into the hearts of the city's residents. 178 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:52,500 [Jim] We see this complex building behind a tall wall. 179 00:12:52,500 --> 00:12:55,600 There's not that much to distinguish them from the rest of the city, 180 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,300 but the other buildings don't have barbed wire around them, 181 00:12:59,300 --> 00:13:01,967 or bars on the windows. 182 00:13:01,967 --> 00:13:05,100 And there are multiple housing blocks, 183 00:13:05,100 --> 00:13:09,166 some of them connected by sky bridges. 184 00:13:09,166 --> 00:13:14,166 [narrator] Inside, the function of this compound quickly becomes clear. 185 00:13:14,166 --> 00:13:16,600 But all is not as it seems. 186 00:13:18,166 --> 00:13:23,166 [Jim] The prison was built to house common criminals, but almost from the start, 187 00:13:23,166 --> 00:13:26,967 it took on a political dimension. 188 00:13:26,967 --> 00:13:31,000 The cells look really sparse and dank, like literal hell holes. 189 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:35,166 And there's a spooky corridor that leads into a boiler room. 190 00:13:35,166 --> 00:13:38,000 [Prof. Wawro] But you have this very eerie sense when you walk in 191 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,000 that something far worse was going on here. 192 00:13:42,867 --> 00:13:47,166 [narrator] These rooms hide the stories of innocent victims 193 00:13:47,166 --> 00:13:51,467 considered "inconvenient" by the government. 194 00:13:51,467 --> 00:13:52,734 [Prof. Michele] In a different set of circumstances, 195 00:13:52,734 --> 00:13:56,533 many of the Polish inmates would be revered, national heroes. 196 00:13:58,100 --> 00:14:03,000 I can only imagine what it must have felt like being taken prisoner, 197 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,166 not knowing what was gonna happen. Were they going to be killed, 198 00:14:06,166 --> 00:14:09,400 were they going to be tortured, would they ever return? 199 00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:12,066 [dramatic music playing] 200 00:14:17,266 --> 00:14:23,467 [narrator] Historian Dr. Alex Richie is an expert on this prison's dark history. 201 00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:27,700 Her interest goes much deeper than just scholarly curiosity. 202 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:36,467 This cell was inhabited by my father-in-law, Wladyslaw Bartoszewski. 203 00:14:36,467 --> 00:14:40,367 He spent almost six years of his life in this prison. 204 00:14:40,367 --> 00:14:44,867 [narrator] His only crime was fighting to save his country. 205 00:14:44,867 --> 00:14:49,400 He was only 23 years old, and the things that happened to him 206 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:51,133 were absolutely terrible. 207 00:14:52,066 --> 00:14:55,000 [narrator] This is Mokotow Prison. 208 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,300 The events that tied Wladyslaw's fate 209 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:04,100 to this cruel facility began with the outbreak of WWII. 210 00:15:04,100 --> 00:15:09,467 At the start of the conflict, the Soviet Union, not yet fighting with the Allies, 211 00:15:09,467 --> 00:15:13,700 made a side deal with Nazi Germany. 212 00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:20,166 Poland was in the crosshairs of this pact, not only not to go to war with each other, 213 00:15:20,166 --> 00:15:23,600 but to, essentially, split up the spoils of Europe. 214 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:28,066 So, the Nazis invaded Poland from the west. 215 00:15:28,066 --> 00:15:30,900 The Soviets invaded from the east. 216 00:15:33,467 --> 00:15:35,667 [narrator] Hitler's well-trained forces 217 00:15:35,667 --> 00:15:38,400 quickly took Poland's capital, Warsaw. 218 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:42,100 But the Polish people didn't give up the fight. 219 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,100 [Dr. Richie] They create an underground army, military, 220 00:15:46,100 --> 00:15:48,066 the Home Army, eventually, it's called. 221 00:15:48,066 --> 00:15:50,567 They were fighting for a free Poland. 222 00:15:50,567 --> 00:15:53,767 [Prof. Wawro] These people are priests, they're army officers, 223 00:15:53,767 --> 00:15:56,800 they're school teachers, they're college professors. 224 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:00,266 And they're seeded throughout Polish society. 225 00:16:00,266 --> 00:16:02,567 [narrator] Alex's father-in-law, Wladyslaw, 226 00:16:02,567 --> 00:16:06,500 joined the Polish Home Army in 1942. 227 00:16:06,500 --> 00:16:11,567 For the next two years, he risked his life fighting in a guerilla war 228 00:16:11,567 --> 00:16:13,967 against the Nazi occupiers. 229 00:16:13,967 --> 00:16:18,967 By 1944, the tide seemed to be turning. 230 00:16:18,967 --> 00:16:22,367 [Jim] It was becoming obvious that Germany was losing control 231 00:16:22,367 --> 00:16:25,166 over the territories that it had occupied. 232 00:16:25,166 --> 00:16:28,967 [Dr. Richie] The Warsaw uprising broke out on August 1, 1944. 233 00:16:28,967 --> 00:16:32,266 And the main aim for the Poles was to try and take over 234 00:16:32,266 --> 00:16:37,100 as many important buildings, bridges, airports as they possibly could. 235 00:16:38,767 --> 00:16:41,166 It was a gamble, and they threw everything that they had 236 00:16:41,166 --> 00:16:43,567 into taking the city back. 237 00:16:43,567 --> 00:16:47,667 [narrator] But the Polish resistance was no match for the Germans. 238 00:16:47,667 --> 00:16:52,867 One hope was that the Soviet army now siding with the Allies, 239 00:16:52,867 --> 00:16:57,767 was nearing Warsaw and would come to Poland's aid. 240 00:16:57,767 --> 00:17:01,867 The Poles had allied themselves to the British and to the Western Allies 241 00:17:01,867 --> 00:17:04,367 but, of course, by definition, to the Soviets as well. 242 00:17:04,367 --> 00:17:08,300 And so, they went and fought, thinking that they were allies. 243 00:17:08,300 --> 00:17:09,667 [narrator] But Poland hadn't banked 244 00:17:09,667 --> 00:17:14,433 on the treachery of one of history's most notorious dictators. 245 00:17:22,867 --> 00:17:25,767 In the final days of the Second World War, 246 00:17:25,767 --> 00:17:28,166 in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, 247 00:17:28,166 --> 00:17:32,100 the Polish resistance was being crushed. 248 00:17:32,100 --> 00:17:37,667 The only ones who could stop the destruction were approaching Red Army. 249 00:17:37,667 --> 00:17:43,100 But the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, had other plans for Poland. 250 00:17:43,100 --> 00:17:47,500 The Soviets made no effort to intervene and help the Poles, 251 00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:51,166 and get the Germans out of there and save the city of Warsaw. 252 00:17:51,166 --> 00:17:55,400 Eighty-five percent of Warsaw is destroyed during the rising, 253 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:57,600 while the Soviets are sitting on the hulls of their tanks 254 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:01,000 on the outskirts of the city just, like, watching. 255 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,166 [Dr. Richie] Stalin always had an ulterior motive, and that was political control. 256 00:18:05,166 --> 00:18:11,000 He wanted to create a buffer zone between Russia and the rest of Europe. 257 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,166 [Prof. Wawro] The Soviets were happy to see the Germans do their dirty work for them. 258 00:18:15,166 --> 00:18:18,767 "Kill all these Polish nationalists." Then the Soviets roll in, 259 00:18:18,767 --> 00:18:22,867 so they could take over this passive, defeated population 260 00:18:22,867 --> 00:18:25,900 and easily bring them into the Soviet Empire. 261 00:18:27,266 --> 00:18:30,367 [narrator] When the Red Army entered the ruined city, 262 00:18:30,367 --> 00:18:34,467 Mokotow Prison is one of the few buildings left standing. 263 00:18:34,467 --> 00:18:41,567 It was quickly transformed into a notorious tool of Communist repression. 264 00:18:41,567 --> 00:18:48,166 The first thing that the Soviets do is they create a Ministry of Public Security. 265 00:18:48,166 --> 00:18:49,767 Very Orwellian name. 266 00:18:49,767 --> 00:18:51,867 It has nothing to do with public security. 267 00:18:51,867 --> 00:18:53,900 It has to do with public persecution. 268 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:57,700 They wanna find every remnant of the Polish nationalist movement. 269 00:18:57,700 --> 00:19:01,300 They either wanna, like, kill them, or they wanna convert them 270 00:19:01,300 --> 00:19:04,500 to, you know, passive pawns of the Soviet state. 271 00:19:04,500 --> 00:19:08,266 [Dr. Richie] The Home Army represented a huge threat for Stalin 272 00:19:08,266 --> 00:19:14,100 because they represented Western democratic values 273 00:19:14,100 --> 00:19:18,400 in the sense of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of religion. 274 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:22,500 [narrator] Alex's father-in-law, Wladyslaw, was one of those rounded up 275 00:19:22,500 --> 00:19:26,300 and imprisoned without trial during Stalin's violent purge. 276 00:19:28,767 --> 00:19:34,266 From this cell, he remembers hearing people being executed. 277 00:19:34,266 --> 00:19:37,266 So, they didn't know what was going on, had no idea. 278 00:19:37,266 --> 00:19:41,100 And then, all of a sudden, would hear this loud shot ringing out. 279 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:43,300 You didn't know if you were going to be next. 280 00:19:43,300 --> 00:19:48,367 And this was all part of the fear that was generated in this prison. 281 00:19:48,367 --> 00:19:51,266 [narrator] The torture didn't end there. 282 00:19:51,266 --> 00:19:54,800 [Dr. Wawro] One of the most disgusting ironies of this Soviet conquest 283 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:59,266 is that they then take Polish nationalists who'd been fighting so bravely 284 00:19:59,266 --> 00:20:01,567 against the Nazis to free their country, 285 00:20:01,567 --> 00:20:06,600 and they put these Polish nationalists in cells with German Nazis 286 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:10,800 in Mokotow Prison, as if they're just as bad. 287 00:20:11,767 --> 00:20:13,667 [Dr. Richie] My father-in-law was in Auschwitz. 288 00:20:13,667 --> 00:20:17,700 And for him, the experience of Auschwitz was, by far, 289 00:20:17,700 --> 00:20:20,967 the worst he ever experienced in his life. 290 00:20:20,967 --> 00:20:26,467 Just two doors down was the prison cell of Hoss, 291 00:20:26,467 --> 00:20:28,700 who was the commandant of Auschwitz. 292 00:20:28,700 --> 00:20:32,700 This was to humiliate and demean the Polish prisoners. 293 00:20:32,700 --> 00:20:35,867 In other words, they were made to think that they were even below 294 00:20:35,867 --> 00:20:38,867 Nazi criminals. 295 00:20:38,867 --> 00:20:43,467 [narrator] It isn't known how many political prisoners were killed by the Soviets, 296 00:20:43,467 --> 00:20:45,767 but their intention was clear. 297 00:20:45,767 --> 00:20:48,900 They wanted to completely rewrite the story 298 00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:51,567 of the Second World War in Poland. 299 00:20:51,567 --> 00:20:54,567 [Dr. Richie] Mention of the heroic stance 300 00:20:54,567 --> 00:20:56,767 of the Polish Home Army against the Nazis 301 00:20:56,767 --> 00:20:58,266 was completely forbidden. 302 00:20:58,266 --> 00:21:01,367 There was, under Stalinism, no Holocaust. 303 00:21:01,367 --> 00:21:04,266 Everybody who was killed in the Second World War 304 00:21:04,266 --> 00:21:06,100 was simply a victim of Fascism. 305 00:21:07,066 --> 00:21:10,767 [narrator] When Wladyslaw was released in 1954, 306 00:21:10,767 --> 00:21:12,867 he defied the Communist authorities 307 00:21:12,867 --> 00:21:17,900 by dedicating himself to keeping the story of the Home Army alive. 308 00:21:19,367 --> 00:21:21,800 He wrote books about what had happened during the war. 309 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:28,767 Many of the things he wrote were either censored heavily or not published at all. 310 00:21:28,767 --> 00:21:32,967 [narrator] This facility continued to house perceived enemies of the regime 311 00:21:32,967 --> 00:21:37,100 until Communism collapsed in 1989. 312 00:21:38,467 --> 00:21:42,300 [Dr. Richie] Finally, people were free to actually talk about these things, 313 00:21:42,300 --> 00:21:45,900 and go into archives and interview survivors, for example, 314 00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:50,367 and actually put together a story that, in a way, had been frozen 315 00:21:50,367 --> 00:21:53,734 by the Soviet system since 1945. 316 00:21:54,767 --> 00:21:57,166 [narrator] After the Democratic Republic of Poland 317 00:21:57,166 --> 00:21:59,567 was established in 1990, 318 00:21:59,567 --> 00:22:02,367 Mokotow Prison continued to operate. 319 00:22:02,367 --> 00:22:05,700 In 2016, it closed for good. 320 00:22:12,567 --> 00:22:14,700 Wladyslaw spent his final years 321 00:22:14,700 --> 00:22:17,600 building a brighter future for Poland 322 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:21,133 as part of the newly Democratic government. 323 00:22:22,266 --> 00:22:24,467 [Dr. Richie] So, he had an incredible career. I mean, going from 324 00:22:24,467 --> 00:22:27,467 a young man in Soviet prison, 325 00:22:27,467 --> 00:22:30,467 and then ending up in a free Poland as Foreign Minister 326 00:22:30,467 --> 00:22:33,567 and a minister of high office until the day he died. 327 00:22:33,567 --> 00:22:36,133 So, it was an extraordinary life. 328 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:50,734 [narrator] In Italy, the town of Ivrea hides pockets of revolutionary zeal. 329 00:22:55,467 --> 00:22:58,000 [Martin] It looks like any other normal Italian town, 330 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,800 that is until you notice the modern architecture that's in the middle of it. 331 00:23:03,100 --> 00:23:05,400 [Hadley] Miles of glass dot the landscape, 332 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:09,600 and there's this mismatch of buildings spread throughout the town. 333 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,200 [Martin] One of the structures looks like a typewriter. 334 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:16,100 Who would build a building to look like a typewriter? 335 00:23:17,266 --> 00:23:19,266 You can tell that a lot of work went on right here, 336 00:23:19,266 --> 00:23:21,233 but you can't really tell what it was. 337 00:23:22,667 --> 00:23:27,800 [narrator] Below the surface, rumors still swirl of ruthless espionage... 338 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:33,000 and a death under mysterious circumstances. 339 00:23:34,700 --> 00:23:36,300 What's strange is that an autopsy 340 00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:38,767 was never requested or carried out. 341 00:23:38,767 --> 00:23:42,967 Some people think that the CIA was involved. 342 00:23:42,967 --> 00:23:46,000 [narrator] What was it about this sleepy country town 343 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,867 that might've been worth killing for? 344 00:23:48,867 --> 00:23:50,800 [dramatic music playing] 345 00:23:52,667 --> 00:23:56,867 [soft music playing] 346 00:23:56,867 --> 00:24:00,667 Matteo Olivetti is part of the centuries-old family 347 00:24:00,667 --> 00:24:05,100 that transformed the northwest Italian town of Ivrea. 348 00:24:05,100 --> 00:24:11,066 I came here in 1972 and all these buildings 349 00:24:11,066 --> 00:24:15,700 when I was small, they were full of people. 350 00:24:17,266 --> 00:24:22,600 [narrator] It's all part of a utopian community created by Matteo's ancestors. 351 00:24:24,867 --> 00:24:28,867 [Martin] The Olivetti family is a corporate dynasty 352 00:24:28,867 --> 00:24:32,700 that is associated with the development of cutting-edge technologies, 353 00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:37,200 reaching all the way back to the era of innovation in the mid-19th century. 354 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,400 [narrator] Back then, Matteo's great grandfather 355 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,900 was a visionary electrical engineer. 356 00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:47,467 Camillo Olivetti saw great potential in typewriters 357 00:24:47,467 --> 00:24:49,433 and decided to capitalize on it. 358 00:24:50,066 --> 00:24:52,767 Everything starts here in Ivrea, 359 00:24:52,767 --> 00:24:59,600 and in 1908, Camillo puts up the Olivetti factory of typewriters. 360 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,467 Camillo Olivetti designed the first Olivetti typewriter. 361 00:25:04,467 --> 00:25:07,467 It was known for the fact that it was composed of over 3,000 parts, 362 00:25:07,467 --> 00:25:10,367 and yet it weighed only 40 pounds. 363 00:25:10,367 --> 00:25:17,400 [narrator] In 1933, Camilo brought in his son, Adriano, to manage the firm. 364 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:20,266 [Martin] Under his leadership, when he took over the company, 365 00:25:20,266 --> 00:25:23,467 the company's productivity soared. 366 00:25:23,467 --> 00:25:27,600 And by 1933, Olivetti was producing half of Italy's typewriters. 367 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,266 [Hadley] But the rise of a brutal dictator 368 00:25:32,266 --> 00:25:35,100 threatened to destroy everything he had built. 369 00:25:36,567 --> 00:25:38,967 [narrator] As the Second World War loomed, 370 00:25:38,967 --> 00:25:43,400 Benito Mussolini ruled Italy with an iron fist. 371 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,066 [Martin] The Olivetti family was in a precarious position 372 00:25:47,066 --> 00:25:49,667 under the Fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. 373 00:25:49,667 --> 00:25:52,767 And that's because they were Jewish, 374 00:25:52,767 --> 00:25:54,900 and the dictatorship was anti-Semitic. 375 00:25:54,900 --> 00:25:58,600 But typewriters were as important then as computers are today. 376 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:02,266 And Olivetti offered Mussolini's government an Italian-made typewriter, 377 00:26:02,266 --> 00:26:05,367 and they needed them in large quantities. 378 00:26:05,367 --> 00:26:10,266 [narrator] The Olivetti factory produced typewriters throughout the war. 379 00:26:10,266 --> 00:26:16,066 But by 1944, Adriano had fallen out of favor with Mussolini, 380 00:26:16,066 --> 00:26:17,600 who imprisoned him. 381 00:26:19,066 --> 00:26:24,266 Adriano had to do a daring escape from jail to Switzerland. 382 00:26:24,266 --> 00:26:28,000 [narrator] He stayed in neutral Switzerland 'til the end of the war, 383 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,400 returning to Italy in 1945. 384 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,200 [Hadley] When he came back, he decided to transform his company, 385 00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:40,900 and he really put in place democratic ideals 386 00:26:40,900 --> 00:26:47,967 and used that as a way to change how his workers lived and operated and worked. 387 00:26:47,967 --> 00:26:51,667 [Martin] He commissions some of the brightest architectural minds in Europe 388 00:26:51,667 --> 00:26:55,166 to design a city for his company. 389 00:26:55,166 --> 00:26:58,600 [Hadley] He wanted to make it a wonderful place to be, 390 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:02,867 a wonderful place to work, a wonderful place to be a member of a community. 391 00:27:02,867 --> 00:27:06,767 [Prof. Michele] Employees were promised flexible working hours, free child care, 392 00:27:06,767 --> 00:27:10,266 cultural activities, perks, and bonuses. 393 00:27:10,266 --> 00:27:12,700 Who wouldn't wanna work here? 394 00:27:12,700 --> 00:27:18,700 [narrator] This complex is Adriano Olivetti's vision for a new way of life. 395 00:27:19,967 --> 00:27:23,567 Matteo remembers Ivrea's social services building, 396 00:27:23,567 --> 00:27:26,734 the beating heart of his uncle's utopia. 397 00:27:29,767 --> 00:27:35,367 We needed a real space for all the welfare of all the people that worked for us, 398 00:27:35,367 --> 00:27:37,133 for the factory. 399 00:27:38,567 --> 00:27:43,000 This building was the epitome of Adriano's philosophy. 400 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:48,567 It housed a library, a nursery, healthcare centers and an auditorium. 401 00:27:48,567 --> 00:27:55,133 There was the infermiera, and I remember when we knew all the doctors. 402 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:01,867 This was the library, and I remember when I was a little kid, 403 00:28:01,867 --> 00:28:04,400 I would come here and get books. 404 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,100 [narrator] To fund his utopian vision, 405 00:28:08,100 --> 00:28:13,233 Adriano continued to push the boundaries of technological invention. 406 00:28:14,567 --> 00:28:17,100 He decides that computers are the future. 407 00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:20,166 [Prof. Michele] He ventured into electronics, 408 00:28:20,166 --> 00:28:25,100 collaborating with Chinese-Italian chief engineer, Mario Tchou. 409 00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:29,066 [narrator] Olivetti was soon outstripping the competition. 410 00:28:29,066 --> 00:28:35,800 In 1959, Adriano unveiled one of the world's first mainframe computers. 411 00:28:38,500 --> 00:28:41,567 With all revolutionary brilliant ideas, 412 00:28:41,567 --> 00:28:44,700 there's always someone out there who wants to steal them. 413 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,266 [Matteo] There was a lot of Communists in Italy, 414 00:28:49,266 --> 00:28:51,700 and so this was a big problem. 415 00:28:53,266 --> 00:28:55,867 [narrator] With Cold War tensions growing, 416 00:28:55,867 --> 00:29:00,166 there were some global powers that felt threatened by Olivetti. 417 00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:03,467 [Martin] The United States is already concerned 418 00:29:03,467 --> 00:29:06,166 that Italy might ultimately go Communist. 419 00:29:06,166 --> 00:29:09,667 And that concern reaches a higher level of escalation 420 00:29:09,667 --> 00:29:16,000 when they realize that the Olivettis have this high-end computer technology. 421 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:20,467 [Prof. Michele] In February 1960, Adriano boarded a train to Switzerland, 422 00:29:20,467 --> 00:29:25,367 but he would never make it to his destination, for he died suddenly en route. 423 00:29:25,367 --> 00:29:29,000 What's strange is that an autopsy is never requested or carried out. 424 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,467 His official cause of death is a stroke. 425 00:29:32,467 --> 00:29:37,300 [narrator] Yet, many believed there was more to Adriano Olivetti's death 426 00:29:37,300 --> 00:29:39,100 than meets the eye. 427 00:29:43,767 --> 00:29:46,900 [dramatic music playing] 428 00:29:46,900 --> 00:29:51,700 In 1960s Italy, during the depths of the Cold War, 429 00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:56,367 the untimely death of computer industrialist Adriano Olivetti 430 00:29:56,367 --> 00:29:58,433 was met with suspicion. 431 00:30:00,567 --> 00:30:04,767 It doesn't seem to me to be an absurd stretch of possibility 432 00:30:04,767 --> 00:30:07,800 that the CIA may have carried out a pointed assassination 433 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:09,567 against Adriano Olivetti, 434 00:30:09,567 --> 00:30:13,000 over this issue of this critical technology 435 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:17,567 becoming something that provides an advantage for the Communists. 436 00:30:17,567 --> 00:30:22,567 [narrator] But the sinister occurrences were far from over. 437 00:30:22,567 --> 00:30:29,667 A year later, Mario Tchou, his chief engineer dies in a tragic car accident. 438 00:30:29,667 --> 00:30:35,567 It came out that somebody said that there was smell of alcohol in the car, 439 00:30:35,567 --> 00:30:36,734 but he didn't drink. 440 00:30:36,734 --> 00:30:40,867 And then, a lot of little things that make you think, 441 00:30:40,867 --> 00:30:43,867 "Hmm, maybe something happened 442 00:30:43,867 --> 00:30:46,700 more than just a car accident." 443 00:30:47,567 --> 00:30:48,900 [Martin] There's no proof. 444 00:30:48,900 --> 00:30:51,567 But, when you look closely at the circumstances of that accident, 445 00:30:51,567 --> 00:30:53,400 it certainly does look suspicious. 446 00:30:54,667 --> 00:30:59,066 [narrator] The double tragedy marked a turning point for the Olivetti family. 447 00:30:59,066 --> 00:31:03,800 In 1963, a financial crisis hit Italy, 448 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,000 and a year later, 449 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:10,233 the Olivettis sold off their computer division to General Electric. 450 00:31:12,567 --> 00:31:16,300 The next year, the company reveals a world-changing invention 451 00:31:16,300 --> 00:31:19,000 that it had heretofore kept secret. 452 00:31:20,867 --> 00:31:23,667 [Hadley] In 1965, at the New York World's Fair, 453 00:31:23,667 --> 00:31:27,767 the Programma 101 made its debut. 454 00:31:27,767 --> 00:31:32,300 Programma 101 is considered by many to be the first desktop computer. 455 00:31:33,367 --> 00:31:36,800 [Prof. Michele] Forty thousand of these P-101s were sold. 456 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,400 And it was even used in the Apollo 11 mission of NASA. 457 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:46,800 [Martin] But, by the 1980s, as computer technology ultimately takes over, 458 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:49,367 people need typewriters less. 459 00:31:49,367 --> 00:31:52,867 The company eventually stops manufacturing them altogether. 460 00:31:52,867 --> 00:31:58,767 In 1978, we were more or less 90,000 people in the world. 461 00:31:58,767 --> 00:32:00,300 And now it's 500. 462 00:32:01,767 --> 00:32:04,667 [woman] Ivrea's abandoned by 2003. 463 00:32:04,667 --> 00:32:07,667 But its name has been immortalized by its pioneering design 464 00:32:07,667 --> 00:32:09,500 and its visionary family. 465 00:32:15,367 --> 00:32:18,667 [narrator] Today, Matteo is determined 466 00:32:18,667 --> 00:32:22,233 to keep his family's unique experiment alive. 467 00:32:24,367 --> 00:32:29,667 I try to keep up this history of the family. That's the important thing. 468 00:32:29,667 --> 00:32:34,900 [Martin] It's one of the most successful commercial industrial towns in the world, 469 00:32:34,900 --> 00:32:37,700 and that becomes, eventually, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 470 00:32:44,166 --> 00:32:45,967 [narrator] In northeast Africa, 471 00:32:45,967 --> 00:32:49,166 in the Tunisian town of El Jem, 472 00:32:49,166 --> 00:32:53,700 a colossal building bears witness to ancient rivalries. 473 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:05,567 Right in the middle of town, we have a massive Roman structure. 474 00:33:05,567 --> 00:33:11,066 [Luke] You pass through these outer walls and enter this vast oval floor 475 00:33:11,066 --> 00:33:15,667 surrounded by stadium seating. This was a place to put on a show. 476 00:33:15,667 --> 00:33:21,266 And what entertainment did the Romans enjoy more than gladiatorial games? 477 00:33:21,266 --> 00:33:26,500 [narrator] But this was much more than an arena for savage Roman spectacle. 478 00:33:26,500 --> 00:33:30,800 Its remarkable size hints at its intended purpose. 479 00:33:32,166 --> 00:33:38,700 This is one of the biggest, grandest amphitheaters in the entire Roman world. 480 00:33:38,700 --> 00:33:44,900 Why do we have this here in Africa? 481 00:33:44,900 --> 00:33:51,500 [narrator] The answer may lie in one of the most violent periods of Roman history. 482 00:33:51,500 --> 00:33:54,300 It became known as The Year of the Six Emperors. 483 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,667 There was murder, there was ruin, 484 00:33:57,667 --> 00:34:02,500 and it was all happening right here in El Jem. 485 00:34:08,867 --> 00:34:13,000 [narrator] Archeologist Rached Hamdi decodes this site 486 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:17,133 to piece together what was happening almost 2,000 years ago 487 00:34:19,667 --> 00:34:20,767 [Rached speaking own language] 488 00:34:20,767 --> 00:34:22,266 [interpreter] At the start of the 3rd century, 489 00:34:22,266 --> 00:34:25,333 a decision was made to build a stadium, 490 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,867 one like the great Colosseum in Rome. 491 00:34:28,867 --> 00:34:31,166 Today, it's still a shining example 492 00:34:31,166 --> 00:34:33,634 of Roman creativity and engineering. 493 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,166 [Luke in English] It had three levels of galleries, 494 00:34:37,166 --> 00:34:39,900 which could fit 35,000 people. 495 00:34:41,066 --> 00:34:43,600 [narrator] It's thought the mighty structure 496 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,367 was adorned with statues of Roman Gods, 497 00:34:47,367 --> 00:34:50,100 had 64 arches, 498 00:34:50,100 --> 00:34:54,767 120-foot high red limestone walls, 499 00:34:54,767 --> 00:34:59,200 and might even have had sails for a roof. 500 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:06,200 The town it towers over offers a clue as to why this iconic structure is here. 501 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:12,567 Today, it's known as El Jem. But under the Romans, it was known as Thysdrus. 502 00:35:12,567 --> 00:35:19,667 This was one of the wealthiest and most thriving parts of the empire. 503 00:35:19,667 --> 00:35:26,000 [narrator] El Jem sat in the province the Romans called Africa. 504 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:31,600 It allowed vital access to the strategically important Mediterranean coast. 505 00:35:33,100 --> 00:35:34,533 [Rached speaking own language] 506 00:35:34,533 --> 00:35:36,800 [interpreter] This building reveals the significance of this city. 507 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:40,634 and the power of its influence back in the senate in Rome. 508 00:35:43,100 --> 00:35:46,500 [narrator] At the time of El Jem's construction, 509 00:35:46,500 --> 00:35:51,900 treacherous rivalries were sending shockwaves across the Roman empire. 510 00:35:51,900 --> 00:35:56,533 Emperors were overthrown. New emperors were appointed. 511 00:35:57,166 --> 00:36:00,300 There was conflict in the Roman empire. 512 00:36:06,500 --> 00:36:09,200 [narrator] In Tunisia, El Jem's coliseum 513 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:13,600 dates back to a time of bitter infighting in the Roman empire. 514 00:36:15,166 --> 00:36:21,266 This amphitheater was built in the year 238 CE. 515 00:36:21,266 --> 00:36:28,100 This was a very important and dangerous year for the Roman empire. 516 00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:34,166 [narrator] When the emperor in Rome decided to fund his warring campaigns 517 00:36:34,166 --> 00:36:37,967 by taxing the people of El Jem, they rebelled 518 00:36:37,967 --> 00:36:43,867 and demanded their governor, Gordian I, be put on the Imperial throne. 519 00:36:43,867 --> 00:36:46,567 At 80 years old, he reluctantly agreed, 520 00:36:46,567 --> 00:36:50,867 but only on the condition that his son would rule alongside him. 521 00:36:50,867 --> 00:36:56,967 [narrator] But when his son was killed in battle, Gordian took his own life. 522 00:36:56,967 --> 00:37:02,367 [Dominic] Gordian hanged himself with a belt just 22 days into his reign. 523 00:37:02,367 --> 00:37:05,000 The shortest reign in Roman history. 524 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,500 This was one of six changes in rule that year. 525 00:37:10,367 --> 00:37:12,467 [narrator] From the ashes of this chaos, 526 00:37:12,467 --> 00:37:15,867 Gordian's grandson rose to take the throne. 527 00:37:15,867 --> 00:37:17,166 It's thought by some 528 00:37:17,166 --> 00:37:20,567 that Gordian III may have constructed the mammoth amphitheater 529 00:37:20,567 --> 00:37:23,567 to immortalize his family. 530 00:37:23,567 --> 00:37:28,166 It wasn't until the turn of the 20th century that archeologists discovered 531 00:37:28,166 --> 00:37:31,000 the true extent of the dynastic monument. 532 00:37:32,667 --> 00:37:33,967 [Rached speaking own language] 533 00:37:33,967 --> 00:37:36,000 [interpreter] Below the tons of dirt that covered the site 534 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:37,900 and the floor of the fighting arena, 535 00:37:37,900 --> 00:37:40,700 they found a huge underground area. 536 00:37:41,667 --> 00:37:44,467 [in English] What they found was an intact basement level 537 00:37:44,467 --> 00:37:48,100 that covered the entire footprint of the arena. 538 00:37:49,166 --> 00:37:51,867 [narrator] Nearby, ancient mosaics 539 00:37:51,867 --> 00:37:55,233 suggest why this basement was so big. 540 00:37:56,467 --> 00:38:01,266 In Gordian's time, El Jem was at the center of a highly-lucrative 541 00:38:01,266 --> 00:38:04,500 and well-organized trade in wild animals 542 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:07,767 that professional animal hunters 543 00:38:07,767 --> 00:38:10,500 caught in the interior of Africa. 544 00:38:12,066 --> 00:38:16,767 Many thousands of leopards, elephants and other African animals 545 00:38:16,767 --> 00:38:22,200 would have passed through the subterranean corridors of El Jem. 546 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:27,900 You came here to watch gladiators and wild animals killing each other. 547 00:38:29,367 --> 00:38:31,900 [narrator] The basement was designed to ensure 548 00:38:31,900 --> 00:38:34,734 that games ran with chilling efficiency. 549 00:38:35,900 --> 00:38:37,867 [Rached speaking own language] 550 00:38:37,867 --> 00:38:41,567 [interpreter] Down here, it was a hive of activity, 551 00:38:41,567 --> 00:38:45,400 where the prisoners and gladiators waited to meet their fate. 552 00:38:47,266 --> 00:38:52,567 [Dr. Lynette in English] We have all of the hidden chambers necessary to create 553 00:38:52,567 --> 00:38:57,500 the very best in Roman spectacle. 554 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:00,767 [narrator] Below the arena floor, 555 00:39:00,767 --> 00:39:04,300 Rached Hamdi finds evidence of how it worked. 556 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:08,567 [Rached speaking own language] 557 00:39:08,567 --> 00:39:11,900 [interpreter] The stone blocks in this room were probably used to stabilize the cages 558 00:39:11,900 --> 00:39:15,667 of vicious and predatory wild animals. 559 00:39:15,667 --> 00:39:19,367 Then, more cages lifted the animals up to the arena from here. 560 00:39:19,367 --> 00:39:21,700 They carried them up to the spectacular events 561 00:39:21,700 --> 00:39:24,400 taking place in the stadium above, 562 00:39:25,667 --> 00:39:30,700 where the audience loved watching gladiators fighting wild animals. 563 00:39:30,700 --> 00:39:33,867 [narrator] The Gordian amphitheater stamped the family's mark 564 00:39:33,867 --> 00:39:38,600 on the city until the Romans lost power, two centuries later. 565 00:39:40,567 --> 00:39:44,500 By the Middle Ages, Rome's influence in north Africa had ceased, 566 00:39:44,500 --> 00:39:46,333 and the empire had fallen. 567 00:39:47,767 --> 00:39:53,634 Once this was no longer a provincial capital, it was abandoned. 568 00:39:54,867 --> 00:39:58,467 [narrator] Over the coming centuries, the people of El Jem 569 00:39:58,467 --> 00:40:02,800 plundered the stones of the mighty coliseum, leaving it to crumble. 570 00:40:08,767 --> 00:40:14,600 Today, the residents of El Jem make full use of the ancient monument. 571 00:40:15,767 --> 00:40:16,700 [Rached speaking own language] 572 00:40:16,700 --> 00:40:17,967 [interpreter] It's an iconic structure, 573 00:40:17,967 --> 00:40:21,867 both in the city of El Jem and in Africa as a whole. 574 00:40:21,867 --> 00:40:25,400 and it's an important symbol of modern-day Tunisia.